Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

Arts & Entertainment

John Lennon Was Never A Republican, Says Former Publicist


By

Jen Carlson

Published Jul 1, 2011

Modified Jul 1, 2011


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


Never miss a story

 Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .


By

Jen Carlson

Published Jul 1, 2011

Modified Jul 1, 2011


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Earlier this week John Lennon's former (and final) assistant making some shocking, and pretty unbelievable claims that the musician was a Republican. He claimed that during his last years Lennon was embarrassed by the lyrics to "Imagine," as well as his prior belief system and radical ways. Now Lennon's former publicist, Eliot Mintz, is telling TMZ that Fred Seaman's declarations are all a lie.

Mintz says, "From the time I met John in 1971, until the end, all of those things he expressed in 'Imagine' were part of his belief system until the last breath of his life. If you listen to the last recorded interviews that were done with John, you'll hear him express in his own words... his own beliefs... which are virtually identical to the beliefs he held in '71." (You can listen to one of those interviews here, and below.)

And you can't talk politics without getting a few jabs in, so to that end, Mintz says Seaman is just spewing lies to get some eyes on his upcoming documentary, saying, "Apparently his memory was refreshed at the same time his documentary's release date was imminent... Fred Seaman has a distorted revisionist view of history."

Tagged

Eliot Mintz

Fred Seaman

john lennon

Politics

republican

rumor mill


Jen Carlson

Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


MORE arts-entertainment

Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.

Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.

By

Sonia Rao

Published Oct 16, 2026


Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?

We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.

By

Elizabeth Shwe

and

James Ramsay

Arts & Entertainment

Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?

We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.

By

Elizabeth Shwe

and

James Ramsay


How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years

By

Hannah Frishberg

A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson

By

Sonia Rao

The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?

By

Lindsay Lee Wallace


Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .