5/5
Gimme Some Fantasy.
Southport to Yokohama. "From Liverpool to Tokyo. What a way to go." Two years ago this writer born and raised a half hour train away from The Beatles hometown of Liverpool caught the beautiful John Lennon and Yoko Ono 'Double Fantasy' exhibition in the capital of culture's romantic Albert Dock down, out and alone. Two years later now it's moved to Tokyo like me (or just a 30 minute subway to), I caught it one more time in Roppongi's Sony Music Museum with a beautiful Japanese woman...happy once again. Imagine. I haven't cried bittersweet tears of joy like this since the last time my heart was held as I walked through the pages of 'The Beatles Story' in the hallowed brick of the Albert Dock, from The Cavern Club, to a room of pure white and the same keys of that piano that I never expected to see as the words sang about and for "all the people" like me, "living in a dream". One that now on a big screen like 'It Was Fifty Years Ago', 'Eight Days A Week' like the 'Happy Days' of director Ron Howard, wants to wake up peace again, especially in this year of coronavirus and police violence. As we want to be given some like John Lennon's signature Deluxe wants us to 'Gimme Some Truth' right in a typical typography pointing to his ear in a gold cover of a black and white, perfect portrait art. Tied back like the iconic, later New York years hair behind the ears of the former bowl cut boy who traded Ed Sullivan suits (how about the American talk show themes sax of 'Whatever Gets You Thru The Night' Leno? Indeed) for iconic wired framed glasses and a turtleneck. The same pair you can see framed in the spectacle that is John and Yoko's 'Double Fantasy' exhibition with her iconic Hepburn-esque shades staring back, the bond between them still palpable behind this reflecting glass. As this musuem of music and arts greatest creators curated shows that 'Love' is real like the ultimate mix of ballroom dancing around Central Park in your military grade protest garb, as iconic as that New York City tourist t-shirt that still inspires other countries cities in type. That grubby, sleeveless arms folded top is on hand too in a place that breathes and coughs (even this year) through all this couple courtship and partnership in their separate and collective art. From the time John climbed a ladder and saw that it was a YES! To their final days amongst the falling leaves of Central Park after their long weekend. All like a moving mural as post it notes next to his portrait and notes for the giving tree invite you to Imagine and Remember Love ("Always") like the pavements of the park just a few blocks from where this moving man was sadly shot.
'Watching The Wheels' turn you have to watch Lennon's as the rock God's legend kept rolling. "I don't believe in magic. I don't believe in I-Ching. I don't believe in Bible. I don't believe in tarot. I don't believe in Hitler. I don't believe in Jesus. I don't believe in Kennedy. I don't believe in Buddha. I don't believe in mantra. I don't believe in Gita. I don't believe in yoga. I don't believe in kings. I don't believe in Elvis. I don't believe in Zimmerman. I don't believe in Beatles. I just believe in me. Yoko and me," John sings on the what was once "controversial" 'God', but at the end of the day is just love, in its purest and most beautiful form you just have to believe like "love is me" or the wonderful words of 'Woman' like an 'Angel Baby', to 'Grow Old With Me' even if 'I'm Losing You' like 'Stand By Me' for Ben E, for the boys who loved rock and roll music like Chuck Berry or Presley. Because 'Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him'. It's just 'Nobody Told Me'. Now 'I'm Stepping Out' to the Cavern once corona steps back. From "feeling insecure" to "I didn't mean to hurt you" for all these 'Jealous Guy's' like the classic cover, whistling on from tragic soul icon Donny Hathaway live and uncut raw at the Troubadour in Hollywood for this trouble man before Marvin. To the playful, ducking and laughing lovers luck they give each other after staring into each others eyes at the seriousness of the end of 'Imagine' opening the big French windows to a new day, living in peace. Because like Yoko's 'Grapefruit' tells us, "a dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality", from the pure chess moves and green, iconic Beatle apples with a bite taken out. And even some masks on in portrait to remind everyone taking in this musuem walk at a social distance what they're doing this for. To make the world a better place. Just like staying in bed all day with all that war going on outside, no man is safe. Staying in bed just because you want some peace. 'How Do You Sleep' like, "Sgt. Pepper taking you by surprise". Blindfolded like the Plastic Ono Band. Because 'Instant Karma's' going to get you.
But we all shine on like this fantasy exhibition a pure dream like a 'Yellow Submarine' or the classic 'Truth' serum album redux for the revolution 1 like number 9 on this 2020 year of 80. From the freebasing screams of 'Cold Turkey' that I still can't get out of my head after my schoolboy friend back in our days of kid things thought it sounded like John was and I quote, "shagging his guitar" (Lennon would have loved that). All the way to the powerful piano of 'Isolation' and its remastered chords in this year of a quarantined social one. As long as you are locked down with albums like this and your Yoko Ono like the Barenaked Ladies you should be alright as it all feels like one week anyway. This 'Working Class Hero' giving 'Power To The People' in 'Frankie Say's Relax' statement t-shirts was as personal as he was political...if not more. As John and Yoko always knew 'War Is Over'...if you want it (Happy Xmas...even if it doesn't feel like it). "I'm sick and tired of hearing things/From uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocritics/All I want is the truth/Just give me some truth/I've had enough of reading things/By neurotic, psychotic, pig-headed politicians/All I want is the truth/Just give me some truth," John sings on this albums title track. Before showing his own truth on the genuine, 'Oh My Love', or 'Dear' or 'Oh Yoko' dedication darling, before the amazing 'Angela' comes into play for the political prisoner protest, after some Zimmerman harmonica on the previous track for Britain's Dylan. And how about the grooviest Beatles song live coming together ("STOP THE WAR")? Heart play like 1 and 1 is 3 this track list like a tape piece is step, by step perfect for your Spotify streams or real needle drop once it gets cracking like your phone screens. Like the white suit of the long haired and bearded man or the white linen of the sheets of the beds he stayed under like a ghost story. These are no 'Mind Games'. 'Out The Blue', You Are Here. I know ('I Know'). On the footsteps of history. Standing on the shoulders of giants. With the power to vote or protest that Black Lives Matter too. Art helps us open our eyes like horn rimmed glasses and with his inspired and iconic illustration John has penned many a book in his own words like 'Japan Through John Lennon's Eyes' for a place with almost as much Beatlemania as his hometown across the Mersey. From references in Murakami novels to a 'She Loves You' hotel in Kyoto (yeah, yeah) one that in this Sony Museum with a "Japan Exclusive" tells a rainy season, last coffee shop stop story of John and Yoko (with their beautiful boy (darling boy) Sean Ono) losing a lighter like this man soon would his life. Reading what happens next will break your heart like "life is what happens when you're busy making other plans". But 'Bless You' if you don't find peace again and a song like no other he has soared to like his airport. This one could have been sang by George Michael like 'Jesus To A Child' as he got 'Older'. This working class hero like 'Steel and Glass' was beautiful, a personal Jesus even bigger than The Beatles...and the Lord knows just how great they were. This commemorative album and accompanying exhibit marking the calendar of this man and the one he loved brings us all back like it was yesterday. Now if only when it came to this year our troubles were far away like those previous days we long for like a '#9 Dream'. Use your words and put down your weapons like that man outside the Dakota should have (who we will never name to deny his desire for celebrity in all his cruelty) and 'Give Peace A Chance' just like (starting over). Gimme this fantasy like truth on the double to celebrate this man's 80th. Happy Birthday dear John. TIM DAVID HARVEY.
Playlist Picks: 'Instant Karma! (We All Shine On'), 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)', 'Imagine'.
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