Encounters, sightings, letters and more of the 1970-1980 variety

^ I love that one... posted it somewhere on Menlove a while back. John and his aliens... wonder what that's all about?

Originally Posted by Apple Scruff

"Sean's about the same age as your little girl, but he's so quiet and shy. Maybe he could benefit from playing with a girl like that." I looked at Sean as John reached down and gently ruffled his hair. In that moment, John didn't seem like a hippie anymore—he seemed like any other concerned dad.

by Ken Levine

http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2010/1...hn-lennon.html

It was the summer of ‘72. This is another radio story. I was an engineer at KABC/KLOS in Los Angeles. It was a Saturday night. Elliott Mintz hosted a weekend talk show on KABC. He was (and is) very close to Yoko Ono. I believe been her publicist for all these years.

On this particular Saturday night he had arranged for John and Yoko to be his guests. I knew nothing about it. But I happened to be on a break, and as I turned into the long hallway that ran the length of the station I spotted John and Yoko at the side door.

Holy shit! I couldn’t believe it.

So I barreled down the hallway to let them in. John was wearing a jean jacket and sported the familiar round wire glasses, hair parted down the middle. Yoko was wearing a giant black fur. I think it was August.

I let them in and said I’d escort them to the booth. I introduced myself and shook hands with both. John’s handshake was very limp. Yoko’s was very firm.

Like I said, this was a long hallway. What do you say to John Lennon? I didn’t want to just gush and be yet another tiresome groupie. And there was hardly time to engage him in a lengthy discussion.

There was, at the time, a NATIONAL LAMPOON comedy album that was quite popular. One of the cuts was a parody of John Lennon. In it, the Lennon impersonator keeps boasting, “I’m a fuckin’ genius! I’m a fuckin’ genius!”

So, throwing caution to the wind, I asked the great John Lennon, “So what’s it like being a fuckin’ genius?” I know. You’re horrified. What the hell was I thinking?

John smiled at me and said, “Pretty nice, actually!”

We shook hands again and he and Yoko disappeared into the studio. In addition to everything else, he really did have that sense of humor.

I still can’t believe he’s gone. And for so many years.

He was a fuckin’ genius.

"there's no place for the geniuses"...
wasn't that the line in nowhere boy?

gk.

"Is Nowhere full of geniuses, sir? Because if it is, I probably do belong there."

Here's yet another story I know I've seen somewhere on Menlove before (I remember Howie asking his dorky questions):

34 Years Ago Today...Meeting John Lennon by Jonathan Wolpert

I was dreaming of the past..........

17 November 1974, I met John Lennon. It remains one of the greatest thrills of my life.

I was 16. The Beatles were my first musical love and Lennon was my favorite Beatle. Loved his solo work as well -- John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (aka the Mother album) as much as I enjoyed the Beatles.

I loved the music of Lennon as well as his persona.

My dad used to bring home the late edition of the NY Post. Before turning to Sports, I used to look at Earl Wilson's column as he would sometimes have photos of hot looking women. One night, he wrote that John Lennon would be appearing at the opening of the play Sgt Pepper at the Beacon theatre on Nov 17, 1974 (not to be confused with the film of the same name).

My mother was kind enough to take the train from Long Island to the Beacon in NYC to secure me two tix for opening night. Once I had tix in hand, I put together a petition for Lennon. This was when the US was trying to deport him. I spent two weekends at a mall and an additional weekend at a shopping center and secured in excess of 2000 signatures.

My friend Howie and I arrived at the Beacon on opening night. I introduced myself to a young Ron Delsner (the promoter) and he told me I could wait in front of the rope for Lennon to arrive so I could present the petition. As celebs arrived, I asked them to sign it as well: Bianca Jagger, David Johanssen, Johnny Winter, Rick Derringer, Edgar Winter and even Yoko Ono. Yoko was separated from John - at the time, I was surprised to see her. She thanked me for my efforts.

When Lennon arrived, the fans mobbed him. It was insane and I didn't get anywhere near him. After 20 minutes, Delsner took me to Lennon's seat (about 10th row aisle in orchestra). My friend Howie took two quick pics of John and was told to stop -- there were to be no photographs.

I had it in my mind not to mention the "B" word. This was four years after the Beatles broke up and there was still quite a bit of tension. I presented the petition to John - it was titled "help Keep John Lennon in America". He thanked me - seemed very genuine. I wished him good luck with his efforts to getting a green card. I congratulated him on the success of his then new "Walls and Bridges" album.

A rep from his company gave me a "Listen to the Badge" promo button. He was with May Pang. Finally I asked "when is Look Back coming out" - He said "What's Look Back" - I said "your oldies album" to which he responded "oh, it will be out in January. It's called Rock and Roll". Then he leaned over closer and thanked me again for the petition - how much it meant to him and how badly he wished to stay in the US.

The only awkward moment came when my friend Howie had the following exchange with Lennon:

Howie: Beatle John, Beatle John
(i was cringing)
Lennon: yeah?
Howie: where's Pete Best? (Best was original drummer tossed out in favor of Ringo)
Lennon: (peering at Howie above his eyeglasses) eh, he's backstage -- why don't you go look for him!

I loved his response. It was as if he said "hey kid, go play in traffic."

Howie also walked up to Bianca Jagger and said "your husband's gay". This was 1974 and Mick had just started wearing eye make-up..

The play was not memorable. Took the LIRR home and couldn't sleep at all that night.

Subsequently, I met Paul, George twice and Ringo three times. But nothing was like meeting Lennon......

yeah ww,...got to watch it again. it's such a good movie to me.

gk.

howie..beatle john..what did he think , john was a effin' bug he was talking to...ha.

John was very cordial to Howie compared to what he could have said.

could of talked like he did to the laundry...? maybe.

gk.

Originally Posted by wallrus59

could of talked like he did to the laundry...? maybe.

gk.

He was pretty patient with fans, I tell you.

Originally Posted by Apple Scruff

Source: http://www.john-lennon.com/thenighta...johnlennon.htm

THE NIGHT ALIENS CALLED ON JOHN LENNON

by Uri Geller

They came in the darkness and had bug-like faces. Stranger still, they left a weird egg-shaped object behind. Uri Geller recalls his friend John Lennon's encounter with the unknown

There is an egg-like object in my pocket. It was given to me by John Lennon. And it was given to him by . . . well, I'll come to that.



Mystery object: Geller with Lennon's 'alien egg'

He did all of that. And he was going to watch him grow into adolescence, through the tumbles from bicycles and terrors of schooldays, from reading to dating to college. He never got to do that. John started talking about UFOs.

He said he believed life existed on other planets, that it had visited us, that maybe it was observing us right now. He took me to a quieter, darker table, lit a cigarette and pointed its glowing tip at my face.

"You believe in this stuff, right?" he asked me. "Well, you ain't f---in' gonna believe this.

"About six months ago, I was asleep in my bed, with Yoko, at home, in the Dakota Building. And suddenly, I wasn't asleep. Because there was this blazing light round the door. It was shining through the cracks and the keyhole, like someone was out there with searchlights, or the apartment was on fire.

"That was what I thought - intruders, or fire. I leapt out of bed, and Yoko wasn't awake at all, she was lying there like a stone, and I pulled open the door. There were these four people out there."

"Fans?" I asked him.

"Well they didn't want my f---in' autograph. They were, like, little. Bug-like. Big bug eyes and little bug mouths and they were scuttling at me like roaches."

He broke off and stared at me.

"I've told this to two other people, right? One was Yoko, and she believes me. She says she doesn't understand it, but she knows I wouldn't lie to her. I told one other person, and she didn't believe me.

"She laughed it off, and then she said I must have been high. Well, I've been high, I mean right out of it, a lot of times, and I never saw anything on acid that was as weird as those f---in' bugs, man.[/b]

Friends: Lennon and Geller in conversation

"I was straight that night. I wasn't dreaming and I wasn't tripping. There were these creatures, like people but not like people, in my apartment."

"What did they do to you?" Lennon swore again. "How do you know they did anything to me, man?" "Because they must have come for a reason."

"You're right. They did something. But I don't know what it was. I tried to throw them out, but, when I took a step towards them, they kind of pushed me back. I mean, they didn't touch me. It was like they just willed me. Pushed me with willpower and telepathy."

"And then what?"

"I don't know. Something happened. Don't ask me what. Either I've forgotten, blocked it out, or they won't let me remember. But after a while they weren't there and I was just lying on the bed, next to Yoko, only I was on the covers.

"And she woke up and looked at me and asked what was wrong. I couldn't tell her at first. But I had this thing in my hands. They gave it to me."

"What was it?" Lennon dug into his jeans pocket. "I've been carrying it round ever since, wanting to ask somebody the same question. You have it. Maybe you'll know."

I took the metal, egg-like object and turned it over in the dim light. It seemed solid and smooth, and I could make out no markings. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Keep it." John told me. "It's too weird for me. If it's my ticket to another planet, I don't want to go there."

Thank's for that funny article, Scruffie , I had a biiig laugh while reading it

Hmm... I remember a little bit Uri Geller (he's from Switzerland), who was quite popular and controversial the 70's

Oh well, I guess John was making fun about him, don't you think so ?

Snoopy

Originally Posted by Snoopy66

Oh well, I guess John was making fun about him, don't you think so ?

That's the feeling I got as well, Snoopy.

I found this site, which contains an 8-part account of this guy's experience being John and Yoko's "tree man." (He should have stretched it to 9 parts, no? ) Anyway, it's another very warm account of a man's memories of John.

Here's Part 1, Nutopia. Click on the link above if you want to read the rest of the story.

I first met John Lennon in the spring of 1976, shortly after he had stopped making records, and the birth of his son, Sean.

That year I ran my own freelance plant care/doctoring business to supplement my income, while I apprenticed as a film editor. At the time, an acquaintance told me he had a friend who is interested in my plant services and arranged for me to meet him, but he didn’t give a name. His friend, he said, lived at the New York landmark building called the Dakota.

After a short telephone call, the concierge directed me to the service elevator. Once on the seventh floor, the operator pointed out the apartment’s service entrance.

When I pressed the door buzzer, I noticed a small brass plaque which read “Nutopian Embassy.” After a long wait, a thin, shabby-looking man cradling a baby in his arms opened the door.

“Oh,” he squinted to see me, “you must be the tree man. Come in.”

I entered a kitchen large enough for a tennis court. Track lights on the fifteen-foot-high ceiling gave the room and terra-cotta floor and a soft glow. White cabinets and white marble-topped counters circled the end of the room where I stood.

Once I overcame my astonishment at its dimensions, I turned my attention to the man holding the baby. He was about five-eleven, wearing a T-shirt, cutoff jeans and was barefoot. He had long reddish-brown hair pulled carelessly into a ponytail and hadn’t shaved in days.
His piercing hazel eyes gave me the once-over, then softened.

“Hi, I’m John,” he said, extending his hand with a smile, “and this is Sean.” He bounced the baby as he spoke to me.

His voice and British accent sounded vaguely familiar. My heart began to pound, suddenly realizing—it’s John Lennon!!

While I stood frozen with my back to the door I had just entered, he crossed the room and handed his child to a Japanese woman. At first I thought it was Yoko Ono, but when she turned to take the baby, I could see it wasn’t her.

He looked over at me and nodded his head, saying, “Come this way.”

I followed him to the far end of the kitchen, where he pushed open a door; and then turned to me, saying, “Please take your shoes off.”

It seemed like an odd request, but I quickly complied. As I stepped through the doorway, I sank into a thick white carpet, and followed him down a long hallway. He moved with astonishing grace and speed. Shafts of sunlight shimmered from beneath closed doors along the dark corridor. At the far end it opened into a large foyer with a fireplace and closed doors on all sides. In a far corner, he threw open a set of double doors. Blinding sunlight greeted us.

“This is the White Room,” he said with arms outstretched. “Isn’t it great?”

The early morning sun flooded the room, spilling in through towering windows that looked out onto Central Park. Everything in the sparsely furnished room was white: walls, carpet and sofas.

“Where would you put plants?” he asked. “What kinds?”

I didn’t immediately reply, but instead went to the window, drawn by the spectacle of the city. A hint of spring hung over Central Park like a pale green veil. Across the park, buildings along Fifth Avenue stood in silhouette against the morning sunlight. Angled between the two windows in the room stood the white grand piano, which I recognized from the Imagine film. The top of the piano had an assortment of small, framed photographs. As I studied them, he picked up one and handed it to me.

“Here’s me,” he said, “in front of my auntie’s house when I was twelve years old.”

The photograph showed a smiling thin boy dressed in a white shirt and dark shorts, proudly sitting on a bicycle.

“My uncle George gave me the bicycle when I graduated elementary school.”

While I studied the other photos, he spirited from the room through a door concealed in the wall.

“There’s a plant in here,” he called.

The adjoining room, about half the size of the White Room, had only one large window, which also faced east. A small indoor tree stood in front of the window. He asked me to identify it.

“It’s a fig tree,” I said.

“You mean we’re going to have figs?” he asked, eyes growing large.

“Well, not quite. This is a Ficus benjamina. Edible figs come from a different species. Now don’t forget that. We’ll have a short quiz next time,” I quipped, a standard line for plant job interviews.

Next, I followed him across the foyer and down another corridor to another room. “Yoko’s favorite plant is in here,” he said, opening the door.

It was the master bedroom, with the same ankle-deep, white carpet as the rest of the apartment. On one side of the room, against a white painted brick wall, a king-sized mattress was supported by what appeared to be church pews. In a corner, next to the bed, sat an upright art deco piano. On the other side of the bed, was a waist-high bookcase stocked with an assortment of audio equipment; a small mixing board, several tape players and a large number of cassettes. Across the room, with the sound turned off, flickered an oversized television. He sat on the bed and gestured to the plant.

“It’s a Ming tree,” he said.

The six-foot-high tree stood in front of the only window, which had the shutters closed.

“John, this plant needs a lot of light,” I said, feeling a mixture of awe and self-consciousness when I addressed him by name. “You should open the shutters.”

“Oh? You can open them,” he said, waving his hand. “Well, now, that’s all the plants. I’ll see you the next time you come.”

I took this as my cue to leave and went back to the kitchen to pick up my coat and shoes. Does this mean I have the job, I wondered? John did say he’d see me the next time. My head swirled with exhilaration and disbelief.

A few days after my visit, I got a telephone call from the Lennon’s account, telling me to report to the Dakota at 7:30 AM the following Monday. Though he didn’t say it, I assumed this meant I had the job. Years later, l would learn that Nutopia referred to a wisecrack John had made during his deportation trial. He told the court that he and Yoko were ambassadors from the cosmic kingdom of Nutopia and were therefore entitled to diplomatic immunity.

Some of my thoughts regarding the above story:

~ It's amazing how many people who met John describe how warm and real and down-to-earth he was. If you read more of this man's story, you'd see that is one of his overriding themes.

~ I love how John showed him the photo of himself on the bicycle and how he talked about Mimi and George.

~This guy says John was 5'11", which goes more with my theory that he was actually probably 5'10".... seems like most of the accounts say he was smaller, and I know at least one Menlove Avenue regular (*ahem* Scruffie...) who thinks he was 5'8" or 5'9".

~People often comment on how physically quick John was, in his stride and in his movements. I find this an interesting detail.

I think I talked about this article in the "Myth" thread. According to this guy, he did speak fairly warmly about Reagan, saying his horoscope showed he would be the next President and would be an important one. He also goes on to say that John was impressed that the Reagans were into astrology.

It's a blip in what is overall a very positive piece, but I do have to wonder if that Reagan part was a bit exaggerated.

I don't remember him mentioning Reagan... I'll glance over it again. But he does mention Yoko having an affair with her "gay art dealer." The account is interesting... it seems like they are chapters in a book, with several of the chapters missing. I wonder if there's more to come?

[UPDATE: I did a command-f search for "reagan" and nothing came up. Also, I checked out this guy's Facebook site, and apparently this story WILL be a book... and it'll be released in 2015! Yikes! The publishing world moves slowly... He says that it'll be for the 35th anniversary, and that Yoko also has something planned for that year. Hmmmm...]

Although I think what I read was written by this same guy. The site you linked to is rather more detailed than the article I read, which is posted here somewhere.

How does a straight woman have an affair with a gay guy? That makes no sense to me. An intense friendship I understand, but a physical affair? Norman does say the guy sheltered her during her heroin withdrawal, but unless Fred and this Tree guy walked in on them screwing, I find it difficult to believe that went on.

PS, I find it interesting that his interests include Cynthia Lennon. And May Pang is a friend. Just sayin'.

Yeah, after I read his Facebook page and discovered he was writing a book, I realized he's probably just another hanger-on... probably in the Seaman camp. He doesn't mention Fred at all, but he seems very high on Helen. I tend to believe that his interpretation as Sam as her lover was based on assumption rather than fact... and he probably slipped that little tidbit in there to help sell his book.

Oh, well... it's always nice to read a description of what it was like inside the Dakota, though.

Originally Posted by Maia 66

~This guy says John was 5'11", which goes more with my theory that he was actually probably 5'10".... seems like most of the accounts say he was smaller, and I know at least one Menlove Avenue regular (*ahem* Scruffie...) who thinks he was 5'8" or 5'9".
.

Yes!! Yes, I do think he was about 5'9'' give or take. Just from accounts I have read and plus Sean and Julian are the exact same height and they're both about 5'8'' so I always think John is just a little taller than both of them.

Oh I LOVED this account- so much detail! Thank you Maia!