Who is Yoko Ono?
Pop icons come and go, but there’s still nobody quite like Yoko Ono. The musician, avant-garde artist and widow of John Lennon has been in the spotlight for half a century–and she’s been name-checked in everything from episodes of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Celebrity Death Match” to songs by Barenaked Ladies and Kenny Rogers. Still, many know her only from old rumors that she broke up the Beatles. That belief, Ono says, is merely veiled sexism and racism–and as a result, “it’s sort of an allowed thing to hate Yoko Ono.” Although she hasn’t released an album of all-new material since 2001, she’s stayed current with remix records like the recent “Open Your Box,” featuring Basement Jaxx and Pet Shop Boys. But at the age of 74, Ono isn’t looking to define herself. Asked what audiences can expect from her on stage, she answers, “Me. They can expect me.” From New York, Ono talked to us about the rumors that follow her around and why she still feels like an up-and-coming artist. What’s
I’ve spent thousands and thousands of words arguing what she is not, and when trying to say what she is, words begin to fail. Contrary to what some seem to think I believe, she’s not perfect. No, like all of us, she has made many mistakes, and I’m sure will continue to make them. She’s human, pure but hardly simple. Yoko Ono is an artist — a conceptual artist, a performance artist, a visual artist. She’s a filmmaker. She’s a writer. She’s a musician. Yoko is a peace activist, a feminist, and someone who believes deeply in equality and social justice. She’s a loving and incredibly devoted mother who nevertheless was determined to have her own life. To disapproving stares that surely last from many today, she publicly declared that much as she loved Sean, she carried him for 9 months and now it was John’s turn. She believes that love is a profoundly healing force and that while male oppression needs to be combated, men and women are not adversaries. She is a widow who has carried on with
If you don’t know the answer, and visiting Britain, chances are the immigration officials will be mighty displeased and pack you off to where you came from. A group of six Brazilians discovered exactly this at the Heathrow Airport when they ‘failed a quiz’ about the Fab Four. The group was given the impromptu test by officials after they claimed to be traveling to Britain for Liverpools’ Mathew Street Festival, which celebrates the lives of the Beatles. The Liverpool Daily Post quoted Bill Heckle, the organiser of the festival, saying the Brazilians did not know the answers to several simple questions posed by Portuguese-speaking immigration officials. “They were stumped when asked who Yoko Ono was and erroneously told officials that Ringo Starr had died,” the paper quoted Heckle as saying. A spokeswoman for the home office confirmed that the six Brazilians were refused entry into Britain. The six were among a group of 72 people on an organised tour from Rio de Janeiro. The rest of the
