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From
a Reuters report (October 14th 2003) "Twenty-three years
after John Lennon was gunned down outside their New York apartment, Yoko Ono is
convinced: "We are still working together. I feel we were like two soldiers
in a battlefield marching with the beat of 'Give Peace A Chance'. And we are still
doing it," Lennon's widow told Reuters on a trip to London for the launch
of a new "Lennon Legend" DVD. "When I was doing the DVD, I felt
as if he was there." The pain of Lennon's death is still etched on her face,
but Ono has come to terms with the vituperation of fans who blamed her for the
break-up of the Beatles. However, her relationship with former Beatle Paul McCartney
is clearly not on an even keel after all these years. "Sometimes we bury
the hatchet and sometimes we dig it up again. He always has something to bring
up. It's alright. That is his style and that's him," she said. They last
fell out over McCartney's move to have his name put before Lennon's on some song
credits. The new DVD, given its press launch in London Tuesday,
includes 20 Lennon tracks, unseen footage and even some home movies that brought
the memories flooding back. "It was an extremely emotional experience because
I had to relive my life with John," she said. After years of being reviled
by Beatle fans and mocked by arts critics, Ono is the first to admit she has come
out of her protective shell. "I'm starting over," she said. And that
is no idle boast. At the age of 70 she topped the U.S dance
music charts with a remix of her song "Walking on Thin Ice." She
also won acclaim in Paris for her performance art show "Cut
Piece" when she sat on stage in silence as each audience member climbed
up on stage and cut off a piece of her clothing. True to form, she dedicated the
performance to world peace and now argues that Lennon's mantra, forever encapsulated
in his classic song "Imagine," is just as relevant today. "His
message of love and peace is very, very important, especially now. It is really
taking off without me pushing too much. And I think it is really important that
his words and music are communicated, especially to the younger generation." Their
28-year-old son Sean was reduced to tears by some of the footage in the DVD and
Yoko said: "He is very brave about that. It is hard for him just as it is
probably hard for all the other children in the Beatle family. "He is doing
his best... Let's hope he is going to come out of this incredible pressure that
is on him." Ono feels Lennon is still watching over
her and she still very much carries a torch for his ideals. Asked what she would
say to him first if she saw him again, she instantly replied: "I hope I did
the right thing by you."
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