You've Detoured Into YokoLand!!

Oh Yes, It's Ono!

Is John Trying To Tell Us Something?

CL: What are some of your favorite collaborative works that you and John Lennon did together? For example, the Bed-Ins, concerts, the Two Virgins album and so forth.

YO: They were all nice in a way, you know? The minute you said Bed-In, my bones kind of relaxed (laughs); when you mentioned each of those things, my muscles just relaxed. They're nice memories, the Bed-Ins especially; Two Virgins was OK, too. See, each time, we did those things so naively, and we didn't realize that people would be attacking us so much. If we had known, you know, we're humans too, so we might not have done them. So in hindsight I think it's a blessing that with some things you just don't know what the effect will be. Those were just things that seemed like they were important to do.

CL: Which gets around to the whole issue of private vs. public life, private feelings or art and the dynamic of how that gets shared with the public. Even the love you shared with John -- it's now generally viewed as one of the great love affairs of all time. But how did you feel about living out this great love in such a public way?

YO: Well, we were just two big-headed people and we just -- that was really, you know, that wasn't a publicity gig in any way; we really loved each other so much, and we kind of ... flaunted it, maybe? (laughs) That was just part of it, we loved each other so much and we loved the idea of "let's tell our friends" kind of thing, and the friends happened to be the world.

CL: So being an artist, you were used to sharing what was inside you with the public.

YO: My particular way of making things, art work, even before I met John, was very personal -- exposing all my mental scars and so forth -- and then I met a guy who was doing the same thing. Together we became obnoxious (laughs). I mean, John just thought it was a great idea, and we did it.

CL: Your Bed-Ins and the concert in Toronto, with "Give Peace A Chance," in retrospect, have been a huge influence. The phrase "Give Peace A Chance" is now a permanent cultural reference point, and the mixing of art and politics, particularly rock and politics, is now almost routine. Is it gratifying to know that your and John's work there has had such an impact?

YO: Yes it is, but the thing is, at the time we didn't know the impact, what it would be, not even the immediate impact, but we couldn't foresee what would happen. It had such an effect ... but we didn't know that, we were just being artists and having fun being artists and doing what we felt was right.

CL: You and John were part of that great burst of idealism that was taking place in the world at that time. Today, that kind of idealism seems to be stifled, frustrated. Is that discouraging to you?

YO: Well, no, I think that in the big picture, the world has changed, a lot of people are very aware of the ecology, the environment, and most people think of world peace. I know there's still trouble and everything, but you know, we expect perfection right away and it doesn't happen that way. But 90 percent of the world knows that world peace is better than war, and in the old days there was a whole different concept. Like a general walking around with a lot of medals, or a soldier who got medals for killing more people than the other soldier -- those people got the most respect, but these days we don't think of that as such an honor. So the whole concept changed. That's a lot, I think.

CL: Why did you decide to give the go-ahead and cooperate with the making of the upcoming Beatles documentary and the recording of additional music for "Free As A Bird"?

YO: Well, the Beatle Anthology ... the three of them are more eager than I, really. Obviously, from my point of view, John is not here to say something and they are here. But also, I knew that they really wanted to do it. It was something that I thought would be more counterproductive to stop. And with the tape (of "Free As A Bird") as well, I had to go through a soul-search about the tape, especially because it just made me feel that it was something that may not come out right. Especially because it was something that John played on the piano in his own room, never thinking that it was going to be out there in public, and if I'm just going to put it out as a demo tape of John's, that's a different story because people understand that it was just something that was made at home or something. But putting John's voice on a multi-track, I was a little bit suspicious of what would happen, but ... actually the result is beautiful. I'm very happy with it and glad that it happened.

CL: Have you decided how John will be portrayed in the "Free As A Bird" video?

YO: I don't have much to say about it. Wait, that doesn't sound nice; what I mean is that I'm just going with the flow on this one. It's nice that someone else has a say in it for a change, you know?

CL: Why did you decide not to appear in the documentary?

YO: There are many reasons for that, but one of the most important reasons is that I wanted John to get the space. Already it was difficult for John to get equal space especially with Paul and all that, because Paul is not only on a lot of takes from the old days, but also upfront, being interviewed and talking about it. And I remember how it was when "Long and Winding Road" -- the film was originally called "Long and Winding Road," and it really became a long and winding road -- in the early days when we were trying to make this into the "Long and Winding Road" documentary and how John was reacting to it; a lot of it (Lennon's concern) was to get equal space. So in a situation like that I really wanted John to get equal space, that was more important.

CL: According to the media, you seem to have developed a good new relationship with Paul and Linda McCartney. Do you still communicate with them?

YO: Yes, we communicate, but ... let's put it this way: Sometimes it's up and sometimes it's down, like any friendship I think. You know, we're just humans trying to relate to each other. And it's not that easy, and also it's very easy, too; it's both ways. Very easy because we're all in the same boat, and it's not a very big boat and we understand each other that way. And it's not that easy because we all have different kind of quirky habits or whatever.

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