John looking good in these screen shots

 

Remembering Leon Wildes

Sad to learn of the death of John Lennon's immigration lawyer, Leon Wildes.  Leon was a great friend to John and Yoko and really is the person who helped John every step of the way until he obtained his green card.   When I met him in 2017, I thanked him for all he did to help John.   Thinking of Leon's son and the rest of his family during this hard time.   Here's to you Leon!  
 

Nutopia Forever

 

...and no immigration too

 May 12, 1972 

Why I still love going to the Fest for Beatle fans

I have been going to the Fest for Beatles fans (also known as Beatlefest) in Chicago since 1994.   When I started going in the mid 1990's--- it was the boom years of the Fest.   Between  8,000 - 10,000 fans were there over the three day weekend.   It was so crowded!     There were two large rooms that sold Beatles memorabilia, including bootleg Cds.   This was right before Ebay took off and so Beatlefest was the only place to see most of these items.


Over the years, things have changed.   Many of the special guests have passed away, and  attendance has dropped way down.   I would guess about 3,000-4,000 people come over the weekend.   There is almost nothing left to buy in the vendor area.   The prices of the ticket to the Fest and the hotel have gotten very expensive.   And yet the Fest weekend remains my favorite time of my whole year and I wouldn't miss it for anything.   Why?


Before you roll your eyes at me and mumble something about "Oh -- she is a Beatles author now, so she gets paid to say this."   Let me make this clear.   None of the authors get paid to be at the Fest for Beatle fans.    If you buy a table to sell your wares at the Fest, it will cost as much as a 3-day ticket.   You do not get free hotel rooms or free meals or even a free t-shirt.    This year at the Fest I gave a presentation and was on two panels.    I still had to buy a 3-day ticket and wait in line just like everyone else.


So while so many people are on Facebook complaining about how the Fest isn't what it once was and vowing to never return---why do I enjoy it so much??


5.   The special guests are still pretty special.

It was a Wings reunion -- well sort of!

Leon Wildes -- I just love that man!

While the list of guests that are possible to speak at a Beatles convention is sadly getting smaller and smaller, the people that are left still have great stories to share about the Beatles.    They still have funny antidote and they still have music to share.      This year I loved hearing Leon Wildes talk.   I did get to hear him in New Jersey, but I didn't get to hear his whole talk because I was trying to sell books and couldn't leave my table for very long.    

 Wings (Denny Seiwell, Steve Holly, Denny Laine, and Lawrence Juber) was fun to watch perform.   Denny Laine's voice didn't sound very good on several of the numbers and maybe someone else should have sang a few of the songs in stead of Denny.  But---- it was still really awesome.


4.  Beatles sing alongs

With social media being such a big part of the Beatles fandom these days, the need to physically be around other fans isn't as dire as it was 20 years ago.     But there is one thing you can't do on social media that you can do at a Beatles convention:   join in a group Beatles sing along.     I can't explain how thrilling it is to sing along to the B side of Abbey Road with people that also know all the words.  To sing B-sides of Beatles or solo singles and everyone there is smiling, dancing and enjoying it.   The Chicago Fest is known for the large groups of people sitting around the hotel with every instrument you can think of singing Beatles songs into the wee hours of the morning.  



3.   Beatles art work 

Brian Epstein by Allison Boron

Every year there is a big art contest at the Fest for Beatle fans.    I can't get over how creative and imaginative Beatle fans are!    I think as fans, we express our love for the guys in different ways and I am also super impressed by the artwork fans submit into the art contest each year.     I love going into the art room and looking at each piece up close.   Eventually before Sunday comes, I will vote for my top three favorites, but honestly--- they are all winners!


2.  Letting my Beatle geek shine

Panel about 2nd and 3rd generation Beatle fans 

I really think it is fun being on a Beatles panel, but I also enjoy hearing the other  panels and AV presentations.     It isn't every day that I get to hear people talk  about the importance of Sgt. Pepper or the origins of Penny Lane.    I think about this geeky Beatles stuff every day, and finally when I get to the Fest, I get to let it all spew out with other people that have had similar thoughts (or opposing thoughts--that's fun too).     I get to learn new Beatles things and my appreciation for the band grows even more.


1.  Beatle friends

When I was in high school, I was made fun of for dressing in tye-dye and loving the Beatles.   When I went to my first Beatlefest, I finally found other people that were like me!    Luckily, with the internet, our world has gotten smaller and it is easier to find other Beatles fans out there.   But--- it is not the same as spending some in person time with other fans.   And where else can you go to meet new friends than at a Beatles convention?   You know that you have something in common with everyone there, so you are starting out on a common ground.     I often think of Beatlefest as going to summer camp.    You go there to see your old friends that you only see once a year.     I often wonder if the guys in the Beatles have any clue about the amazing friendships that have happened because of their music.  




And so that is why I keep going to the Fest for Beatle fans and why I will keep going until they close the doors on the event.     I hope there will always be events for those of us who love the Beatles can gather to share thoughts, creations, music, and stories with each other in person.    Beatlefest has a lot of flaws, but the spirit of the Fab 4 is alive and well in those of us that still go -- and that makes it worth the money for me.

John and Leon

Ball of J&Y

Ballad of J & Y

By Stuart Webin

Rolling Stone May 10, 1973

John and Yoko flew here (New York) from California on April 2^nd for a 10am news conference at a midtown municipal building.  Seated next to Leon Wildes, their immigration attorney, the Lennons announce officially their appeal of the decision by Immigration Judge Ira Fieldsteel, which put the former Beatle under a 60-day voluntary departure order in lieu of deportation, while his wife was allowed to stay in the US under application for residency.  They also announced the birth of a “conceptual country” called Nutopia, and in response to a question from the floor, John confirmed a London dispatch which announced the termination of the managerial contract between Allen Klein’s ABKCO Industries Inc. and Apple Corps Ltd., its subsidiaries and Messrs. George Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr.  The 30-minute press conference ended with J&Y waving facial tissue at the TV cameras, the flag of surrender and the symbol of Nutopia.  

At noon they were back at their basement loft in the West Village, planning to return to California before nightfall.  They were near exhaustion having avoided sleep for about 40 hours but they said they were willing to give a 1-hour interview to comment on rumors.   Behind their yawns, the Lennons’ spirits were exceptionally high.   They were optimistic that John would be able to stay in the US beyond 60 days on appeal.  Lennon began the talk by explaining his objections to the Immigration decision:

John:  “The first mistake the judge makes is that he says cannabis resin is a narcotic, which it is  not.   Second, he inferred that perhaps Kyoko didn’t want to talk to Yoko and that she’s only called once in 1971 and at that time complained about detectives being on her tail.  What he forgot to mention was that the judge in Texas court had ordered Tony Cox to let Kyoko talk to Yoko, and he did after a lot of hassles, and through her he requested that we call off the detectives.   But it was actually the request of Tony and his wife Melinda.  We pulled them off, but with the police watching, Tony and Melinda escaped and are still in contempt of court in Texas.  We’re hoping that with the advent of Allen DeKlein, which we know was one of the major factors in Tony’s fear, we hope that Tony and Melinda will understand that that part of us has gone into the blue beyond.  This should make them feel more secure about letting us talk to Kyoko, because I know that was always hovering their minds.  

(Allen Klein commented later:  “Yoko has said that Cox was paranoid about me.  That’s all right.  I didn’t trust him either.)

RS:  Was the Kyoko matter a major factor in the split with Klein?

John:  The reason for the split were manifold and manifest, and I won’t comment on how long we had been thinking about it.  But everything was taken into consideration, so the answer to your question is yes.

RS:  Leon Wildes stated that evidence from the trial of the Scotland Yard 5, which is now going on in England, would have bearing on our case.   What is that evidence?

John:  The most important evidence is the fact that we were planted by Sgt. Pilcher.  He planted me and he also planed George.  That’s how he made his reputation and got his promotions.  But since then Pilcher and his boss Chief Inspector Kelaher have been indicted for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.  So immigration people here should be able to see that that could be resolved at any time.  And it’s not just the fact of a pardon, it’s whether or not I was ever guilty.  The law at the time of my trial said that if you owned a house, where stuff was found, even if you weren’t living there, you were guilty of possession.  Everybody was up for grabs.  It could have been the Queen, who owns half the property in London.  I can’t understand why they’re acting this way toward us.  Aren’t we the classic American success story?  The judge has this patronizing attitude toward us, like when he talked about the Committee for John and Yoko as some kind of drug culture or artists’ community that is behind us.  They never were supposed to be anything but a group of people, most of them friends of Yoko’s from a past incarnation who said they wanted to help filter information for us.  But the judge says (gruff godly voice) “Perhaps if we go for a national referendum…”  Well, we’ll play it that way if they want—make it an international referendum.

RS:  Do you think being an Ex-Beatle has helped or hindered you in the case?

John:  Well, the only way I can think that’s helped is that if we hold a press conference, people show up.  Otherwise you’d have to think of something like go naked riding an elephant with a wig and a red nose, and when people show up, say, “Hey, they are trying to throw me out.”

RS:  What can people do to help you?  Write to congress?

John:  Well, they intimating that we’re going around promoting our case, which is not what we are doing.  If the press is there, we’ll answer questions.  Since you asked casually, I’ll say yeah, people can write to Congress or write to Immigration or write to each other.

RS:  Will Paul be taking a more active interest in Apple now?

John:  Well, he’s had a very active interest all the time, which was trying to get away from it.   We’ll decide among the four of us how to deal with it.  Which is something we should have done a long time ago, but obviously que sera sera, and now is the hour.   The thing about “They’re all getting together again” came out of the fact that we all had to get together to discuss this thing including Paul’s situation sooner or later.  It just so happened that George had to be in LA to work with Ravi, and Ringo was there recording his album, so we all timed it to be there to discuss our futures.  It always seems to be in the publics' or the press’ imagination that the Beatles are getting together again, which is not in the cards, and that the Beatles getting together somehow means---because they still have this hangover that Yoko and Linda Eastman had some kind of fight, which never ever occurred—Yoko and I splitting up, and therefore retroactively somehow, Paul and Linda splitting up.  Now that’s just insane.  We broke up because we were disintegrating, and the final real break was the Klein/Eastman situation.  Our love life had nothing to do with it, because when you’re in love, and this goes for Paul and Linda, too, nothing else is really important.  I’m just sick about that bit that Beatles means John and Yoko splitting up.  Paul and I had words, and we all had words between us, but you know it was male pricks fighting, and the women were far wiser as usual.

RS:  How will Apple change with Klein leaving?

John:  Most of the Apple personnel were really ABKCO people, and they’ll probably stay with ABKCO.  We don’t have any personal resentment for Klein, and we’ll always have a soft spot for him.  It’s not personalities; it’s business.

RS:  What are your plans?

John:  I don’t make no plans.   That’s why I’m still alive.  The only performances I can see ahead will be in court. 

Sara's 10 Best things of the Fest for Beatles Fans 2017 (A review)

This past weekend I had a great time at the Fest for Beatle fans in Jersey City, NJ.    I spent most of my time behind a table where I was selling my book and photographs.    I want to say "thank you" to all of the people that stopped and said that they enjoy this blog.   You have no clue how good that was to hear.    While I have always done this blog for my own enjoyment, it is really amazing to see the faces of the people that actually share in this adventure with me.  

It was a thrill of a lifetime to see my name and photograph in the Fest program and to go up on stage and sing along with the "Hey Jude" finale.  

I had a great time at the Fest.   If you haven't been to one or haven't been in a long time, I really want to encourage you to give it a try, if even for just one day.    Yes, the Fests are very expensive and sort of commercialized; however it is really one of the few chances you get to talk in person to other Beatle fans.   There is a real feeling of peace and love and just a great vibe that you won't find anywhere else.     Think about it and I hope to see you there!

Here are my 10 favorite things about the 2017 Fest for Beatles fans in Jersey City, NJ.


10.  The hotel and the view from the hotel.
This year the Fest was held at the Hyatt Regency in Jersey City, which is located on the Hudson.   From one side of the hotel, you could see the Freedom Tower and the New York skyline and from the other side you could see the Statue of Liberty.   This was only my 2nd Fest on the East coast, but from what I have been told, this hotel was a huge stop up from the previous venues.    The staff was very accommodating and I really enjoyed the hotel overall.

The nighttime skyline taken from the window of the hotel

9.  Fabcast live

I listen to a lot of Beatles podcasts.   There are so many that are excellent and it is hard to choose just one to call a favorite.   However, one of my top 5 Beatles podcasts is "Fabcast"  with Howie Edelson, Stephen Bard and David Morrell.   It is a pretty deep podcast and is worth checking out.    In the past, the live podcast discussions have always been one of my favorites to watch and the "Fabcast" session I went to was no exception.      Howie and Bard were on hand and discussing Paul and John in 1980 and how they inspired one another.   It was a really good discussion.  

Howie Edelson and Stephen Bard of "Fabcast"

8.  Sgt. Pepper Party (honoring Brian Epstein)
On Saturday night, there was a party and everyone was encouraged to come dressed in their "Swinging '60's" garb to celebrate the life of Brian Epstein.     It was a little bit "out there" for my taste, with some strange poetry being read, but it was all in good fun.    The best part was the reading of the "5th Beatle" script.

7.  Meeting Facebook Friends
I lost track of all of the people that came up to me and said, "We are friends on facebook."    Some of them I  have had really long conversations with over facebook messenger and others I barely knew.  However, it was awesome to meet everyone in person.

6.  The unexpected mini Wings reunion.
Wings drummers Denny Siewell and Steve Holly as well as guitarist Laurence Juber were all announced to be guests this year at the Fest.    Once the weekend got underway, Denny Laine showed up unannounced!   I am not sure if he was a surprise planned guest or if he just appeared on his own and decided to join in.   However,  the four Wings members sang a few songs and it was really awesome and unexpected.

5. The stories I heard!
As I said, most of my weekend was spent behind a table.    So many fans came up to me and started telling me the funniest and wildest Beatles stories!    I spoke with a woman who went to middle school with Nancy Shevell,  a woman who saw the Beatles in concert in Boston and after their limo drove by, she saw a cup sitting in oil on the driveway and she figured that oil came from the Beatles limo and so she scooped it up with the cup and took it home with her, and a man who hung out at the Dakota in the 1970's and one time with John and Sean returned home from the circus the driver of the car gave this fan popcorn kernels from John's popcorn from the circus.     And so many more little things----it was really fun for me to hear because I just love those stories.

4.  Panel discussions
I was on two panels and gave one presentation.    One of my favorite panels was a discussion on "who was the 6th Beatle."    Now in order to be considered a "Six Beatle" person, that means you aren't ever considered in the "fifth Beatle" category.  Therefore folks like Brian, George Martin, Pete Best and Stu are out.    Who did I ague for?  Can't you guess?  Mal Evans.

The Sixth Beatle Panel discussion

3.  Meeting Klaus Voorman
I actually met Klaus at a Fest in Chicago in the early 2000's.  He signed my Revolver album.   I always had regrets that I didn't get a photo taken with him, and so I fixed that this year.  I purchased his Revolver book (and had him sign it) and sat down next to the one and only Klaus Voorman for a photo.  

Klaus Voormann and me!

2.  Finding Lennon documentary

On Friday night, we had the amazing opportunity to see the world premiere of the new documentary about John Lennon called "Finding Lennon."    The film isn't quite finished yet, but let me tell you---whenever it is, you have to see it!    I wasn't expecting to be blown away by this film because---ANOTHER John Lennon documentary?     But this really was a fresh and fair look into John's life from birth to teenager.   Interviews with friends that John went to school with were shown and they told stories that none of us had ever heard before.    I am going to do a full review of this film once it is official available.


1.  Leon Wildes
I can't speak for anyone else, but the single best thing of the Fest for me was hearing Leon Wildes talk on Sunday afternoon.   I actually left my table and stopped trying to sell books in order to see Leon talk.    As you will remember, Leon Wildes was John Lennon's immigration attorney.    He single handedly was the person that got John Lennon his green card and allowed him to stay in the United States.   I was able to shake the man's hand and tell him thank you for all he did for John and Yoko.     Hearing Leon speak was very emotional for me.    

Me with Leon Wildes and his son Michael (and as luck would have it---my flash didn't go off so the photo is super dark)

Overall I would have to give this year's east coast Fest an 8/10.     I personally enjoy the Chicago area Fest a lot more, but that could be simply because it is the one I have attended for over 20 years and I am familiar with the faces of the people.  

John Lennon vs. the U.S.A. - A book review

The book John Lennon vs. the U.S.A. by Leon Wildes is my favorite Beatles book of 2016 (so far--and not including my own book).     It is a must-read for anyone who is like me and loves reading about John Lennon's life.

Leon Wildes was the immigration attorney who took on John Lennon and Yoko Ono's deportation case in 1972.   When he met John and Yoko for the first time in their Bank Street Apartment, he honestly had no idea who they were, and he surely had no clue what a messy and complicated ordeal it would be to keep John Lennon in the United States.


Wildes soon became familiar with John and Yoko and began to understand the main reason they desperately wanted to stay in the United States was because Yoko was separated from her daughter, Kyoko, and had no idea where her ex-husband had taken her. Wildes thought he had a pretty solid case to keep the couple in the United States.  However, he wasn't aware that the FBI was tracking everything not only John and Yoko were doing but also tapping his phones as well.  It was a VERY difficult road for Wildes and the Lennons to get to stay in the United States and a battle that was very difficult to win. Wildes had lawsuits and appeals and all sorts of red tape to go through.

Leon Wildes with John and Yoko during their deportation case in 1972. It was his idea that they dress alike to show that they are one unit and not two individuals. 

Of course, many fans (and I bet many of you out there) were out passing around petitions and getting signatures at Beatles conventions and through fan magazines to keep John in the United States.  And it was cool to see that was actually shown in court (it didn't really count for much).   At the end of it all, Leon Wildes, being the genius that he is, found a little used law at the time that fit for John Lennon, and by working through this law for many, many years, he was able to not only allow for John to stay in America but for him to actually get his green card.  Leon called up John on October 8, 1975, to give him the amazing news, and John informed him that he was on his way to the hospital where Yoko was to give birth to their only child, Sean, on John's birthday. What an incredible gift!

The book wasn't easy to read because it was full of legal information; however, I was really impressed how Leon Wildes uses "laymen's wording" in helping me, someone without a law background, to understand exactly what he was talking about. Overall this is an excellent book and I am grateful to Leon Wildes for helping John achieve his dream and for writing this book.  It is going to be helpful for Lennon fans and legal students for many years to come.


You can order the book on Amazon and the Fest

The link below is the affiliate link to Amazon, where you can purchase this book.  I get a small percentage of anything purchased through this link.  Money made from the Amazon Afflication is used to pay the annual fee to keep this site online.  Thank you for your support.  Sara

https://amzn.to/4a18qyv

U.S. vs. John Lennon (documentary) - Review

10 years ago, I went to a movie theater and saw the documentary The U.S. vs. John Lennon for the first time.    At that time, I had the infant version of this blog on Myspace (remember Myspace?), where I posted photos and did reviews.  I think I had about 50 followers.   I reviewed the film, and I remember stating how I spent more time memorizing the new footage in the film and that it was hard to actually pay attention to the film.     

Photo I took outside of the movie theater in 2006

Since I have just read the Leon Wildes book (review coming soon), I wanted to watch the DVD of The U.S. vs. John Lennon.  Overall, it is a good film.  Yoko looks amazing in the movie, and she comes across as very intelligent and thoughtful.   She usually impresses me when she is interviewed for documentaries, but I especially enjoyed Yoko in this one.  I thought they did a nice job of keeping John's input alive in the film through a variety of clips from over the years.  Also, a good selection of people from the early 1970s in John Lennon's life was interviewed, so you were able to hear all sides of the story.   The clips that were used were great and the highlight of the film.  I loved seeing John coming and going into the INS office, and the footage of him getting his green card is amazing!

I thought too much time was spent on John's activities prior to coming to the United States in 1971.  I understand that background information was necessary, but way too much time was spent on the Bed-in and Bagism and things along those lines because there are other films that just focus on the Bed-in, and while it is important to the story, it was just too long. I wanted to watch and hear more about the immigration hearings and see more footage and photos from that time instead.  There was one man who was interviewed who made a very bold statement about how John Lennon equates to life and how Nixon and Bush led to death. I remember when I heard that in 2006, and I thought, "Wow--that is pretty bold," but today, in 2016, it just seems like an outdated statement.  I wish he had left Bush out of the statement because it just takes us out of John and Yoko in the 1970s and suddenly puts us in a decade where John isn't alive.

 I personally didn't like the film ending with the gunshots and John's death. I would have loved to have ended it with John smiling with his green card, however that isn't' very realistic. I know that the filmmakers had to go further and include his murder, and maybe what I really don't like is that John was murdered. That he worked so hard to get his green card and stay in the United States just to be killed in the country that he struggled to be in.  I didn't like the feeling of the harsh reality of it all, which isn't to blame the film in any way because they can't change how John's story ended.

I have heard that The U.S. vs. John Lennon is being shown on television here in the U.S. on cable channels.  It is worth watching, especially if you are a John Lennon fan and want to see some rare interviews and news clips.  But just be expected to shake your head at what happens in this country and for a very tragic and sad ending.

The link below is the affiliate link to Amazon, where you can purchase this on DVD.  I get a small percentage of anything purchased through this link.  Money made from the Amazon Afflication is used to pay the annual fee to keep this site online.  Thank you for your support.  Sara

https://amzn.to/49JgOmH

Green (card) Day

I love to look at the people in the background of photos of the Beatles and I wonder what they are doing back there.   Are they a fan?   A passerby?   Did they talk to the Beatle they are standing behind?  Do they even know that they are in the background of a photo with a Beatle?   Well I have the answers to one such photo.   Do you see that guy in the background behind John's lawyer?   Have you ever wondered who he was?   Well wonder no more.   That is Brian Cunningham.   He is a John fan who happened to to the immigration office the day that John got his Green Card.

Here is what Brian had to say about meeting John and getting his autograph.

I grabbed his left am as he walked out and faced reporters and asked for his autograph! I then asked if that was Yoko next to him(please be advised I was as nervous as hell and didn't know what else to say). His reply was 'no, it's me mother!"

What a wonderful day in the life of John Lennon to meet him!   And how neat to be in the background of a photo.   Thanks goes out to Brian for sharing this photo and story.