Surviving Beatles shocked by Former Mate's Death (1980)

 

Surviving Beatles Shocked by Former Mate's Death

By Jeff Bradly 

Associated Press

December 9, 1980 

    The three surviving Beatles were in deep shock and mourning today over the slaying of their former partner, John Lennon. "I can't take it in at the moment," said Paul McCartney, the man who, with Lennon, formed one of popular music's greatest songwriting teams. He was visibly upset as he drove away from his Sussex farmhouse in southern England.

     "Ringo Starr broke off a vacation to fly to the United States", said a spokesman for his record company. "He's extremely shocked. He doesn't want to say any more."

     George Harrison, the fourth of the Fab Four who revolutionized pop music in the 1960s, was reported to be deeply upset and was said to have canceled a recording session scheduled for today.

     McCartney, looking pale and dressed in a dark jacket, told reporters, "John was a great guy. He's going to be missed by the whole world."  McCartney left his rural home with his wife, Linda, and one of their children. He reportedly was headed for London, where he had a recording session scheduled for today. "Because of Lennon's death, McCartney's plans were now uncertain," according to a spokesman in McCartney Productions Ltd.

     In his native Liverpool, Lennon's death caused dismay and anger. "It's bloody terrible, bloody terrible," said John Chambers, head of the local Beatles fan club.

     Like the music he wrote and sang, words of Lennon's slaying flashed around the world, stunning a generation of fans raised on the Beatlemania explosion. 

    Hundreds gathered outside the stately apartment building on New York's Upper West Side, where Lennon was felled by an assassin's bullet Monday night.  Some wept, others softly sang the lyrics of Lennon's songs or played tapes of the legendary rock group.

    The brother of Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, said in Japan today that he was prepared to leave for the United States in an effort to persuade his sister to return to her native country, where she "doesn't have to worry about gunshots anymore."  Keisuke Ono said he was deeply shocked and saddened by his brother-in-law's death. "He was a really good man, a good father, a good husband, and a good friend." Ono said other members of the Ono family were in mourning at the residence in Fujisawa, 30 miles southwest of Tokyo, he added.

     The London New Standard newspaper lashed out at American gun laws in an editorial tribute to the slain superstar. "His meaningless murder is increasingly typical of New York and of the United States in general, where the freedom to carry guns has brought forth monsters." The paper said Lennon's reputation and achievement will remain secure in the memory of "all those to whom the music of the Beatles came as a delight and revelation."

    Lennon's first wife, Cynthia, spoke today of the deepest affection she always retained for John. "His death was tragic", she said. Commenting in Ruthland, Wales, where she is remarried, and running a restaurant called Oliver's Bistro, she said the news was particularly hard on 17-year-old Julian Lennon, the son she had with the Beatle. Cynthia, now Mrs. John Twist, has had custody of Julian since her 1968 divorce from Lennon.

     In London. Alan Williams, the Beatles' first manager, said Lennon was "a great musician" and urged the city of Liverpool, the group's hometown, to commemorate the group with a statue. The proposal has been made repeatedly by the quartet's fans, but municipal officials in the big port in western England have always turned it down. "Surely, the pop world owes something to the name of the Beatles and especially John, and there should be a statue in their hometown," Williams said. He said Lennon was "aggressive, a very strong character. He wouldn't suffer fools gladly."

We All Shine On - A Book Review

 

I first want to say that I do not know Elliot Mintz. I have never met him or communicated with him, and if I am 100% honest with you all, I have always found him to be a tad creepy. I don't have a real reason to explain why—it is just one of those feelings you have about a person. It may have to do with the overly photoshopped photographs he used to post on Facebook. I don't know.   I didn't expect much going into this book.  All of the reviews I had read on it just raved about how great it was, and then I realized that they were all written by people who knew Elliot Mintz.  I didn't even get a copy of the book for free from the publisher to review.  So I came into this book totally open-minded but not really expecting it to be great. 

I was pleasantly pleased with the book.   Elliot explains how he started a phone friendship with Yoko because he interviewed her on the radio for a nightly radio show he did.  From that point on, Yoko would call Elliot every night, and they'd talk about all sorts of things.  That went on for a while, and then John started to speak to him on the phone every night.  The phone calls were taking up so much of his time that he installed a line just for John and Yoko and a red light that would flash on when they called.  And--he never even met them!    I think they liked Elliot so much because he was a good listener, gave decent advice, and wasn't a Beatles fan (he was a 50s rock n roll fan). 

By the time he met the couple in person, they had become close friends and remained so for the rest of John's and Yoko's lives.  What I liked about this book is that Elliot doesn't try to sugarcoat Yoko at all.  He admits that a lot of the things she did and believed were strange, and he didn't necessarily understand it, but because Yoko was his friend, he accepted it.  And I totally get that because I have friends like that too.  I don't always agree with their strange decisions but accept them because I am their friend.   He and John got into arguments, and he didn't sugarcoat that as well.  During the Lost Weekend, Elliot stops talking to John because John says something so awful and terrible to him that he refuses to print it in the book. 

There were a few stories about John that I had not heard before, but what I really liked was how he told some familiar stories, but they were from Elliot's point of view.   And his point of view didn't contradict the others, but they just were a little different because that was how Elliot saw things.   Some people did not like that Elliot stated that he did not see much of May Pang in 1973-74.  That could very well be true.  That doesn't mean she wasn't there --- she obviously was.  But he didn't see her (he and John weren't on speaking terms for much of 1974), so he can only talk about what he personally saw.  I did find it interesting that Elliot says he got John in touch with the hypnotist in 1975, who was supposed to help John stop smoking.  May always claimed that Yoko was behind it and that she brainwashed John into going back to her through this hypnotist.  If Elliot is to be believed (and I don't see why he would be dishonest about this), then he is the person behind it and not Yoko.  

The part that absolutely shocked me was when Elliot asked Yoko the one question I think all of John's fans have thought at least once or twice about John's murder and Yoko's strong numerology and other beliefs.  And the answer Yoko gave totally shocked me.  I am still trying to wrap my mind around her answer. 

I recommend this book to anyone who is a John Lennon fan.  It is not a Beatles book at all but about John in their solo years.  If you have read all of the "Kiss and Tell" John books that came out in the 1980s and into the 1990s, then you need to also read this one to get the other side of some of the same stories.  It is a quick book to read and has great photographs.  

https://amzn.to/418KRmm

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A crazy night at the Rainbow Club

 November 21, 1973

Interviewed on the beach

 November 1, 1973 

Bike riding in Japan

 

Celebrating Thanksgiving at the Rainbow

 

A really difficult day in Ringo's life

 December 9, 1980 

Happy Birthday Sean Lennon

Photos by Paul Goresh 

 

This is a bittersweet photo.   Sean is celebrating his 6th birthday.  He looks like an adorable kindergartner with his handmade birthday crown.    I am sure he had a wonderful party with his friends.   However, I am sure that there was a little bit of sadness because John wasn't there for his 41st birthday.   

Having been born almost one year after Sean's birthday -- I always remember him on his birthday and I hope his 45th birthday is a great one.   Happy birthday Sean!

Criss Cross Apple Sauce

Elliot interviews John

For the person that was asking about Elliot Mintz, here are a couple photos from when he interviewed John early in the "Lost Weekend" at an L.A. beach.   

Mintz himself often manipulates his photographs and I am not too sure why, unless he just didn't like the way he looked in the 1970's.

Japan holiday

Bikes in Japan

Sailing away

Photo from Elliot Minz Facebook

One more from Mintz

Another interesting photo I found on Elliot Mintz's facebook page.    Ringo, Micky from the Monkees talk to Elliot.   That guy sure got around!

More with Elliot Mintz

I have really enjoyed reading all of the comments today about the Elliot Mintz with John Lennon photo.    I think we all agree that Elliot is a man that has had an interesting life and has met a lot of famous people.    I think we all also agree that he is a man that enjoys being tan.    I never quite understood his friendship with John Lennon and always felt like it was forced due to the face that Yoko was friends with him.   

Here is another photo from Elliot's facebook page, and it is one that doesn't appear to have been worked on.   Another great one for the "uh oh" files---looks at the cast of characters in one photo!   Ringo Starr and Nancy Andrews, Harry Nilsson, David Cassidy and Elton John!  

Elliot Mintz photo questions

I am sure that most everyone that checks this blog is familiar with Elliot Mintz.    He is an interesting character in the story of John Lennon's life.     He has posted above photo of himself and John on a boat in the 1970's on facebook with this story on John's 75th birthday

i was in new york at a hotel i always stayed in. it had been a late night, so i left a 'do not disturb' on the phone so i could sleep in.
at some unreasonable hour the operator rang and said theire was a man 'claiming to be john lennon on the line and insisting it was o,k, to wake you.'
he sounded excited. 'have you ever been on a sailboat'?, he asked. 'no', i replied. 'i don't know how to swim, so i try to avoid boats'.
'o.k. get dressed. i'll meet you in the lobby in 20 minutes'...and hung up.

a few hours later we were on a rather small boat in new york harbor with a mutual friend. it may have been late 1973 or 4.
he had been taking lessons and was eager to demonstrate his newly acquired nautical skills.
i watched him at the helm. he seemed completely at ease and in control of the vessel. we did not speak much. he was truly 'in his element'' and i did not want to distract him.
we had no 'time limit' or destination.
john approached each of his experiences in life with equal intensity and commitment. it diid not matter if he was making music or baking bread. it all mattered.
he would have been 75 today and so many people around the world are thinking about him and connecting with john in some manner that is 'real' for them.
each memory is meaningful. during his 40
years he gave us so much to remember.
he remains a truly unforgettable man.....
(courtesy: yoko ono)

Since posting this photo, there has been a lot of questions asking if it is a real photo or if it is  photoshop.   I have to agree that Elliot's head looks very strange on the photo--like it was added on later.   As I looked through Elliot's facebook page of photos, I noticed that most of the older photos in his album appeared to have been touched up and worked on in some way.    If you look at this photo from his page of John, Yoko, and Elliot you will see that it too looks to have been worked on.  However, photos often appear to be photoshopped when really it is the lighting in the room, the type of camera used or even the angle of the photographer while taking the photo that makes things look a little different. 

I tend to think the photo is the real deal, however, Elliot may have had some work done on the photo to make himself and John look better.   Why would Elliot Mintz fake a photo of himself with John Lennon when there are lots of photos out there of him and John and we all know they knew each other.   There is no need for him to lie about that. 

What do you think about the photo?

The Lost Weekend....

I bought some fanzines from the mid-late 1970's on ebay that arrived today. They are really interesting to read and I really enjoy them (They are Magical Mystery Tour and PaperBack Writer for those who are interested in those things). It is amazing how Beatle fans keep up with the news and communicated with each other before the Internet age. I am old enough to remember those days, but I have gotten so used to getting my Beatles news online that I have forgotten how things used to be. Anyhow, these fanzines are a bit disappointing in means of fan photos and there aren't any stories, but I did enjoy these photos of John in 1973 at an L.A. bar. They were from the April-May 1977 issue of Magical Mystery Tour and the photo credit is given to Richard Creamer.