what was Yoko's deal???

[logancircle]

Does anyone know? I was listening to a 2-disc set of her "best" at first thinking, "this Best Of is the WORST!" Screeching and all that shit, but then it started to grow on me. Now I'm thinking she might not have been full of shit, a bad influence on the Beatles and all that shit. Anyone? I need both sides here...

[Bob Keelan]

I think her 'deal' was that she was married to somebody that the record companies didn't want to offend.

[Stephen]

You ever notice that if you find some of those old John Lennon singles, the John side is usually pretty worn, as though it has been played more then once, but the Yoko side is almost pristine. She got more millage out of fucking a rock star than say Joan Baez, but not as much as Courtney Love.
Pax, Steve

[I'm Painting Again]

I look at her art and see work that took a huge amount of skill, experience, and insight..some of her pieces took a level of courage i doubt many people have..(cut/whisper piece anyone?)..she has always been dedicated to peace and supported the arts in this country..more than most..and was a great catylist of performance art in the world..

[schnozzle]

I believe that Yoko came from (and was prominent in) the avante-garde/fine art/performance art world before she met John. I think a lot of that screeching was part of her general approach to her art, which (from what I've seen) is sort of deliberately jarring and confrontational.

I can take it in small doses. Have you ever heard the John Lennon/Eric Clapton live album from, I think, '69 or '70? One side of the record is them doing cover songs and the other side is like one long meandering jam with Yoko wailing on and on and on. Yikes.

I did read an article somewhere where the B-52's interviewed her (apparently she inspired a lot of the vocals on "Rock Lobster"). They asked if she was influenced by traditional Japanese music or Kabuki theater and she said no, she just sort of made her style up by herself. Gotta give her credit for being fairly unique.

[wedge]

FYI: The new Juxtapoz -- an excellent cutting-edge urban-arts magazine -- has an article 'bout Yoko in their latest issue. Waltz to your local mag-rack and take a stab at it. In it, you'll find a history of Yoko's art before she met John. Fact is, John went to one of her shows and was blown away with one piece in particular, and that's when he became interested in her. So the characterization of her as some sort of opportunistic glommers-on of Mr. Lennon ain't exactly fair. At least in the early going, it was John who was intriqued by Yoko and her artistic vision, and that set the ball rolling. Although, once she became surgically attached to him, even in the studio, I can totally understand the other beatheads gathering resentments. My guess is, though, you'd have to blame John for not creating some appropriate boundaries. Whether or not Yoko's art was any good would require a fair-minded critique. John liked it, which is a vote that carries lot's o'weight. I liked what I saw in Juxtapoz: Interesting installation pieces. It's a shame really that most people think only of her hard to stomach braying and shrieking when they think of her as an artist. She did lots of other interesting, contemplative, non-fingernails-across-a-blackboard stuff...

[I'm Painting Again]

i think John and Yoko listened to a lot of underground music and for lack of better words, did thier version of it..sonic youth did the same thing in the late 80's and 90's..All the small artists who start a thing never get any props..I guess it really is true..its not who does it first..its who does it second that counts..not to say that thier art is any less valid..

[junkstar]

What was John's f'n deal? I mean, come on. The guy had a serious drug problem and watched TV all day as his band crumbled around him. Have you heard the 17 disc Let It Be sessions boot? What a mess those guys became. Distressing. It must have been very difficult to deal with John toward the end AND the continually annoying workaholic Paul. Yoko comes out of all of this looking like an artist who liked to create to me. Nothing wrong with that.

[logancircle]

Have you heard the 17 disc Let It Be sessions boot? What a mess those guys became.

Can you expand? I've never heard them--what kind of problems were they having that you can hear on those recs? Seems a little embarassing to have all these people listening to the inner workings of someone's sessions without them there to defend themselves. Maybe a bit too personal, but hey, they're bootlegs.

[junkstar]

I think the simplest way to describe the sessions/rehearsals is to say that the band was just dead in the water at that point. Lifeless and lost. Even the film crew's presence didn't perk them up. The songs weren't there, and even when they would delve into the old R&R from their earlier days, it was limp. John is obviously tired, Paul is a workaholic and Ringo and George are practically ignored in the process.

You cannot help but feel really sorry for Ringo just sitting there for weeks on end and just being used as a tool between warring factions. George is the only one bringing promising tracks to the table and they completely dismiss him. It's torture to listen to. I will never hear Maxwell's Silver Hammer the same way again. That song was an agonizing ordeal.

The saving grace, and the thing that turns the vibe of the room around is the entrance of Billy Preston. Thanks to George, this inclusion gets all the guys on their toes and focused on having some fun.

[Brian Brock]

I think Yoko's stuff on Double Fantasy is great - especially in the context of the concept of the album. Great lyrics, and just a great attitude in the songs. Haven't heard any of her other stuff, although I thought she was part of the Fluxus group, which was known for pieces in which one person conducted a bunch of others while the read the newspaper... that sort of stuff.

[Isolation]

now you've piqued my interest in yoko, i need to get a hold of at least one album...i like difficult things...if you like abstract abrasive craziness, try AMM and Whitehouse...

[gyrofrog.com]

Her book Grapefruit looks interesting and fun, judging from the reviews (haven't yet read it myself).

[inverseroom]

I think her visual and performance art is terrific. FLUXUS was great--sort of a Dada update. But I just cannot abide her music. Hell, you can't be great at everything though.

[jp76]

I think she's totally righteous. I saw a retrospective of her work at SF Moma a few years ago and was really inspired. There was telephone with a little sign that said, "If this phone rings, pick it up and talk to Yoko Ono." I guess she would call every once in a while. She was an avant garde artist, man. As far as her music goes, I don't really like it either, but it's totally proto-punk, man!