May Pang - My Life As John Lennon Mistress During His Lost Weekend | With Yoko Ono Consent (2023)

Introduction

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Thank you in life, they're magic, they're golden.

Because they lived.

We had new dreams.

John Lennon helped us.

Imagine their lives have taken on a whole new dimension in shocking detail.

Now we hear Tales of bizarre, sex, sordid, drug habits, personal degradation and Mental Illness, but who will defend the dead those who love them family? Friends fans wonder, if there are any limits on the parade to the cash register, because they know that Scandal sales.

And for people like John, Lennon's, former mistress, May Pang, who told all about loving John, just a few years back.

There are no limits about what can be written about the dead.

When a star is gone it's open season as digging the dirt on the dead is our focus on this edition of Geraldo.

You know, I wonder I wonder if it isn't some weird ultimate index of stardom, a star's final measure of real glamor, real clout, the measure of earning power from even beyond the grave as book after book, headline after headline, reveal secrets, we the buying public seem dying to learn, but how much of a star's weaknesses? Do we really want to know John, Lennon also lives.

And imagine a new film from Warner Brothers It's released as well timed following as it does on the muddy heels of a book, which alleges Lenin suffered from everything from drug to wife abuse.

Yoko is also severely criticized.

But she at least is alive to defend herself.

Were you ever the Dragon Lady, Dragon Lady? Well, I don't know what Dragon Lady means but Dragon, probably, um, symbolizes something that is unique and very strong.

And if that's what it is I'm honored.

But after all, the controversy has calmed and the charges are forgotten.

There will always be John's New York in the world foreign while Albert Goldman's, controversial.

Best-Selling biography is told from the outside of John's life, looking in and Insider John's, former mistress, May Pang has given the world her version of John in her book of some years ago called loving John.

May.

Welcome.

Thank you.

You know we go back a long way.

Yes.

We do.

We met I.

Guess back in 1971 1972 that 71., 71 you were working for John I was friendly with him.

He did a benefit concert at my urging Etc I.

Remember, when your book came out, uh, your book about your affair with John I, remember being very angry at you.

Because at that time, there had been Goldman's book, obviously wasn't out yet.

There was the Public's image of John.

There was Strawberry Fields.

The park dedicated to his memory in Central Park.

There were other kinds of testimonials to the man's greatness to his music.

And what you wrote about was something else you wrote about a very fragile, man, a man who had some real problems.

Um, why did you do it? Why did you tell that story I told that story only because I got tired of other people writing about our situation, our affair as you call it? Um, it was so different.

He was not always drunk and I had to explain that.

And you know, at that time you talk about his frailties.

Well, he was in the papers talking in his drunken, stupor people, all the media just blew it out of proportion.

So I got tired of seeing all that and I decided it was time to tell my side the story, but the portrait that you paint isn't all that flattering.

You talk about John's warts so to speak as well as his obvious, greatness, yeah, well, everybody's human.

And he has his faults, and he also has his greatness.

And in the book, it shows both sides was he as Albert Goldman alleges, a homosexual well, not to my knowledge if you know he wasn't, he was a to me.

He was a great lover.

So you had a normal kind of sexual relationship.

Yes, yes.

She had no Tendencies homosexual tendencies.

When I was with him, let's, put it that way was he as Goldman alleges, a heroin addict, well, I know that he had taken heroin before when I first met them him and Yoko in the early 70s, but not during my time.

Now afterwards, I don't know when we split up I have no idea.

I guess? The third, uh, most Sensational.

Charge involves the uh statement by Albert Goldman that John was anorexic.

Well I did see John in 1978.

And when he did come over to my apartment, he was a bit thin.

He was about 135 pounds.

But he told me that he was on a macrobiotic diet, 135 pounds.

He was a bit taller than I.

Five foot.

Eleven, eleven, uh, 135 pounds.

He was always thin, but he had a pot belly.

Yes.

He couldn't get rid of that that's.

The one thing he did say, but he definitely wasn't, anorexic I mean, I, don't, I didn't see him as an anorexic I did seem very thin.

And he told me that he took a macrobi.

He was on a macrobiotic diet.

And he lost weight.

He was always conscious of his weight.

Is it true that Yoko arranged your affair with John? Yes, it's true.

She sat me down in an office one day, and she said, we're having problems which everybody in the house in, you know, who's working for them knew.

And we were sitting there, uh together.

And she looked over at me says, well, you know we're going to have, um, you know, John's going to start seeing other people because we're not getting along and I just stared at her and I said, yes and I'm thinking who am I going to be working for him or her.

And next thing you know, she said, well, you know, I know that he likes you and I said, excuse me, and she said, I know, he likes you and I know, you're going to be good for him, but I said that I don't want your husband she's, that's.

Okay, I know, you're, not you're, not wanting it.

You don't want him, but uh, it's.

Okay, I think you'll be good for him.

You didn't, love John.

Not at the time I loved him as a person I liked him as a person.

Everybody loved him as a person right? But you had no romantic feelings for John, no, not at all.

And yet you agreed to accept this relationship.

No I, didn't agree at first John in the end pursued me and his charm won me over within a relatively short time.

Man, you agreed to be John's, girlfriend, mistress, whatever you call it.

He took me out on a date, that's, basically how it starts.

And we did live together separately away from the household.

And he did it with the advice and consent of his wife right? So you accepted in essence, the position of what what American Geisha, no because I did it for love.

I mean, that was I wasn't paid now what how could you say you did it for love when you didn't love, John, Because by the time you go out with somebody you go out with them.

You don't fall in love with somebody on the first date, but may would you have gone with? Uh all right here.

This is his wife.

She says, uh, you go with my husband.

He works in uh.

The electronics.

Industry.

You wouldn't go with the electrician or the electrical engineer you went because it was John.

Lennon, that's, not true.

Uh, hold on that's, not true.

Because if I wanted John, this was like we're talking.

If I wanted to I was working from for three years, I had no desires.

I had no desires.

But that's, my point I have no desires, but he then I did not know that he liked me that's.

What I found out did John like you or was John like you following yoko's orders.

No, he liked me because knew that John was going to start fooling around on her right? Yoko knew she could control.

You that's true Yoko, picked the safe Choice.

Here.

John go have some fun with May knowing that she could reel him back in anytime.

She wanted.

Well if you're talking about reeling him back in it didn't take, it took a long time.

We've lived together for a year and a half But.

Ultimately, he went home.

He went home ultimately, but we never stopped our relationship.

Are you saying the affair continued after John went back with you.

We remained friends, and we were very close even up until the time he died question is directed to May and there's a new movie coming out I understand on John Lennon in his life.

I wondered, if you've seen it and I only saw you go ahead, I'm, sorry and uh, how much dirt do you feel is in it, especially in regards to yourself I, did it? Uh, they gave me 30 seconds.

And the only thing I talk about that I did see.

They were kind enough to let me see.

My segment was the fact that during the time that John and I were together.

He was most prolific musically and talk about the time that Paul McCartney used to say, you know, come over to our house and and Ringo and George and Elton and Mick.

You know, Jagger, um and all those, but that's, one thing that I think that may one point she makes that you have to agree with they talk about John, Lennon's lost weekend after Yoko, arranged this bizarre, or at least the arrangement was bizarre and May and John went off to live on the west coast.

It is generally assumed because John was caught a couple of times very drunk in public right it's about that.

It was a lost weekend that lost lasted 14 months.

He was a wild man at the time right? He was drinking too much at the time right when you hang out with Harry Nielsen, you don't have much Choice here, but he was also writing music.

Yes.

He was doing a lot of music and that's.

What the book explains that he wasn't always drunk, because he was there to do all the music, hi, um.

There was an article recently in the news day and I was curious right.

The news day had said that you work, basically from sun up to sundown even past that point seven days a week and I'm curious.

If you did, not love John Lennon.

Why did you work like like a slave or I? Guess that's a good question at the time I was 22 I started with him when I was 20.

and I I love.

The idea of working and music was just my whole life and working from Sun from sun up to sun down was something that was another experience for me and I enjoyed it so much that it didn't bother me, but I did work.

An awful lot and did not get paid for overtime is a flat rate was Yoko.

Really as intimidating was she really the dragon.

It was very intimidating.

I mean, she scared a lot of people in the house when she said something everybody just sort of like got quiet and sort of did what they had to do.

But you worked around it.

It was fine.

She used to call me at three in the morning.

Four in the morning, six in the morning, whatever hour, uh, I've seen the film.

Imagine it's an authorized biography.

So you don't see the a lot of the heavy dirt that you hear in some of the biographies, but I think it's fair and balanced.

And there are some beautiful, uh, pictures of John, I mean, some they they have the camera on them a lot this too John and Yoko.

There are some nice scenes that I've never seen before so I think it's, definitely worth seeing.

Okay, we'll be right back more questions for I.

Guess, you said, you're involved me with uh, Yoko, Leonard.

She involved in a arranged your relationship with John.

What relationship do you have with Yoko at this time? And also how do you observe John's death? Oh, I, don't have a relationship with Yoko I've, tried contacting her.

Many times after John had died.

She wouldn't return.

Any of my phone calls, in fact, I just recently ran into her in London about a week ago or so and um I was there and I wanted to say hello to her I stood in her path.

And she just looked the other way and was like just a little afraid to even see me just walked away and as far as John's death.

It was a sad thing.

Um, it's very hard.

You know, we always we always hear of John all the time because whether it be for the music or read about him, he's always going to be around.

You know, do you remember where you were when you found out John died and how did yes I was up at the on and on in the Upper West Side at a friend's apartment, having dinner and I heard that over the radio and my heart just sank I, just didn't know, what else tell us more about that in our final segment, we'll be right back I saw John just six weeks before he was killed and I was also on the upper west side of Manhattan when it happened.

And it was just so devastating.

I really felt the end of an era.

What'd.

You do afterwards I ran home and I started calling people and phones were ringing and I got a call from my girlfriend in London who works for Ringo.

And she said, I want the name of the hospital I want the telephone number and I said, forget it he's dead.

And she just hung up the phone screaming, it saying, what's wrong with your bloody country and then I called David Bowie's house and his assistant picked up.

And she said, what are you talking about I said, John's gone just come down here, don't be alone because David Bowie was also doing elephant men at the time and all of a sat at David everybody.

Thanks for watching.