holy crap, there's a show on NPR right now about the day john lennon died, and although i cry a lot, this is getting bad. i can't stop crying. i really love that man. i love his message of peace. i love his coolness. i love his humor. i love his intelligence. john lennon had balls. he told the truth. and so does yoko.
so, it's the eve of his death and the show has gotten to a point now where people are telling stories of where they were when he died. i remember where i was and i've told that story here.
what i haven't told is the story, of the great privilege i had one freezing san francisco summer day, of meeting and speaking with yoko ono lennon.
it was june 16, 1996 and for reasons that are truly, another story attached to another story to another story, i was backstage at the Tibetan Freedom Concert in Golden Gate Park. actually, i was onstage...or just above the stage on some scaffolding, looking down on the stage, about 12 feet below me. sonic youth were just about to start and i was already holding my breath. thurston had just walked on stage and was plugging stuff in. kim was there in the centerstage, tuning her bass. lee was there on the far side of the stage, steve, as always, was there in the back and the show was about to start, when my friend (D) tugged on my arm. i turned around and came face to face with yoko and a massive man i determined to be her bodyguard. she clearly could not see around me, but had said nothing. through the beginning squeals of thurston's guitar, i said to her, "do you want to stand in front of me?" i was right on the frontlines, with one of the best views in the house. she looked up at me, and eyes wide, she nodded and moved to the side, and i backed up a bit and she stepped in front of me. the bodyguard stayed courteously behind me. i'm sure he could tell i was in awe and was reflecting nothing but total respect for yoko. needless to say, i was completely out of my mind in wonder, excitement and shock. i looked at my friend and she looked at me and we were just...speechless.
right then, just before sonic youth launched into their song, "the diamond sea," thurston said to the crowd of 50,000 people, "This song is for Yoko Ono, whose rock and roll is beautiful." and with that, yoko spun around and looked at me and smiled a huge smile and clapped her hands and said, "ohhh, they are so far out!!!"
and thurston slammed into his guitar and then slid into the gentle beauty that is "the diamond sea" and my mind blew itself way out of my body and out of that park.
i really don't know what else to say. it was just BEYOND. i am still speechless.
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