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Happy Birthday, Yoko! One of the coolest ladies ever, John Lennon once called her "the world's most famous unknown artist" - and I still think that's pretty apt, as so much of her work goes unappreciated. So here's a thread of my favourite Yoko things:
Firstly, her art! So much of it is ace, but Cut Piece lives in my mind rent free. The performer sits on stage with a pair of scissors, and the audience are invited to walk up and snip off a bit of their clothing. "I was saying, hey, you’re doing this to women, you know?"
Her book, Grapefruit, is a remarkable demonstration of her ability to create art that need only exist in the mind of the reader.
And Grapefruit was a massive influence on a certain John Lennon song. "The song was originally inspired by Yoko’s book Grapefruit. In it are a lot of pieces saying, Imagine this, imagine that..."
In recent years, Yoko was finally given a song writing credit for that track.
In recent years, Yoko was finally given a song writing credit for that track.
Yoko conceived the Imagine Peace tower in Iceland, a tower of light first dreamed up in her book. When the technology caught up, she commissioned said tower, and it was completed in 2007. A panel on it reads ‘I dedicate this tower to John Lennon. My love for you is forever.’
NOW, her music. I love it, I genuinely do. I own almost all her records, and the Onobox sits pride of place on my shelf.
Her 1973 album Approximately Infinite Universe, in particular, is a feminist masterpiece. This song perfectly captures what it's like to exist as a woman trying to hold it all together in the face of your own pain.
This song too is astoundingly good. John predicted that it would be her first number 1, and was proved right decades later, when a remix topped the US dance charts in the early 2000s.
And I hold that her 2013 album 'Take Me To The Land Of Hell' is full of non-stop bops, including this one. It's so much FUN.
And I'm going to add these photos of her performing solo in 1974 because I love them. Look at her! Those shoes!
Finally, her partnership with John Lennon is iconic for a reason. From peace activism to eccentric films, the things they made together endure because they are such a perfect fusion of two creative minds. May John RIP. x
Anyway I'll stop now because I could go on about her all day.
Have a wonderful day @yokoono! We love you! xxx
