HO KI

When Yoko Ono arrived in the United Kingdom in 1967 - from Belgium where she was  exhibiting her art  works -  she would have known little if anything about  who or 
what the 'Beatles' were all about - let alone someone like John Lennon. Yoko was a die-hard JAZZ enthusliest! Dig? If she needed to go out in the evening to hear some music it would have been to Ronnie Scotts' jazz cafe in London's Soho!

In fact 1968 was the year that Yoko bought the first two full A4 page adverts in a new cinema magazine I decided  to publish that year called FIBA (Filmbank). The 2 pages 
were to promote Yoko having hired London's Albert Hall to  hold the very first JAZZ CONCERT(ever) in such a highbrow hall in the UK. Her concert was leading with Ornette Coleman who she imported from Paris for the occasion - as well as the best UK jazz artists. Dig?

John Lennon surely heard about Yoko Ono before she ever heard anything about him. Yoko's first art movie film made in the UK was called 365 BOTTOMS. Yes, the bottoms of 365 humans.   It got a considerable amount of media coverage in London. That  may be the reason Lennon decided to go see her galley art work.  He must have realized from the very beginning that she had no CLUE of who he was. So? What? Refreshing for John to meet such a new friend?

Lennon would obvious have told Yoko that he TOO was an 'artist'. He was an ARTIST in his home town art school before he ever joined and led the group called Beatles. No? Two 'artists' finding  each other? She inviting him to start making films with her? Why not?

FIBA was a success with film festival directors - who it was aimed at. It won Best English Language Film Magazine for 1968 by the Venice Film Festival. We were  invited to festivals from Krakow (Poland) to St. Petersburg (USSR). And in one case 'jurors' (Barcelona).
 
When we got back to London (October 1968) Yoko invited us to visit her in hospital. (She was recuperating from a miscarriage with Lennon.) She wanted me to see 2 short films she had made with John - called SMILES and TWO VIRGINS. She was needing to know 'where' they should first  show them. She arranged for us to see them at a  private screening  studio in Soho the following morning . 
               
Soon as we saw their first 2 films I phoned and suggested showing them at the 2nd International Film Festival in Chicago - taking place in a few weeks.
I had met the director of that festival when in Warsaw (Poland) and felt certain he would agree to let the Ono/Lennon films show in his festival on short
notice. The films were then readied for transport by us directly to Chicago for their debut which of course created a SENSATION in Chicago and that mid-area of the USA! 2 NEW artist working together? Yeah!

Before John and Yoko met, the British government - at the request of USA intelligence services - 'busted' his London flat to discover 'cannabis' use evidence. This became a legal case and John Lennon was charged and fined and his passport stamped as a criminal. Anyone with a criminal mark on their passport is NEVER allowed to enter American soil. Dig? Not even the Beatles as a group?

But now the equation had change dramatically. Much to the chagrin of UK/USA intelligence authorities. They were both still married and both had children of their own. But that could change in time. As it did. Bringing John Lennon back into the United States was a BLOW that America was NOT about to stomach! Hollywood makes ghastly fictional assassination horror films - especially if they have a  political connotation at the core! Hence NO MORE JOHN LENNON to destroy the sweet liberty and joy of American youth! They call it FREEDOM OF SPEECH!

Dig?

If you recall, long before  Lennon and Ono ever met, his best friend Brian Epstein suddenly kicked-the-bucket. What? Overdose of WHAT? He was NEVER known for hard drugs. The very New Years Eve before he died I spent over 12 hours with him at a New Year party held at the flat of Ben Carruthers - the lead actor in John Cassavetes film SHADOWS.

Epstein told me then that he formed a 'company' with the Beatles - in 3 parts. The Beatles own one-third, Epstein owned-one-third, and the 'public' own the final third (i.e. Lew Grade - the entertain- ments tycoon)! As soon as Epstein was claimed to be dead his brother immediately sold his third ownership to the 'public'. No independent investigation was ever made about Epstein's death. So the public (who was THAT?) now had controlling say as to what was to become the future of the Beatles. But that was an INSIDE entertain- ment job so the media don't want to touch that one?

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John Lennon was whisked off into no-man's land within SECONDS of his assassination - encouraged by the UK-USA governments (via their trigger-nut case Mark David Chapman) - hoping he would NEVER be remem-bered or that he even existed in the decade of the 1960s! During the recent celebrations for the 50 years of those days one could barely find a single picture of John Lennon - let alone hear him speak!

The WAR INDUSTRY was the most HARMED by Lennon who told their respective governments to GET RID of him before too much DAMAGE was done with the WAR LOVING world of YOUTH. Sound familiar? At least John's last few years of life were saved by Yoko Ono so he could be himself instead of the Hollywood lollipop products preferred by PAUL McCartney and friends. So? Lest we forget: GIVE PEACE A CHANCE!

by FIBA publisher G. P. Solomos

A previous issue of FIBA dealt expressly about Lennon's assassination. Issue 7 HERE Check it out. !

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The Moscow Museum of Modern Art recently held an exibition of photographs of John Lennon and Yoko Ono that have not been shown anywhere else as yet. Permission given to FIBA to show them here, we will have them uploaded as soon as possible.