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5.40am
18 March 2010
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I’ve never understood all the venom directed at Yoko.
The rock star cliche’ is to date Swedish supermodels. John was the biggest rock star in the world and chose to marry a rather homely Japanese avant-garde artist. So it had to be for love. He finally met a woman that could challenge and stimulate his own artistic intellect.
People say she married him for his money. I doubt that. She came from one of Japan’s wealthiest and most influential families and simply walked away from it, long before she met John. She wanted to be an artist and she lived for years without money. She could have gone back any time she wanted to her life of wealth and privilege.
People say she had no talent. That’s not true either. She was a classically trained pianist. She actually knew tons more about music theory than John did. People covered their ears when she sang. Okay. It’s hard to listen to, but ten years later, punk bands all over the world were doing that. And not all her songs were ululations…some were very gentle. But she was trying to push the envelope, no matter what she attempted.
But where she was trying to make her mark was in cutting edge art that by the 1980s was being called “performance art.” It’s certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, but I’ve read about some of her work and it sounds intriguing to me. You can find her early 1960’s performance called “Cut Piece” on YouTube. It was way ahead of its time…very feminist and very challenging to thought, while all she does is sit silently on stage while audience members come up one at a time and cut a bit of her clothing off.
Did she break up the Beatles? No. They were all headed for a breakup before that.
At the top of it all, she was a kindhearted soul who worked for peace and pushed John in that direction. After they married, she got John to begin tithing…giving a tenth of all income to charity. How many of us come anywhere close to that? I give to a number of charities, but I know my giving is far, far less than a tenth.
So give her a break already. She’s what a human being should strive to become.
The following people thank Celebrated_Mr_K for this post:
vonbontee5.53am
13 February 2010
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Celebrated_Mr_K said:
I’ve never understood all the venom directed at Yoko.
The rock star cliche’ is to date Swedish supermodels. John was the biggest rock star in the world and chose to marry a rather homely Japanese avant-garde artist. So it had to be for love. He finally met a woman that could challenge and stimulate his own artistic intellect.
People say she married him for his money. I doubt that. She came from one of Japan’s wealthiest and most influential families and simply walked away from it, long before she met John. She wanted to be an artist and she lived for years without money. She could have gone back any time she wanted to her life of wealth and privilege.
People say she had no talent. That’s not true either. She was a classically trained pianist. She actually knew tons more about music theory than John did. People covered their ears when she sang. Okay. It’s hard to listen to, but ten years later, punk bands all over the world were doing that. And not all her songs were ululations…some were very gentle. But she was trying to push the envelope, no matter what she attempted.
But where she was trying to make her mark was in cutting edge art that by the 1980s was being called “performance art.” It’s certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, but I’ve read about some of her work and it sounds intriguing to me. You can find her early 1960’s performance called “Cut Piece” on YouTube. It was way ahead of its time…very feminist and very challenging to thought, while all she does is sit silently on stage while audience members come up one at a time and cut a bit of her clothing off.
Did she break up the Beatles? No. They were all headed for a breakup before that.
At the top of it all, she was a kindhearted soul who worked for peace and pushed John in that direction. After they married, she got John to begin tithing…giving a tenth of all income to charity. How many of us come anywhere close to that? I give to a number of charities, but I know my giving is far, far less than a tenth.
So give her a break already. She’s what a human being should strive to become.
I have seen the Cut Piece video before. It was quite neat and interesting.
And she is definitley one of my idols, since she is a peace activist and such a very kind person. I try to be like her, and others should, too.
Thursday night your stockings needed mending.
6.26am
1 May 2010
Offline 
Celebrated_Mr_K said:
I’ve never understood all the venom directed at Yoko.
So give her a break already. She’s what a human being should strive to become.
I don’t like her or hate her.
*But* when I listened to Woman for the first time and I saw some pics of her I was like “Man, if she, who doesn’t look like a supermodel, inspired such a beautiful song, I think there must be hope for “plain looking” girls like me” I was 10, and honestly, that truly made me see that there are some men who don’t care about looks that much. And I always said in my high school “Yeah, he’s not a John, he likes that girl because she’s hot and brainless. Nop, he’s not a John”
About her music, to be honest, I never paid much attention to it. It’s just not my kind of music.
Here comes the sun….. Scoobie-doobie……
Something in the way she moves…..attracts me like a cauliflower…
Bop. Bop, cat bop. Go, Johnny, Go.
Beware of Darkness…
6.34am
1 May 2010
Offline MrBig said:
Yoko is an ugly, dirty, inconsiderate wench that should die in a fire. I hate her with all my heart.
……………..
If you hate someone so much it’s beacause you truly love her a lot.
Gotcha!!!!! 
Here comes the sun….. Scoobie-doobie……
Something in the way she moves…..attracts me like a cauliflower…
Bop. Bop, cat bop. Go, Johnny, Go.
Beware of Darkness…
6.42am
13 November 2009
Offline Sunii said:
skye said:
Personally, I go back and forth about her. Was it him or his money?
Are you saying that she married him for his money? I seriously doubt that.
All I’m saying is that she probably wouldn’t have gotten as much attention without his name. I’m not saying it precludes ‘true love’, just that it may have been just as much a business decision.
Ad hoc, ad loc, and quid pro quo! So little time! So much to know!
6.50am
1 May 2010
Offline Don’t hate me for posting this.. but it’s quite funny
The following people thank mithveaen for this post:
natureakerHere comes the sun….. Scoobie-doobie……
Something in the way she moves…..attracts me like a cauliflower…
Bop. Bop, cat bop. Go, Johnny, Go.
Beware of Darkness…
7.10am
13 February 2010
Offline mithveaen said:
Don’t hate me for posting this.. but it’s quite funny
LMBO!
I ought to get me one of those…
Thursday night your stockings needed mending.
7.13am
13 February 2010
Offline skye said:
All I’m saying is that she probably wouldn’t have gotten as much attention without his name. I’m not saying it precludes ‘true love’, just that it may have been just as much a business decision.
Yes it is true that she wouldn’t have been popular if she hadn’t had married him, but I really don’t think she married him for that particular reason.
Thursday night your stockings needed mending.
11.32am
31 March 2008
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Random lists off the top of my head:
Things I love about Yoko
- She inspired John. He was clearly besotted with her and wrote some great songs about their time together.
- Her recent collaboration/remix with Sparks (I love Sparks): http://imaginepeace.com/archiv…..um=twitter
- She was a risk taker and, despite the masses of criticism, cynicism and jibes she put up with after she and John fell in love, she doesn’t seem to have ever compromised.
Things I don’t love about Yoko
- Some of the licensing of John’s image, music, artwork etc has been very questionable since he died. Coloured-in lithographs, car adverts etc. Let it be.
- I wish she’d release more of John’s work from when they were together, such as their films and his recordings. Some of it comes out Now And Then , but it’s all quite haphazard.
- I wish she’d write an autobiography and tell her side of the story, though I do also admire her stoic silence.
- Some of her writing, such as Grapefruit and her Twitter feed, is pseudy nonsense masquerading as poignancy. I’ve no time for it.
- Her YokoQ&A, every Friday (sample) is occasionally fascinating, but she gives tantalisingly short answers to things I wish she’d explain more fully. She also seems to attract people who ask the most banal questions (eg “Which is more important to you: walls, or doors?”).
- While some of her music is fantastic, the wailing was awful. Just awful. She ruins quite a bit of Live Peace In Toronto and Rock And Roll Circus for me.
Things I love about this forum
- When I saw there was a thread about Yoko Ono, I was half expecting a load of mindless invective, cliche and borderline racism, as is common on this subject. You did yourselves proud
Can buy me love! Please consider supporting the Beatles Bible on Amazon
Or buy my paperback/ebook! Riding So High – The Beatles and Drugs
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4.03pm
1 May 2010
Offline I also think it’s easy to blame Yoko for breaking up the Beatles, but the truth is that anyway they were going to break up. My sister said that when we saw LiB in a movie theater.
Here comes the sun….. Scoobie-doobie……
Something in the way she moves…..attracts me like a cauliflower…
Bop. Bop, cat bop. Go, Johnny, Go.
Beware of Darkness…
5.06pm
4 April 2010
Offline mithveaen said:
I also think it’s easy to blame Yoko for breaking up the Beatles, but the truth is that anyway they were going to break up. My sister said that when we saw LiB in a movie theater.
It was basement cat who broke up the beatles.
"The best band? The Beatles. The most overrated band? The Beatles."
6.00pm
13 November 2009
Offline Ceiling cat tried to warn George, but he misunderstood.
Ad hoc, ad loc, and quid pro quo! So little time! So much to know!
6.17pm
21 August 2009
Offline I’m neither here nor there in regards to Yoko. I don’t hate the woman at all- some of her incentives seem a little off-putting at times (yes, Joe, the car advert) but she seems to be doing his memory well. I don’t like how she takes the role as “John’s representative” on certain matters- just because they were married by no means does it mean that they would have the same stand-point on things… as often as they tried to prtray that image.
Some days, I think to myself, “God , that Yoko…” and don’t like her all that much. I think that anger can be boiled down to pure jealousy. She got John’s love. I’m a little naively bitter about that fact.
Tongue, lose thy light. Moon, take thy flight… see ya, George!
6.25pm
4 April 2010
Offline skye said:
Ceiling cat tried to warn George, but he misunderstood.
It was also ceiling cat who killed Paul. He was fixing the hole where the rain gets in, and his mind stopped. Not from wandering, but from ceiling cat’s claw.
"The best band? The Beatles. The most overrated band? The Beatles."
11.54pm
13 November 2009
Offline I agree with most of the previous comments. I don’t dislike Yoko as a person but I really hate her music. No one would have ever bought her records if she hadn’t been married to John. And I strongly disagree that she influenced punk. The only thing Yoko Ono and punk rock have in common is bad singing. The difference is I like punk.
I like the fact Yoko is still campaigning for peace, although I think it’s a completely pointless waste of time because you can’t get peace by just telling people the world needs peace. Her answers to her Q&A are annoyingly arty and cryptic – she never seems to give a straight answer.
She made John happy though and that’s the important thing. People think just because she’s a public figure it gives them the right to slag her off as a person. She should be treated with the same respect everyone else deserves, especially if your talking about her on the internet, which is basically like shouting in the middle of a crowded street.
12.23am
4 April 2010
Offline Joe said:
Things I love about this forum
- When I saw there was a thread about Yoko Ono, I was half expecting a load of mindless invective, cliche and borderline racism, as is common on this subject. You did yourselves proud
I’m glad we made you happy, a-hole. 
jk
"The best band? The Beatles. The most overrated band? The Beatles."
2.49am
1 May 2010
Offline Here comes the sun….. Scoobie-doobie……
Something in the way she moves…..attracts me like a cauliflower…
Bop. Bop, cat bop. Go, Johnny, Go.
Beware of Darkness…
10.58am
31 March 2008
Offline McLerristarr said:
I agree with most of the previous comments. I don’t dislike Yoko as a person but I really hate her music. No one would have ever bought her records if she hadn’t been married to John. And I strongly disagree that she influenced punk. The only thing Yoko Ono and punk rock have in common is bad singing. The difference is I like punk.
Have you heard Rock Lobster by the B-52s? It’s not punk, it came slightly after, but there are some vocals that sounds very similar to Yoko’s shrieking – at around 4’50 in the full version. John Lennon apparently heard it in a disco and excitedly phoned her, saying “Yoko – they’re finally ready for you!”
I’ve never heard it said that she influenced punk. I suppose some of her experimental qualities might have been adopted, but otherwise I’d agree with you (apart from the bit about liking punk – it’s always seemed pretty childish and boring to me).
Can buy me love! Please consider supporting the Beatles Bible on Amazon
Or buy my paperback/ebook! Riding So High – The Beatles and Drugs
Don't miss The Bowie Bible – now live!
11.26am
13 November 2009
Offline Joe said:
McLerristarr said:
I agree with most of the previous comments. I don’t dislike Yoko as a person but I really hate her music. No one would have ever bought her records if she hadn’t been married to John. And I strongly disagree that she influenced punk. The only thing Yoko Ono and punk rock have in common is bad singing. The difference is I like punk.
Have you heard Rock Lobster by the B-52s? It’s not punk, it came slightly after, but there are some vocals that sounds very similar to Yoko’s shrieking – at around 4’50 in the full version. John Lennon apparently heard it in a disco and excitedly phoned her, saying “Yoko – they’re finally ready for you!”
I’ve never heard it said that she influenced punk. I suppose some of her experimental qualities might have been adopted, but otherwise I’d agree with you (apart from the bit about liking punk – it’s always seemed pretty childish and boring to me).
I love Rock Lobster! I just learnt to play the guitar riff on the piano yesterday. I guess there are some things that sound similar to Yoko’s shrieking, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they got it from her. Yoko’s shrieking always sounded improvised rather than part of a tune. I got Live Peace In Toronto on DVD for Christmas and you’re right, Yoko does ruin it. It was great until Yoko’s songs (which sounded very similar). They had to end on a low note… or rather a very, very high note. 
6.10pm
14 December 2009
Offline Glad this thread was started – I thought I was the only one here to ever say anything nice about Yoko! I think most everything she recorded between 1970 and ’81 was at least interesting and often excellent, and I listen to her “Plastic Ono Band” record way more often than John’s counterpart album. And if she WAS entirely responsible for the Beatles split (which she wasn’t), then GOOD FOR HER, thank you for getting them to break up at the perfect time, both practically and symbolically, leaving behind a pristine back catalog, rather than hanging in there through the 70s & beyond, making increasingly irrelevent, depressing albums.
All that being said, it’s true that her wailing ululations (thanks Mr. K) aren’t for everyone, and have little place outside of her own albums – her minimal vocal contributions to the White Album were just enough.
Paul: Yeah well… first of all, we’re bringing out a ‘Stamp Out Detroit’ campaign.
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