JD: Well, Yoko, you've been very, very busy.

YO: I know, totally.

JD: The traveling retrospective of much of your life's artwork, Yes Yoko Ono: unanimously acclaimed. Have you noticed a difference in the installation, say, between New York and Minneapolis, Houston, Cambridge? Does the way the place that Yes Yoko Ono is set up affect the vibe of it?

YO: Yeah. But I enjoy these differences. And also, I think that it's a great thing that they did. In the beginning I was kind of resisting it. I said, "Why do you have a retrospective? That's something that you do when artist is dead. I'm not dead. And don't do that to me!" Something like that. And they were saying, "Okay. We will not call it retrospective." And so, they put a few sort of newer works there too. Like the drawings and things like that. Well, that's because I said, "Oh, this is crazy to do a retrospective."

JD: Well, and two of your best pieces ever, the Ex-It piece and the Berlin installation, are post-Yes Yoko Ono.

YO: I know. You mean Freight Train.

JD: Right.

YO: That's the really big one. And I exhibited Freight Train in Berlin first. It was really a very significant kind of reaction I got. And then, in Tokyo -- I'm surprised that in Japan it's so popular. I mean, now it's so popular they want it there for another three-month or six-month or whatever. It's going on like that. It's incredible.

JD: But that's the beauty of the fact that post-Yes Yoko Ono two of your most acclaimed works have emerged. So retrospective, shmetrospective --

YO: I know. And Wishing Tree! That's like the hit song. I mean, people line up. They queue up to put their wishes on the trees. It's great.

JD: So it is a retrospective, but it's up until a certain point and then we move on. The book that accompanies the tour Yes Yoko Ono, I've seen your bookshelves in your office downstairs. Hundreds of books. But Yes Yoko Ono is the book that compiles your work and concepts up to the time it was published with so many things that one would have thought had escaped. Did you personally save a lot of that stuff or did it have to be gathered up for the book?

YO: It was gathered up, yeah. And sadly, a lot of things were lost because I was just busy being alive and surviving. And so a lot of things I didn't keep. So it's great that these things are collected and everything. And I'm not putting down the Japan Society retrospective show. I mean, it's great. Now that it happened and it was curated so well by Alexandra Munroe and Jon Hendricks and I went through it in Japan Society and I thought "Oh this is not bad." And also, people like it. So it's nice.

JD: You say maybe that you're not a saver, you're busy with life. But you've done a very good job of saving John Lennon's personal affects and mementos. There's the permanent museum in Tokyo. There's the display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I'm sure you still have a lot of items that are in your private collection. When you have so many things, can you imagine no possessions?

YO: Well, it's a conceptual song (laughs)! No, but possession -- okay. To be not stuck with the idea of possessions, to not sort of like hold things -- like you're grabbing it. Because if you're carrying a lot of things, like groceries, two big bags or something, you can't see where you're walking. So I have things, but I'm not carrying them.

JD: Last October, October 23rd, I think it was, Milk And Honey was re-released. And bonus tracks, re-mastered sound, and additional artwork The fourth of John's albums that you gave this treatment to. Are there plans for Mind Games and Walls And Bridges to receive a similar treatment?

YO: Well, I'm going to London in March. I think I'm leaving here like 8th or 9th or something like that. And spending a week to do some work in Abbey Road Studios. And they've already booked it for me. And I had totally forgotten about it. But about a week ago, they said, "Remember you're coming in March, and we already reserved that studio." "Oh, okay."

JD: So when you're at Abbey Road, do you think you will be working on Walls And Bridges and Mind Games, or at least looking at them for re-issue?

YO: Yeah, I think it's going to be Walls And Bridges and Mind Games. I don't know. Probably the first one is going to be Mind Games, I think, yeah.

JD: Now the DVD format is so popular and a lot of your short films were at the Yes Yoko Ono exhibition. And I know that exhibition is going on through 2003. But at some point, would you consider issuing those films on DVD, since it's easy to do now?

YO: Yes, but you see to do that, you have to adjust every little this, that and the other. So I really have to do it. I really have to do a good job. In that sense, well, it's not my ego that's not allowing me to delegate. It's to do with the artist's perfectionism. I mean, I still have that in me. I just know that I have to do it. So that means that I have to take time to do it. Give me time (laughs)!

JD: Well, you're in good health and I think you have all the time in the world. I think what's important is that you're the one who does it and not somebody else.

YO: You know, in that sense, when I look at the project and you were saying, I was saving all of John's stuff and I mean, for me, it was very important to save John's stuff. John was one of those people who didn't mind saving his stuff either. And it was funny, because it may reflect how women are, in my generation or something. But I kept thinking, "No, I don't want to save any of my stuff." So I was throwing away a lot of things. And one day, John was looking at the apartment and the white room and said, "We don't have your work here." So I said, "Well, it's all in the basement. I don't want to know about it." He said, "No, we have it and it's very important that they're here." And he dragged all these old works of mine, and put it up there in the white room. I said, "Oh, please, you mean, people come here and they see that I have all my works here. It's so embarrassing." But that's how he saved my work! It's amazing, isn't it? And so the thing is, I have to be very thankful to him about that now. I mean, it's so nice that they were saved. And now they are in Japan Society. (laughs)

JD: Well, he saved your work, you saved his work. It's perfect.

YO: And isn't it amazing?

JD: One image that has been re-released, you might say, is the backside of the Two Virgins cover, complete with John and Yoko's backsides. Well, let me just tell everyone who doesn't know. The back cover of Two Virgins is now an ad for Absolut Vodka. And at the bottom it says, "Absolut John and Yoko." And we imagine that you don't need the money and you're not a drinker and John had struggles with alcohol. So, yeah, why did you agree to that?

YO: Absolut Vodka is a kind of an artist thing. All the artists just participated in that. And I suppose it's a hip thing to do or something like that. And they asked for John and Yoko. And I said, "Okay, well, we'll join them. We'll join the other artists." I mean, that's how I looked at it. And of course, it was probably a mistake (laughs). One of the many mistakes I've made. But not because it's Absolut Vodka. I mean, people don't look at Absolut Vodka ad and think, oh, I'm going to go and buy vodka. It's an artsy thing to do.

JD: Image.

YO: It's an image. So in that sense, I'm not feeling too bad about that. But that image, these days, I think people have very different concept about butts. In those days, that was pretty good. And John was saying, "Why is this so bad. It looks good. We look good. Okay." And we got so many letters coming saying, "Why did you do that?" I mean, you don't have to expose yourself. If you're going to expose yourself, why didn't you just make it right. You know, like, in a photo with the right lighting and everything. We didn't do any of that because we felt, okay; we want to be real. Now, when I see it, because we are so used to seeing all these very kind of, well, cleaned-up images.

JD: I think it's all the more reason to show that image now. Let's be real.

YO: You think so?

JD: Let's get real.

YO: Oh, well, thank you. Thank you. It's just some people thinking that way. That's great.

JD: There's a project out right now, the soundtrack to the film I Am Sam. It's becoming a big hit record. And it's all Beatles' covers. Do you have to be consulted on a project like that?

YO: Well, you see, I think that the publisher has the right to do that. I mean, to give the license to the film without asking us. But in case of John's song, they did come to me. And with the Beatles' song, they kind of come to us, but in my case I would say, "Well look, if it's all right with Paul, I'll go with it," or whatever. And Paul does the same in a way, when it's John's song. I mean, John's Beatles' song.

JD: Paul made this point in the press recently that he asked you to put his name before John's on the credits for Yesterday, around the time of Linda's illness. And he said that you turned him down and that that was why you and he weren't very close. What was your reaction to him saying this?

YO: Well, it's airing private conversation... I don't know. I mean, I'm not going to try to correct it and say, "well, it wasn't like that or this or that." I mean, if Paul wants to say that, well, that's his karma.

JD: With the passing of George Harrison, it seems now that decisions on Beatles' issues will be made half by women, because Olivia will be representing George and you'll be representing John. Since the Beatles "1" album was so successful, is there pressure for the Beatles' representatives to get together and do some other archival project?

YO: I think it's not so much the pressure, but I really think that, just like John's songs, the Beatles' songs are very important songs for the world. And the fact that we have a way of bringing it out again and letting the new generation listen to it and all that, that's very good. I'm sure that there will be other projects that would be in line with that.

JD: You mentioned the word "magical" in your statement after George passed. Do you have a magical or sweet memory of George that you would feel comfortable to share, one that comes to mind?

YO: Well, especially when we were making Imagine and I felt that he was an extremely sensitive musician. And he was showing that side. Not the side of "we're Beatles, aren't we?" I mean, there was that kind of moment too. You know, before that and after, et cetera. But when we were making Imagine, he was a real musician. And I respected that. He was really very caring about the notes he's playing, the arrangement, the way that was recorded and the way it came through and all that. And I saw the kind of honest worker side of him. I loved it.

JD: After George passed - and on John's birthday and anniversaries - the fans gather across the street in Strawberry Fields. When Strawberry Fields first became a reality, did you think it would become so important for so many people? Do you ever watch the folks from your window?

YO: I don't know. I just thought that it was something that I had to do, and I did it. I said, "If you don't put the Imagine circle in there, it's a deal breaker." And the authorities were saying that, "Well, it's a circle and so maybe it's like a promotion of the record." I was laughing because "no the record is not out anymore. What are we talking about?" And so then finally they understood and they put it in there. And I think that was one good thing I did to put that Imagine in there. And also, Strawberry Fields (the park), yes, I think that's a hit song.

JD: Oh, yes it is. It's so popular with people. So do you ever peek out the window, if you feel like it, and can you see people?

YO: Well, I'm with them all the time. I tell you what. For instance, October 9th, they celebrate and they're putting the candles out. I'm there with them in my mind from the window. And also, December 8th, that's very, very heavy and very important. Everybody gathers there. And so everybody wants to put one candle and they bring their own candles or something to light up. And I put mine out there in the window…to say hello.

JD: Last two questions. Tomorrow is 02-02-02. We call it "ought to, ought to, ought to." I see it as a day of motivation. And you are so motivated to work. I think I understand the motivation of an artist, but how do you stay so motivated and how do you stay so healthy?

YO: Well, it's just sheer luck - knock wood. I don't know. I take it as there are more things that I have to do and to finish so that I'm given this health or whatever. And well, motivated, I mean, there's a lot of things that I have to do. But I'm told what to do, in a way. I mean, that's how I feel. Then I say "Oh, okay. I should make this sculpture" or something like that. But I mean, it's almost like the inspiration comes through me. And I feel like I have to do that. And in that sense, I think I have maybe 10 years more work to do, at least. I mean, already sort of like, the ones that I know that I have to do (laughs).

JD: Later this month, you're going to turn 69. Congratulations.

YO: Okay. Thank you! You guys are counting it.

JD: And I know that the number "9" is very significant in your life and John's life. Any thoughts on this birthday or next year's 70th birthday?

YO: I have no thoughts about my birthdays, okay, because you guys might be counting it, but I'm not counting. First of all, time is a man-made concept. And basically, I don't usually get concerned about age or the year measure. I don't think about it that way. I think in terms of a week. I think, oh, this week, I have to do this, this, and that. That's all I think! So it's not like I do it day by day. Well, I do it day by day, but it's more like a week.

• More interviews by Jody Denberg