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TL;DR:
- John Lennon had a “lost weekend” when he was separated from Yoko Ono.
- John Lennon apologized for his behavior toward music exec Tony King.
- Music exec Tony King said John Lennon was more vulnerable than he expected.
In the early 1970s, John Lennon and Yoko Ono temporarily separated during a period that would become known as Lennon’s “lost weekend.” The period lasted much longer than a weekend, though. For roughly 18 months, Lennon heavily drank and used drugs. His behavior could be erratic and aggressive, and he often issued apologies when he had a clearer head. He once gifted music executive Tony King an Andy Warhol painting to apologize for his behavior.
The Beatle had a ‘lost weekend’ in the early 1970s
In 1973, Lennon and Ono separated after four years of marriage. He began an affair with the couple’s assistant, May Pang, but Ono claimed that this betrayal did not hurt her. In fact, she approved of it.
“The affair was not something that was hurtful to me,” Ono told The Telegraph in 2012. “I needed a rest. I needed space. Can you imagine every day of getting this vibration from people of hate? You want to get out of that. I started to notice that he became a little restless on top of that, so I thought it’s better to give him a rest and me a rest. May Pang was a very intelligent, attractive woman and extremely efficient. I thought they’d be OK.”
During their 18 months apart, Lennon oscillated between storms of creativity and bouts of heavy drinking and drug use.
John Lennon gave a music exec a painting as an apology
Lennon could become agitated and even violent after a long night of drinking. One night, after getting into an argument with producer Phil Spector, Lennon began destroying everything in his bedroom in a rage. Pang worried that she wouldn’t be able to stop him, so she called King for help. He was working closely with Lennon, and Pang believed he’d be able to calm the musician.
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When King arrived, Lennon was ripping at a palm tree in the yard. King ultimately had to physically restrain him.
“John thrashed around in Tony’s arms, but Tony was strong enough to hold him still,” Pang wrote in her book Loving John. “No matter how violently John tossed and turned, Tony held on to him.”
Lennon was surprised by King’s strength.
“I never knew you were so strong, dear,” he said, per The Guardian.
Not long after that night, a sheepish Lennon gifted King a signed Andy Warhol print of Marilyn Monroe. On the back, he scrawled an apologetic note: “To Tony with love, from one of your problems, love John.”
Music exec Tony King said John Lennon was more vulnerable than he expected
Though King had to deal with Lennon at his worst, he said that, for the most part, the musician was gentler than he expected. They first met when Lennon was in The Beatles, and he came across as cold and acidic.
“I knew him in the 1960s and he could be very cutting,” King said, adding, “I was intimidated by him. I went to LA expecting this sharp-tongued Liverpudlian, and instead I got this really soft, vulnerable man. I couldn’t believe it.”
