YOKO LIVE CHAT - AT MSN.COM

November 15, 2000 - 9PM ET

Yoko answered some interesting questions during a 45-minute live chat at msn.com . The full chat will undoubtedly be archived online at their web site. IK! is showing you a few of the questions and answers here in the meantime.

DishDiva : _Welcome to MSN Live! Tonight we are honored to present a very special chat event with Yoko Ono.

Yoko_Ono_Live : Hi! Long time no see.

DishDiva : _Tonight we will be talking with Yoko Ono about two of her CD's with John Lennon, "Plastic Ono Band" and "Double Fantasy."

Question: Are there any songs that John recorded that haven't been heard by the public yet? If so, do you plan on ever releasing them?

Yoko_Ono_Live : Yes, there are a few but they are not enough to make a strong CD so to be fair to John I want to wait and see where they will fit in. Recently I released one to Double Fantasy, this was a song that was appropriate to release at this time so it was good we waited.

Question: How do remember the time of recording "Double Fantasy"?

Yoko_Ono_Live : I remember the recording to be extremely joyful, exciting, and it was really like we were starting over.

Question: Hello, I loved "Rising" is there anything else in the works?

Yoko_Ono_Live : That's very sweet. For this concert, suddenly a few new songs came to me. Also I picked up some things I could sing and there were some songs there, surprise, surprise, so I will probably be back in the studio this coming February.

Question: Are you currently performing? Where can I see you?

Yoko_Ono_Live : I just performed about 3 days ago, I believe, or 5 in New York and I was very happy about it. I felt that I shouldn't be doing it once every 6 months because it's so hard on my voice it would be easier if I did it more frequently because I would get used to it. (IK! Editor's Note: The performance Yoko mentions was the Japan Society concert on November 9.)

MSN Host Comment: A lot of your fans here would love to see you!

Yoko_Ono_Live : It's encouraging and I was thinking when I was making the album next February, I was going to go on a tour.

Quesion: Hello Yoko, and peace to you this season. How is sean and what is he doing lately with his career?

Yoko_Ono_Live : He's preparing his second album, meanwhile, going on tour. He just went to Brazil and other South American countries. He just goes around trying to have an experience of playing on stage, meanwhile preparing for his second album.Because Sean is so busy, I don't see him so often. (laugh)

Question: I can't believe 20 years have passed since John's death. To what do you attribute your healing and ultimate personal growth after such a devastating loss?

Yoko_Ono_Live : I think that my friends were very helpful and also the fans. I really appreciated the fans writing to me after John's passing. I was not used to getting fan mail to myself, it was usually to John or to us. There were tons of mail right after John's passing and I went to the office a week later, and saw all this mail and I thought "John can't answer them, he's not here." but the staff said "No! These are for you!" and I was totally surprised! They helped me a lot, thank you.

Question: Hello Yoko, I was wondering which of the albums you have recorded is your favorite?

Yoko_Ono_Live : It's very hard to say which one. I remember all the ones I recorded with John, and I have attachments with them, especially "Double Fantasy." The recording I do with Sean "Rising" is very special for me too.

Question: How do you know when a "piece" is done, is presentable?

Yoko_Ono_Live : Well you just know it. I don't know how to describe it really. It's like when you're doing a painting, how do you know when you're finished. It's just a feeling I think.

Question: I have always been a great admirer of your fluxux works. Where are those works now displayed and what are you working on currently?

Yoko_Ono_Live : Currently I just finished a show in New York, in Ubu Gallery with a new piece I had. After finishing the piece it's like I just had a baby so could you wait until next year to ask that question. (laugh)

Question: Hi Yoko! I just wanted to say thanks for the reissues. It's great for people like me who were still 'in the sky' when they were first released.

Yoko_Ono_Live : I had that in mind. I felt if the old fans already had the record/CD would be scratchy and new fans would love it for the first time. Thank you very much for saying that.

Question: I just spent 2 evenings at the R&R Hall & Museum reviewing the Lennon exhibit. I just want to thank you for all the hard work, tears, and artifacts that you donated for the exhibit to exist. Thank you for sharing John with us.

Yoko_Ono_Live : That's very nice of you. I feel that my effort was worth it, that you enjoyed it and I hope you do. I really worked hard on it.

Question: Dear Yoko after such a love filled album like Double Fantasy it is my opinion that the next record by you and john would have some of his much loved political commentry. What do you think?

Yoko_Ono_Live : I think that we did express our position in terms of politics very clearly and we thought that we did that one and we don't have to express it anymore. We even showed how you could express it as an artist, etc. so people could keep on doing it. I don't think John wanted to make anymore waves on that level. He did make waves, as you know.

Question: Hi Ms. Ono. Will you be doing any more TV appearances? You were great on "Mad about you."

Yoko_Ono_Live : That's so sweet. Right now, I'm just intent on going into the studio to make the next album. Before that I will round up all the business stuff that I've been too busy to do this year with my 60th birthday and the 20th Anniversary, etc.

Question: What aspect of your life right now makes you the happiest?

Yoko_Ono_Live : This is what I learned from life: Life is not always easy. Sometimes you feel like you're surrounded by enemies, difficult suggestions, and you feel like you're alone. I'm sure all of us have experienced that. What I try to do, nothing special, but once every day try and do something that would make my heart dance. If I can't even do that, I try and do something that will make someone else's heart dance. It doesn't have to be anything special, it can be from looking at a beautiful blue sky, smell a flower, or just run around. Just running around is a blessing. Also doing something that makes someone's heart dance, you don't have to do something special. Call a friend you haven't for a while. If you do that for a few months, you'll find that you aren't depressed. So when people ask me why I'm happy now it's because I find happiness in very small ways. We have to do that for our health and for our sake and I hope you will do the same.

Question: Do you feel that John is remembered for the man he really was, or rather for what he appeared to be onstage and in public?

Yoko_Ono_Live : He was one artist who did not separate when he was on stage and when he was in public and when he was having a private life. He shared his private life, he didn't tell just good things that were happening, he would say "I made this mistake" or "this was not right" and I think that was beautiful. I don't see artists that are like that now. He was true to a fault in that sense and I think that helped many people. The sad thing is that some people think that was publicity, don't be confused by that, just believe in what he said because that's where you get the energy, not from the people that just want to destroy what he was trying to do. But from his words, I think you'll get inspiration from it.

Question: Ms. Ono, thank you so much for keeping John Lennon's legacy strong by giving us fans the treasure that is the Lennon Anthology. How do you feel that we as Lenonn fans can best honor John's life and spirit?

Yoko_Ono_Live : By making your life worth while for yourself. By getting encouraged and inspired so you can have the kind of life you would be proud of. John would be very happy about that.

Question: "Imagine" is such a great ideal. Do you think it can ever be achieved?

Yoko_Ono_Live : Yes, I think so and it's already there, we just don't see it, or refuse to see it. A lot of the things said in "Imagine" is happening.

Question: Will there be a memorial service this year in Central Park?

Yoko_Ono_Live : I'm sure there will be. There's one every year. The fans will go there, I'm usually in my apartment watching over, and I usually light a candle saying I'm with you.

Question: When do you remember John the most and what causes these memories to be brought up.

Yoko_Ono_Live : I remember John all the time, especially because I'm still working on John's work, to bring John's work out into the world in the right way. So I'm doing something every day and in a way I feel like our partnership is not over yet.

DishDiva : _Yoko, it has been our honour to host this very special event with you this evening! We look forward to hearing about your future projects!

Yoko_Ono_Live : It was my pleasure too. Let's all have a beautiful future together. That's something we are going to create together. By thinking about each other and just sending love messages to each other, when you send a love message, they actually get it. You don't have to say it out loud, just say it in your mind and they get it. We've found out we're much more wiser than we thought. So keep sending love to each other and let's create a force of healing the world, and I think we can do it together!

BE SURE TO CHECK THE MSN.COM WEB SITE LATER FOR THE FULL TRANSCRIPT OF TONIGHT'S CHAT.