The two lives of John Lennon
http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/yb/152551228
By Tom Jicha
Nov. 21, 2010
John Lennon loved Yoko Ono as passionately as those who blame her for
the breakup of the Beatles loathe her. He really thought she had
talent. Is it necessary to say anything else?
This is the connecting thread of a couple of Lennon-related specials
airing on PBS Sunday and Monday.
"Lennon Naked," a British dramatization of the Beatles era, albeit
with surprisingly little about the other three members of the Fab
Four, plays "Masterpiece" on Sunday. "LennoNYC," a documentary of
John's post-Beatles period, airs under the "American Masters"
umbrella on Monday.
The flurry of attention falls between two momentous dates: the 30th
anniversary of Lennon's murder on Dec. 8 and what would have been his
70th birthday on Oct. 9.
The two productions, both salted by authentic footage, complement
each other chronologically and could be short-handed into "Lennon:
The Happy and Unhappy Years."
It's not often a documentary is more fun than a scripted
presentation, but this is one of the exceptions, because "NYC"
features Lennon himself and is more music-intensive. Music, though
not entirely absent, plays second fiddle to drama in "Naked," which
acknowledges some scenes have been invented.
Lennon is interpreted by actor Christopher Eccleston as dark, angry
and sullen. Eccleston is a marvelous actor, a commanding presence on
the screen, but his lack of resemblance to the larger-than-life icon
he is playing is a distraction not easily overcome. This might be
unfair but it is reality.
The first manifestation of John's emotional issues comes with the
death of Brian Epstein, a close friend as well as the manager who
guided the Beatles from bar singers on the continent to global
megastars. John is bothered that he doesn't know how to feel or, more
precisely, that he doesn't feel anything.
His odyssey to India with Paul, George and Ringo to study under
Mahareshi Mahesh Yogi is an attempt to find deeper meaning in their
lives. However, he returns to England feeling it was all a waste of time.
Another irritant is the little known relationship with his estranged
father, who, as often is the case, resurfaces when John hits it big.
Most of all, John loses it at the harsh treatment afforded Yoko,
whose entrance into his life leads to him divorcing his wife Cynthia
and essentially abandoning his son Julian. However, laying the
breakup of his marriage entirely on Yoko is overstatement. Fidelity
is not a priority to John. He aches to pursue a get-together with sex
symbol du jour Brigitte Bardot. This didn't make him unusual in that
era. The difference is, he gets his shot and this, too, proves to be
a disappointment. Why is one of many questions raised in the
production that is under-explored.
Less murky is how the entrance of Yoko, who had been flirting with
John from the periphery, coincides with a nasty turn in his dealings
with the other Beatles. Eventually the tensions leads John to exclaim
to the other Beatles, "It's over!"
When a British newspaper, calls Yoko "ugly," it's also over between
John and his native country. He goes into a snit and leaves with Yoko
for New York.
Although the projects are unrelated, this segues almost seamlessly to "NYC."
As soon as John and Yoko hit the Big Apple and he begins working
again, a fellow musician on the "Double Fantasy" album says, "John is
as happy as a kid in a candy store."
The blase attitude of New Yorkers toward celebrities allows him to
move about the city with minimal harassment, further contributing to
his newfound happiness.
When he and Yoko have a son, Sean, John becomes the doting father he
never was to Julian. Sean becomes his total focus, as if John is
trying to compensate for his absence from Julian's childhood.
John's solo career dovetails perfectly into his and Yoko's avid
participation in the peace movement during Vietnam. They are willing
recruits when activists such as Abby Hoffman and Jerry Rubin enlist
them for the attention and revenue they bring to the movement. "Give
Peace a Chance" becomes the unofficial anthem of the street protests.
Unfortunately, this attention extends to Washington, D.C., where
Richard Nixon and J. Edgar Hoover fume and conspire to have John
deported because of a past drug bust. He spends years and a small
fortune fighting to stay in the country he has adopted as his new home.
John's raised political consciousness is the catalyst for another
dark period. Distraught over the re-election of Nixon, he gets
falling-down drunk at an Election Night get-together and has sex with
the first available woman, with Yoko practically a witness.
Furious, she puts him out, leading to a sojourn to the West Coast,
where he hangs out with "wall of sound" genius Phil Spector, who is
equally out of control. John's binge drinking, among other excesses,
convinces friends he might be killing himself.
In rare lucid moments, he begs Yoko for forgiveness and a
reconciliation, but she strings him along, making him pay for his
unfaithfulness.
She finally relents after an Elton John concert at Madison Square
Garden, which marks John's triumphant return to New York.
Their renewed joy will be relatively short-lived, shattered by an
assassin's bullet.
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Tom Jicha can be reached at [email protected]
--
On TV
Program: "Lennon Naked"
Airs: Sunday at 9 p.m. on WPBT-Ch. 2, WXEL-Ch. 42
Program: "LennoNYC"
Airs: Monday at 9 p.m. on WPBT-Ch. 2, WXEL-Ch. 42
.
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