John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s TV Time Capsule

Back when there were only three major television networks in the United States, one daytime talk show had a weekly audience of 40 million, more than one-fifth of the population at the time. Now, imagine if you will, in such a broadcast climate, what a beloved afternoon television show viewed in red states and blue states would be like if it welcomed a celebrity couple known for their revolutionary zeal to co-host. would risk alienating a large portion of the audience. You can almost hear the panicked shouts of men in suits: “We’re going to lose our housewives!”

But this actually happened in February 1972, when John Lennon and Yoko Ono had just finished writing the human rights protest song “Attica State,” which mourned the tragic prison The lives lost in the riots and a scathing condemnation of the country’s judicial and penal systems — sat down with the affable host mike douglas show A whole week. They are free to invite guests of their choice to talk about everything from politics to biofeedback therapy to the benefits of a macrobiotic diet. Eric Nelson’s Doctor daytime revolution The bold experiments that brought counterculture into the square are reassembled as a living time capsule.

The Beatles broke up two years ago and Lennon remained a global music star, while his wife Ono remained a more controversial figure at the time. Longtime fans blame the legendary band’s split on the Japanese multimedia artist who – fairly or not – was seen as an intrusive presence when Lennon began bringing her in for recording sessions.

But the couple’s symbiotic relationship and Douglas’s innate enthusiasm and professionalism made the unorthodox pairing work surprisingly well once they got over their initial jitters. Lennon’s charisma seemed to play a large role. More than once he acted as a reassuring mediator between Douglass and his guests.

When Douglas asked what they wanted to talk about during the week at the beginning of their five-part first episode, Lennon and Ono replied: “Love, peace, communication, women’s liberation, racism, prison conditions, drugs.” They Making it clear that their creative and political agendas are intertwined and their purpose is to spread a message. If Douglas had any concerns about how this might be received by his audience, he didn’t show it.

At first glance, Douglas seems to belong to the same generation as Lennon and Ono, and his mentality is incompatible with Lennon and Ono. The former big band singer furthered that impression as the opening act with a lounge version of The Beatles’ “Michelle.” But Douglas’s openness, and Lennon and Ono’s relaxed spontaneity, were what made the experiment work.

Even when Douglas voiced radical views at odds with guest Jerry Rubin, fearing he might bring a disruptive element, the host remained respectful and respectful as activists talked about rallying the nation’s disaffected young people to help defeat Nixon. accept. That moment was one of many that demonstrated the ability of people on both sides of the political spectrum to exchange ideas without hostility, in stark contrast to today’s atmosphere of maximum decibel anger.

Mostly, Douglas seems happy to chat with guests from outside the orbit of his regular bookers, or to participate in Ono’s public art projects—one of which involves the daily reassembly of a broken teacup. The atmosphere was festive but also candid and informative, with the likes of Ralph Nader, Black Panther Party Chairman Bobby Seale and comedian George Carlin in attendance Meeting.

There are also less familiar faces, such as biofeedback researcher Gary Schwarz, who hooks up people to electrodes to measure their internal responses to music; avant-garde musician David Rosenblum David Rosenboom; macrobiotic chef Hilary Redleaf leads a cooking demonstration making sheep perch pockets; folk singer and activist Nobuko Miyamoto and the so-called “Yellow Pearl” ’s Chris Iijima, whose message in “We Are the Children,” their endearing song about second-generation immigrants, remains relevant more than 50 years later.

Several guests, including Miyamoto, Schwartz, Rosenboom and Redleaf, commented today, re-watching videos of their appearances and recalling their initial reactions when they got the call to appear with Lennon and Ono incredible. Miyamoto shared a great anecdote about the show director’s resistance to efforts to water down some lyrics deemed subversive, while Momiji proudly displayed the payment stub for her $100 honorarium (she cashed the check).

Singer Vivian Reed sang the stirring gospel hymn “His Eye is on the Sparrow” in one episode, and she also looked back with pinch-me joy that this was really happening. Reed had worked with Douglas in Vegas, so she, along with frequent guest Carlin, provided a bridge between her host’s comfort zone and that of Lennon and Ono.

Nader, who was 37 at the time and is now 90, used context to explain why the incidents were so illegal. In a 1972 appearance, he recommended a guidebook for politically and socially motivated students to organize and promote a more responsible approach to citizenship. In contemporary interviews, he responded sarcastically to Lennon and Ono’s encouragement of young people to get out and vote, reminding us that skepticism is more useful in politics than cynicism.

An interesting side note in all of this is the presence behind the camera of Roger Ailes, who was promoted from publicist to producer on the show. Nader noted that Ailes first met Nixon when he was a guest — a meeting that led him to work on the candidate’s first presidential campaign — and Nader made a hilarious Observation, you can see the future Fox News CEO studying every aspect of the television production machine, thinking, “One day I’m going to make sure that television becomes the primary tool of right-wing politics.”

Nielsen left a gap in the documentary, not discussing any fluctuations in ratings that week or whether the numerous syndicated stations that aired the show had received letters of complaint. But plenty of first-hand insights and off-camera observations were provided by longtime associate producer EV Di Massa, who was just 24 the week of the broadcast.

While the focus was more on social change than music, Lennon did reflect on the Beatles years, his upbringing and early influences (he shared a dream with Paul McCartney to follow Carol ·In the footsteps of King and Gerry Goffin, becoming the next great songwriting team). He is reported to have spoken of his basement studio in Philadelphia mike douglas show The recording reminded him of The Cavern, the famous early Beatles performance venue in Liverpool. Interestingly, he offers the faintest praise for McCartney’s first album with Wings – although it’s worth noting that it was their commercial and critical breakthrough year. band on the run.

Ono’s musical interludes may be a little hard to listen to, but as quirky period pieces, they’re definitely valuable. Lennon’s stirring performance of “Imagine” on keyboard restores a song that had been dulled by decades of sentimental covers to its purest form.

The musical highlight, however, was Lennon’s first meeting with his inspirational hero Chuck Berry, who looked like a cool cat in a purple fringed shirt and crisp white pants. It was a joy to see the smiles on the band’s faces when Berry performed his signature guitar-playing duck walk during his “Memphis, Tennessee” duet with Lennon. The unrehearsed aspects of the musical numbers only add to the fun.

An attempt to incorporate archival news footage from the time—Nixon’s trip to China, Vietnam misinformation, marijuana scaremongering, school bus protests—might have been more seamless, but it’s the clips in the show that are the real stars.

There is no shortage of Lennon documentaries. Just over a month ago, the two films premiered at the Venice Film Festival One on One: John and Yokoan intimate record of a year in life, and TWST: What we’re talking about todayan experimental snapshot of the Beatles’ 1965 Shea Stadium concert. But this look back at a unique and heartfelt effort to use the platform of popular television to unveil utopian ideals for a conservative public provides a fascinating glimpse into a very different period in this country’s past.

Screen text at the end noted that within weeks of the broadcast, the Nixon administration moved to silence the couple, triggering a three-year legal battle when Lennon was threatened with deportation. As expected, this chapter is covered in another document (a 2006 document) United States vs John Lennon.