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33 Years Later: May Pang Pictures John Lennon
By
Jen Carlson
Published Mar 13, 2008
Modified Mar 13, 2008
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Mar 13, 2008
Modified Mar 13, 2008
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Yoko Ono is not going to be too pleased with this: it turns out John Lennon was quite happy during his infamous "Lost Weekend" period. The "weekend," which lasted 18 months (during 1973-75), was a separation from Ono, where he spent nearly two years with the couple's one-time employee May Pang (in both LA and NYC).
It has long been said that he was depressed during this time, but if Pang's new book of photographs, Instamatic Karma, is any indication...that wasn't the case at all. Though Ono is the one who suggested the two become companions during the couple's troubled times, getting a glimpse at how happy he was during the separation is sure to sting. And a picture is worth a thousand words, right? Well her new book (following up her 1983 memoir, Loving John) is a 140-page collection of photos from the time that she's been keeping in a shoe box. As for Ono and Pang, the two only recently reconciled (in 2006).
Fun fact: After Lennon and Pang moved back from LA in 1974, the two rented a penthouse apartment on East 52nd Street. In this apartment, he claimed to have seen a UFO. When a friend urged him to call the police, he said, "I’m not going to call up the newspaper and say, 'This is John Lennon and I saw a flying saucer last night'". His friend (photographer Bob Gruen) called for him, and the police confirmed that three other people had reported a sighting. The Daily News reported five sightings in the same neighborhood. Where was Pang's camera on that night?
Tagged
book
Instamatic Karm
john lennon
may pang
photographs
yoko ono
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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