Paul Krassner, satirist and publisher
No saints

Yoko Ono and John Lennon spent a weekend at my house in Watsonville [Ca.]. They loved being so close to the ocean. In the afternoon I asked them to smoke their cigarettes outside, but in the evening we smoked a combination of marijuana and opium, sitting in front of the fireplace, sipping tea and munching cookies. We talked about Mae Brussell's theory that the deaths of musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison had actually been political assassinations because they were role models on the crest of the youth rebellion. "No, no," Lennon argued, "they were already headed in a self-destructive direction." A few months later, he would remind me of that conversation and add, "Listen, if anything happens to Yoko and me, it was not an accident." For now, though, we were simply stoned in Watsonville, discussing conspiracy, safe at my oasis in a desert of paranoia. At one point, I referred to Mae Brussell as a saint. "She's not a saint," Lennon said. "You're not a saint. I'm not a saint. Yoko's not a saint. Nobody's a saint." (early 1970s)

From "Confessions of a Raving, Unconfined Nut: Misadventures in the Counter-culture," by Paul Krassner (Simon & Schuster, 1993)

Bebe Buell, model, groupie and rock musician
Birthday surprise

...my twenty-first birthday...

After dinner, I was happy on sake, and Mick [Jagger] told me we were going to visit a friend. We hopped a cab to an apartment building on Sutton Place, an exclusive neighbourhood in the East Fifties, famous for housing, among other, Greta Garbo. When we got inside the building, the River House, which overlooks the East River, there was a man standing at the foot of the stairs, and he snapped a Polaroid of us. It wasn't until he took the camera away from his face and said in an unmistakable Liverpudlian accent, "How are you mate? This must be the birthday girl" that I knew I was meeting John Lennon. Mick is always portrayed as the flamboyant, selfish womanizer, the perpetual devil, but he really is a sweet, caring man. As I followed him into the apartment John was sharing with Mai Pang, I was so moved, I was concentrating on not bursting into tears.

John was in his "lost eighteen months" period, and he seemed to be in great shape. He sang "Happy Birthday" to me on an acoustic guitar, followed by a bunch of other songs. It seemed to be that John was trying to escape from reality. I thought he was trying to have as much fun as he possibly could. (New York, 1974)

From "Rebel Heart: An American Rock 'n' Roll Journey," by Bebe Buell with Victor Bockris (St. Martin's Press, 2001)

Patricia Seaton Lawford, wife of actor Peter Lawford
Rude behavior

John Lennon and Peter were quite friendly with each other ... Peter was enamored of the Beatles, who were still together, and he often hung around with Ringo Starr.

Lennon, the truly talented Beatle, was also rather immature. At one point, when he had temporarily broken up with Yoko Ono, whom he eventually married, he, his date, Peter, Tom Smothers of the Smothers Brothers comedy act, and a few others went to the Troubador. It was a club where Tom and Dick Smothers were having a reunion show. The brothers were frequently breaking up, then getting their act back together, and that night they were having a big show.

John was very drunk and very stoned that night after Tom left the group to go onstage. He looked at the waitress, who was wearing a uniform that included a Dixie cup-type of hat and short skirt, and said, "What's that you've got on your head, a Tampax?" There were other comments as well, all made in a loud voice while Tom and Dick were trying to perform. His actions were rude and disruptive, something that Peter could not tolerate. Peter was a gentleman when it came to other performers, a man they considered a good audience. He would delight in their success during an act, laugh at their jokes, and show them respect even when they were bad. The idea that Lennon would act so rudely appalled him. (Los Angeles, 1974)

From "The Peter Lawford Story: Life With the Kennedys, Monroe and the Rat Pack," by Patricia Seaton Lawford with Ted Schwarz (Carroll & Graf Publishers, 1988)

Howard Cosell, sportscaster
Let them have memories

I eventually decided ... I'd try to reunite the Beatles!

[WABC program director Rick] Sklar and I joined producer Rupert Hitzig at the "21" Club, and we waited for Lennon. He showed up wearing a black velvet jacket with a large diamond-studded pin that spelled "Elvis."

Sklar handled the introductions, and we ordered drinks. Lennon had no idea what I was really up to. He thought I simply wanted to meet him ... First we talked about 'Monday Night Football.' Then I brought up my variety show and said, "John, I want you guys on my show."

"What do you mean 'you guys'?" Lennon said.

You, George, Paul, and Ringo."

After a long pause, Lennon said, "I don't know." He shook his head. "After what's gone down, I don't know. I thought you wanted me"...

Lennon mulled it over. He was doubtful. "Sure, we've thought about getting together again," he said. "But we'll probably never do it. What would the people expect? We might leave them disappointed. It's better to let them have their memories, have them remember us as we were"...

When Lennon got up to leave, he shook my hand and said he'd love to visit with me in the booth at half time of a "Monday Night Football" telecast. As for the variety show and reuniting the Beatles, that was out of the question. (New York, 1975)

From "I Never Played the Game," by Howard Cosell with Peter Bonventre (William Morrow, 1985)

Frank Gifford, football player and commentator
With Ronald Reagan!

"MNF" ["Monday Night Football"] could ... bring together the most unlikely people. The weirdest scene I ever witnessed in the booth happened in 1976. The night before a game in Los Angeles, I ran into John Lennon at a cocktail party promoting the release of a Beatles collection. On impulse, I invited him on the show. He liked the idea but warned me he knew nothing about football. Meanwhile, I'd forgotten we had arranged for Ronald Reagan to come on the same show. Now it was just before halftime. I turned around, and there was Ronald Reagan with his arm around Lennon, explaining what was going on down on the field. And John looked absolutely enthralled. Here were two of the most political, ideological, and cultural opposites on the entire planet in the Monday-night booth -- acting exactly like father and son!

From "The Whole Ten Yards," by Frank Gifford with Harry Waters (Random House, 1993)

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