7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
essential insights, November 9, 2000
This review is from: The Playboy Interviews With John Lennon and Yoko Ono: The complete texts plus unpublished conversations and Lennon's song-by-song analysis of his music (Hardcover)
This is the definitive book regarding John Lennon. He reviews almost every song he wrote with or without Paul McCartney, which alone is worth the price of admission. In addition to that, he provides insights into his personal philosophies and world views. One could call it the perfect companion to the recent Beatles Anthology book. Crucial reading. How sad he had to die a little over 2 months after these interviews were conducted. Unfortunately out of print, do yourself a favor and try an out of print book search; you won't regret it.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Favorite book!, July 26, 2002
I love John lennon so i started reading biographys on him and interviews, etc to learn more about him. When I read "The Playboy Interviews With John Lennon and Yoko Ono" I HONESTLY COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! I couldn't believe it; i started reading it in the afternoon and didn't put it down until late at night where i finished it! It is a wonderful, wonderful book with John's sense of humor and yoko's too and their insight into the world. It really is my favorite book because it is close to a John Lennon autobiography as the world will ever know. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
All I am saying is...buy this book!, October 18, 2011
David Sheff's interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono first appeared in the January 1981 issue of Playboy Magazine and proved so popular it was later republished in wonderfully expanded paperback book form a year later.
The interview rapidly became a classic of its kind, not just because of the unhappy coincidence of Lennon's assassination at the time of the article's original publication. The interview really was THE most probing and detailed John and Yoko EVER subjected themselves to, complete with John discussing the genesis of nearly every song he ever wrote. Wonderful! It helped, of course, that the always-quotable John Lennon was in a mellower, more refective, but simultaneously recharged period of his life. Like all the Beatles, John spoke with a captivating blend of wit and wisdom and above all clarity, moreso than the average rock star. Yoko Ono, too, comes off well here, thoughtful, precise, and, like John, a bit baffled that so many people were more into her and John's lives than their own!
SPOILER ALERT. What really impresses here is the occasionally tough line of questioning employed by David Sheff towards John's attitude towards his fellow former Beatles. John claimed at the time that he loved them but he also didn't care if he never saw them again. Sheff, trying to get at the root of Lennon's ambivalence, asks why it would be so impossible to get the Beatles back together again. Lennon replies with a borderline-pompous line about "no magic" to which Sheff, digging some more, replies, "Forget magic, suppose the four of you just jammed together..." They continue in this vein until a thoroughly fed up John Lennon climbs up his fridge in exasperation(!) to declare just how unimportant and irrelevant the Beatles really were/are. At which point Yoko Ono quietly adds, "I disagree. I think the Beatles..." at which point John laughs in mock despair at never settling the whole Beatles-reunion thing.
It's a fab, er, fantastic moment, just one in what has got to be one of the greatest pieces of rock journalism anybody's ever attempted. I remember being so enthralled at the original article it was years before I actually checked who the centrefold was. Karen Price, no less!!
Anyway! The book version of this Playboy interview may be Karen-Price-less, but! It is essential for you John Lennon fans. THE reference book, indeed.
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