John and Yoko’s antics

Did his former bandmates ever comment publically their opinion of the couple’s goofy antics especially their honeymoon bed in for peace ( WTH does that?) Not to mention when they posed nude on a few occasions. LOL, if Brian had lived I wonder what he would have thought? I wonder what Aunt Mimi and his other family members thought, not to mention Yoko’s? Does anyone know if the rumor is true her wealthy family disowned her due to her free spirited antics? I also read John was her 3rd hubby, I thought he was her 2nd.

Okay, I'll bite...

Originally Posted by peanut333

especially their honeymoon bed in for peace ( WTH does that?)

Brilliantly inspired, playful people with a tremendous sense of humor, a theatrical flair for the absurd, a genuine rebellious streak, and a keen insight into late 20th Century's obsession with celebrity. I think Brian would have been proud.

As for what all the uptight relatives thought... I'm pretty sure that's a rhetorical question.

The thing I love is that John did these things that people are still finding issue with today...I'm talking about the bed-ins the Two Virgins album cover, his standing up for many causes that polarized people. He was so cutting edge that ahead of his time that people are still not caught up with what he was about.

Being ahead of your time suggests that in the future what happened would become acceptable behavior or generally done. I don't think Western society will change to the point public nakedness is acceptable to all. I'm sure some isolated Amazonian aborigines considers is just fine though.

As to turning your honeymoon into a cheap publicity stunt, well. Marriage is considered a solemn declaration of love and personally important. You're committing your life to another person and uniting the two of you in a holy bond. That certainly was the view of marriage to most in the 60s and still is for many today. When John and Yoko used the occasion to push their social ideals, they boosted their involvement in the peace movement at the expense of love and marriage. That's what upset people. Not the striving for peace itself but the occasion was ill chosen if they were to be taken seriously. Instead of pushing world peace it became John Lennon hype.

I'm not sure if any of the other three commented on what John and Yoko did in a social context. Mostly they seemed to have wanted to distance themselves from it.

Originally Posted by hibgal

Being ahead of your time suggests that in the future what happened would become acceptable behavior or generally done. I don't think Western society will change to the point public nakedness is acceptable to all. I'm sure some isolated Amazonian aborigines considers is just fine though

I see it that way too. To me, it was just a silly provocation and John didn't gain positive popularity after doing this. I read that even John years after regretted that picture, that's say it all.

Snoopy

Originally Posted by hibgal

When John and Yoko used the occasion to push their social ideals, they boosted their involvement in the peace movement at the expense of love and marriage. That's what upset people. Not the striving for peace itself but the occasion was ill chosen if they were to be taken seriously. Instead of pushing world peace it became John Lennon hype.

Well said, I absolutely agree

Snoopy

Originally Posted by Snoopy66

I see it that way too. To me, it was just a silly provocation and John didn't gain positive popularity after doing this. I read that even John years after regretted that picture, that's say it all.

Snoopy

Wow I did not know he regretted that as he got older. Makes sense though.

Originally Posted by hibgal

Being ahead of your time suggests that in the future what happened would become acceptable behavior or generally done. [...]

As to turning your honeymoon into a cheap publicity stunt, well. Marriage is considered a solemn declaration of love and personally important. You're committing your life to another person and uniting the two of you in a holy bond. That certainly was the view of marriage to most in the 60s and still is for many today. When John and Yoko used the occasion to push their social ideals, they boosted their involvement in the peace movement at the expense of love and marriage. That's what upset people. Not the striving for peace itself but the occasion was ill chosen if they were to be taken seriously. Instead of pushing world peace it became John Lennon hype.

I would say that the bed-in was very much ahead of its time in as far as it brought the public into the private lives of celebrities, as Maia alluded to above--Kimye and Brangelina may not be inviting people to share a bed with them, but I personally find it more appalling to see a couple use their wedding for financial gain (selling pictures to magazines) rather than raise awareness on an issue of mutual importance to them. It may not be the typical honeymoon experience, but why shouldn't a couple stay true to themselves instead of conforming to societal norms? If you and your spouse wanna head over to Italy for a romantic week, go for it. If you wanna go skydiving in Brazil, that's awesome. If you wanna lay in bed and hang up "War is Over" posters and mail acorns to world leaders, hey, why not?

Were people really up in arms over the bed-in being the couple's honeymoon? Would the reaction have been any different if they had waited a few months? I feel like the bed-in could be considered, at worst, a silly and perhaps confusing publicity stunt. "That crazy John and Yoko are at it again," you say with an eye roll. I'm not idealistic enough to be like, "They just wanted to spread a message of love and peace! It was far out, man!"--even John and Yoko had to be well-aware of the absurdity of the whole thing--but it's pretty harmless, and I'm someone with a very traditional and conservative view of marriage.

I'm pretty much in the same frame of mind as ringo. I think the Bed-In, though viewed as silly by the general public, did stir public awareness, whether people tended to agree or not, and was very much ahead of it's time. Think about it: people have this voyeuristic need to know what is happening behind closed doors, and John and Yoko were feeding into that and using it to sell a product.

Same as the Kardashians and any number of reality-TV stars will do these days. Only what John and Yoko were doing was steering public thought towards something that was more abstract and not some perfume or a pair of shoes. More abstract and, in MY opinion, far more profound.

No one can deny much of what they did was ridiculous to certain levels, but they definitely brought attention to the word "peace" (as well as MUCH attention to themselves). If they said the word enough, it was implanted in people's thoughts regardless of whether they agreed. And this is what I meant. Yeah, the Two Virgins was really kind of TMI, but then again John was trying to shove "John and Yoko" out there hard-core. It wasn't just John Lennon, it was "us" and that included her...people may not have liked it, but they would have to eventually get used to seeing the two together.