Back in January I stumbled upon a Spanish-language TikTok video about my book Nowhere Man. Though I understood little of what the critic, a young woman, said, it was clear that she liked the book and that she had fun shooting the video. Many of the images she used were witty—like SpongeBob SquarePants reading tarot cards. (John Lennon and Yoko Ono had a full-time tarot card reader.)
At one point in the video a picture of me popped up, and that's when I decided to get in touch with the critic to thank her for the review—because this is this kind of response that's kept Nowhere Man alive and relevant for 26 years. And I was especially encouraged to see it coming from a member of a generation that wasn't born when the book was first published.
So I sent the critic a thank you note, and she responded with disbelief that I'd gotten in touch with her. But once I persuaded her that it was really me, I found out that her name is Aria and that she lives in Monterrey, Mexico. And I happen to be very fond of Mexico because it's one of the Latin American countries where the media has treated Nowhere Man as a work of literature.
Aria wanted to ask me questions about the book but was concerned that she might come across as rude and possibly make me uncomfortable. I told her that I love communicating with people who've read my books, and assured her that I've heard it all before. I said she could ask me anything she wanted.
Since 2000, when the first foreign-language edition of Nowhere Man was published, I've found it fascinating how people from other cultures have responded to the book. Some of the most enthusiastic responses and surprising opinions have come from Latin America and Spain.
Here are Aria's questions and my answers—some were originally in Spanish—which I've edited for length and clarity:
Do you like Yoko?
I wouldn't say I like her, but in the 1980s, when I was on her payroll, I felt a lot of sympathy for her. She's not my friend. She's not my enemy.
I don't know if I should ask you more about Yoko. Sometimes I think she's a bit of a mythomaniac. Maybe it's because of everything I've read. But anyway, do you think that Yoko had something to do with Paul McCartney's arrest in Japan?
Yes, but I don't think it was magic, as John believed. Several people have told me that she had a cousin who was a Japanese customs agent and she tipped him off that Paul was coming to Japan and carrying marijuana. I'm not sure this is true. But it makes more sense than she put a spell on Paul.
I hope this question doesn't make you uncomfortable, but do you think there was something between John and Paul? I mean, do you think John was obsessed with him as more than a "friend"?
The question doesn't make me uncomfortable and you're not the first one to ask. I think you're asking me if I think John and Paul had a sexual relationship. No, I don't, and there was nothing I read in his diaries that indicates otherwise.
There was one thing you wrote that really made me feel like crying. So many people say that John and Paul hated each other and fought all the time. But in your book you show how John truly longed to write and sing with him again. Here's the passage:
Though thinking of Paul caused John pain, he could never get McCartney out of his head; Paul's music was everywhere, and it always made him jealous, even the songs he enjoyed.
In Bermuda, John was listening to all kinds of things on the radio, not just the Muzak and classical he listened to in New York. "Coming Up," Paul's hit single from McCartney II, was unavoidable. Every time he tuned in the BBC or one of the local stations, there it was. It began to drive John crackers. Paul was calling for a Beatles reunion, and every word of the song was addressed directly to him. Ultimately, he came to admire it and draw inspiration from it.
The small room next door to the master bedroom had been converted to a two-track recording studio complete with rhythm box. To get into gear for the demo tape, John played "Coming Up" on his guitar over and over, sometimes improvising his own words, sometimes singing Paul's words, which spoke of peace and the possibility of again playing music together.
That's not how I'd interpret that passage but I appreciate your take on it.
Another crazy thing is how John was so deeply affected by numerology. What do you think about that?
Numerology is, indeed, another crazy thing. It's addictive. I'm sure Cheiro's Book of Numbers is available en español. Read it at your own risk. But Nowhere Man has all you need to know to drive yourself muy loca.
Do you know if John mentioned Stuart Sutcliffe in his diary?
Yes, he did mention Stuart. John was reading Black Spring, by Henry Miller. And he said that it reminded him of Stuart and their days in Hamburg.
Who do you think the song "Starting Over" was for?
Do you have any doubt that "Starting Over" is about Yoko? I don't.
I reread a bit of your book and I feel like it could be more about May Pang.
If it were about May, John would never have admitted it. There are people who think "Now and Then" is about Paul.
Who do you think "Now And Then" is for?
Yoko, obviously. They weren't together all the time and he missed her, like when she was in New York and he was in Bermuda. Though that was long after he wrote the song. But in Nowhere Man I talk about how she was working in Studio One and he was upstairs in the apartment thinking about how he wanted to spend more time with her.
I think the song is for Paul, but I like your take on it. I also don't think it's for Yoko, because it wouldn't really benefit her; it would bring to light a version of their relationship that I imagine she wouldn't want out there. I say that because of the way people picture John and Yoko at the end, in the 80s, supposedly happy and all that. That's why I don't think that part of the story would do Yoko any good. But I think most of us in Mexico believe it's for Paul. Still, your opinion makes a lot of sense.
I'd hope my opinions make sense on occasion.
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