Amalthea
Nov 13, 2001, 08:43 AM
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,35067,00.html
><><><><><><><><><>
McCartney possibly visiting John Lennon in the early '70s. In fact, there was a lame TV movie called Two of Us in which the writer pursued this fantasy.
But Beatle eyewitness May Pang told me the real story on Saturday during a break from the charity taping of "We Are Family." Pang, you may recall, was Yoko Ono's assistant, and the woman Yoko authorized Lennon to have an affair with in 1974. Lennon left Ono's iron grip and took off with Pang for a magical mystery adventure. This included an 18-month "lost weekend" during which Lennon hung out with singer Harry Nilsson, recorded an album called Pussy Cats, and made general mayhem.
Pang told me the following story: Lennon was making plans to see Paul and Linda McCartney right before Ono pulled her string and brought him home to the Dakota in Manhattan. "Paul and Linda were going to New Orleans to record the Venus and Mars album," May recalled. "And John found out they would be there. He made plans to surprise them down there. He was in a great mood and he really missed Paul."
Just as Lennon was making this plan, he was also trying to quit smoking. Enter Ono. "She told him she had a method for quitting and he should come over and she'd show him. I had a feeling this was a bad idea. She hadn't seen him in a while, and I felt something was wrong. John told me not to worry, but I did."
Indeed, Pang was correct, since Lennon did not return to her. Pang can only surmise that Lennon shared his plans with Ono, who feared a reunion with the McCartneys would spur Lennon to leave her forever. Paul McCartney was, and is, Yoko Ono's prime rival and arch enemy. Case in point: When Linda McCartney died in 1998, Paul didn't invite Yoko to the memorial service in New York. He did invite May Pang, and she attended. "Linda was wonderful," she said.
At first when Pang told people about Lennon's plans — after he'd left her — no one believed it. "But then something happened," she said. "Derek Taylor, the Beatles' publicist, showed me a postcard he'd gotten from John in England. It said, 'Going to New Orleans to see Paul.' And that was it. That was the proof."
Pang, who's separated from her husband, record producer Tony Visconti, lives in upstate New York with her two small kids these days. She hasn't forgotten about John Lennon. In fact, she keeps in touch with Lennon's first wife, Cynthia, who's in the process of moving to Spain. And on October 9th, she'll host a class at New York's Learning Annex called "Living with Lennon." It should be standing room only
------------------
"Because there wasn't any reason left to keep it all inside"
- Paul McCartney 1982
><><><><><><><><><>
McCartney possibly visiting John Lennon in the early '70s. In fact, there was a lame TV movie called Two of Us in which the writer pursued this fantasy.
But Beatle eyewitness May Pang told me the real story on Saturday during a break from the charity taping of "We Are Family." Pang, you may recall, was Yoko Ono's assistant, and the woman Yoko authorized Lennon to have an affair with in 1974. Lennon left Ono's iron grip and took off with Pang for a magical mystery adventure. This included an 18-month "lost weekend" during which Lennon hung out with singer Harry Nilsson, recorded an album called Pussy Cats, and made general mayhem.
Pang told me the following story: Lennon was making plans to see Paul and Linda McCartney right before Ono pulled her string and brought him home to the Dakota in Manhattan. "Paul and Linda were going to New Orleans to record the Venus and Mars album," May recalled. "And John found out they would be there. He made plans to surprise them down there. He was in a great mood and he really missed Paul."
Just as Lennon was making this plan, he was also trying to quit smoking. Enter Ono. "She told him she had a method for quitting and he should come over and she'd show him. I had a feeling this was a bad idea. She hadn't seen him in a while, and I felt something was wrong. John told me not to worry, but I did."
Indeed, Pang was correct, since Lennon did not return to her. Pang can only surmise that Lennon shared his plans with Ono, who feared a reunion with the McCartneys would spur Lennon to leave her forever. Paul McCartney was, and is, Yoko Ono's prime rival and arch enemy. Case in point: When Linda McCartney died in 1998, Paul didn't invite Yoko to the memorial service in New York. He did invite May Pang, and she attended. "Linda was wonderful," she said.
At first when Pang told people about Lennon's plans — after he'd left her — no one believed it. "But then something happened," she said. "Derek Taylor, the Beatles' publicist, showed me a postcard he'd gotten from John in England. It said, 'Going to New Orleans to see Paul.' And that was it. That was the proof."
Pang, who's separated from her husband, record producer Tony Visconti, lives in upstate New York with her two small kids these days. She hasn't forgotten about John Lennon. In fact, she keeps in touch with Lennon's first wife, Cynthia, who's in the process of moving to Spain. And on October 9th, she'll host a class at New York's Learning Annex called "Living with Lennon." It should be standing room only
------------------
"Because there wasn't any reason left to keep it all inside"
- Paul McCartney 1982