MUS 116 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Cynthia Lennon, Brian Epstein, Liverpool College
5/16/18
Yoko Ono
● Avant - garde artist, musician, filmmaker, performance artist
● Born in Tokyo in 1933
● Father a classical pianist - turned - banker; mother from a wealthy banking family
● “Yoko” translates as “ocean child”
● Piano lessons from age 4
● Elite schooling
● 1940 in NYC, return to Japan in 1941
● 1952 enrolled at Sarah Lawrence College in NY as music major
● Strong interest in experimental music and art
● Yoko and John get together
○ Married twice before meeting John
○ Became a part of Fluxus, an avant - garde art movement in NYC and Europe
○ 1966 took part in exhibit in London
○ Sept. 1967 - Lennon sponsors a show of hers in London
○ Inseparable during recording of the White Album
○ Accused of breaking up The Beatles by many fans
○ 12 March 1969 - Paul and Linda marry
○ 20 March 1969 - John and Yoko marry in Gibraltar
○ Amsterdam - Honeymoon “bed - in”
● John Lennon and Julia and Mimi
○ Born 1940 to Julia and Alfred Lennon (an absent sailor)
○ Julia is musical, dances, and social
○ 1945 - 46, Julia’s older sister Mimi gets custody
○ Much back and forth throughout his childhood
○ Julia bought him a guitar, ukulele, and Elvis records, and taught him to sing
○ 1958 - hit by a car and killed
● Cynthia
○ John and Cynthia Powell meet 1957
○ Both students at Liverpool College of Art
○ She was middle class
○ 1962 became pregnant with Julian
○ Married, with Paul, George, and Brian Epstein present
○ Marriage kept a secret for “professional” reasons
○ John mostly absent
● Yoko Ono’s short films (1964 - 72) include
○ No. 4
(also known as Bottoms),
a short film of 365 volunteers’ naked bottoms
(1966)
○ Up Your Legs Forever
with the camera ogling people’s unclothed legs
○ Fly
following a fly as it crawled over a naked woman’s body; and
○ Freedom,
a woman attempts to remove her bra without success
● Yoko Ono’s performance art includes
Document Summary
Avant - garde artist, musician, filmmaker, performance artist. Father a classical pianist - turned - banker; mother from a wealthy banking family. 1940 in nyc, return to japan in 1941. 1952 enrolled at sarah lawrence college in ny as music major. Strong interest in experimental music and art. Became a part of fluxus, an avant - garde art movement in nyc and europe. 1966 took part in exhibit in london. Sept. 1967 - lennon sponsors a show of hers in london. Inseparable during recording of the white album. Accused of breaking up the beatles by many fans. 12 march 1969 - paul and linda marry. 20 march 1969 - john and yoko marry in gibraltar. Born 1940 to julia and alfred lennon (an absent sailor) 1945 - 46, julia"s older sister mimi gets custody. Much back and forth throughout his childhood. Julia bought him a guitar, ukulele, and elvis records, and taught him to sing.
