"Gimme Some Truth" Book

(Photo Credit- AP, 1999)

The St. Petersburg Times featured an interview with Yoko on January 21 as part of a news story about "In My Life: The Artwork of John Lennon" which was on display at the historic Renaissance Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg. The show ran in St. Pete January 21, 22 and 23.

Then it headed for West Palm Beach to the Blackstone Building, 100 South Dixie Highway January 27-January 30.

Proceeds from the St. Petersburg show benefited Operation Smile, a non-profit medical organization providing free reconstructive surgery to children with facial deformities.

The 125-piece show includes Real Love-The Drawings For Sean series and lithographs from the erotic series seized from galleries in London, Montreal and Chicago in police raids in 1970. The art is priced from $500 to $7,000, framed.

Asked about the financial aspect of taking John's art on the road, Yoko told The Palm Beach Daily News: "The trouble of it is too much for me to think of it as a financial asset." Yoko said the work is out there more for the cause of peace than for sales. Yoko: "John's work, especially his work for children, was done with a lot of love. There are important reasons for it to be out there."

The show's organizer, Larry Schwartz said whether or not sales benefit a charity directly is irrelevant because Yoko donates generously to the needy. Schwartz: "What she gives exceeds what we sell."

Yoko told Gina Vivinetto at the St. Petersburg Times: "(John's) songs, when you really look into it, they almost play out like a diary. He is a very personal kind of artist." As for the simplicity of the Real Love art, Yoko said, "Minimalism..I think in the beginning his drawings were a little bit more complex. Especially when he was about nine years old. There is an incredible book of beautiful drawings he did at that time. It really doesn't look like a drawing done by a nine-year-old."

When asked about Sean's art, Yoko said: "Sean's art is much more complex. Very, very beautiful, very focused. His artwork is nothing like mine at all. And not like John's at all."

Yoko commented on Sean's consideration in keeping in touch with her while he's on tour: "Sean is always reporting to me. He is very good about that. When he was touring and he was at a gas station or something and suddenly he hears 'Happy Xmas (War is Over)' and his dad and mom are singing to him - he started crying. He would call. I think that he is in a very unusual position where his father is always following him on the radio or something. That is a gift that he's got, but there is the other side to it, that he went through some incredible pain as well."

Asked about Yoko's own art and music, she told Vivinetto: "I am just being very busy with John's art stuff. I was going to record something last autumn, but I didn't because the art show was coming up. By summer I hope to go into the studio. I have all this stuff already."

SHOWTIMES IN WEST PALM BEACH:

Thursday, January 27 - 5PM-9PM
Friday, January 28 - Noon-9PM
Saturday, January 29 - 11AM-8PM
Sunday, January 30 - 11AM-6PM

Admission-$2 with proceeds from gate receipts going to Hope House of the Palm Beach's Quantum Children's Village - a project to construct three cottages to house children whose parents are too sick to care for them.

See an online article about the show at the Palm Beach Daily News site.

Check out the Legacy Productionsweb site which features John's art and information about upcoming shows.