In 1966, John Lennon gained early entry to a London gallery and angered artist Yoko Ono by eating an apple from her display. “Yoko was shocked and upset,” writes David Sheff. “The piece was about the cycle of life — the apple would rot and eventually disintegrate. It hadn’t occurred to her that someone might take a bite out of her sculpture.”
A mountain of text has dissected every aspect of John’s life, but very few writers have centered on Yoko. Sheff’s new book, Yoko: A Biography, puts the spotlight firmly on the often misunderstood artist, who recently turned 92. “There has been lots of cynicism about Yoko,” Sheff told Publisher’s Weekly, explaining that she’s been viewed as a harpy who chased John. In fact, the musician pursued her. “[John] felt that Yoko was the person he had been looking for his entire life.”
Born into a wealthy and aristocratic Japanese family, Yoko suffered deprivation during WWII. She grew up feeling abandoned by her parents — sentiments John, who had lost his mother as a teenager, shared. After their first meeting in London, the pair, who were both still married, began corresponding. John was exhausted from touring and interested in learning more about the avant-garde art scene. “In the art world, she is seen as the pioneer she was,” says Sheff.
It took effort and sacrifice for the couple to make a life together. The father of Yoko’s young daughter Kyoko ignited a custody battle and disappeared with the child for years. Before their son, Sean Lennon, was born, Yoko suffered a miscarriage and put up with John’s drug use. She endured hatred and abuse from Beatles fans and even insiders. “[A Beatles’ assistant] doesn’t even say hello to her,” John complained, according to Sheff. “That’s going on all the time.”
In 1973, John and Yoko even separated for a period. “When I met John, women to him were basically people around who were serving him,” Yoko says in the biography. “I was suffering being with John. I thought I wanted to be free from being Mrs. Lennon.”
There were good times too. After Sean was born in 1975, the trio nested at New York’s Dakota on Central Park West. John spent long hours with his son, while Yoko oversaw their business affairs from her office downstairs. They ate meals as a family — John and sometimes Yoko cooked. “They tried to eat healthy but lapsed frequently,” writes Sheff. “The kitchen was stocked with Hershey Bars.” The trio visited Japan, where Yoko reconnected with her family.
It all ended abruptly when a deranged fan shot and killed John in 1980. Friends hid scissors and razors from Yoko, fearing she’d take her life, as she holed up in bed unable to escape her husband’s music played by the vigil of heartbroken fans on the street. She broke the news to Sean herself and hired armed guards to protect them when they received death threats.
But Yoko’s life didn’t end there. She raised her son, worked to protect John’s legacy and still continues to make art that inspires. “Yoko was so positive in spite of the fact that she suffered so greatly,” says Sheff. “She chose to try to convince people to envision a better world.”
