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2 hours left to listenLast broadcast last Monday, 22:00 on BBC Radio 2.

SYNOPSIS

Episode image for Yoko in Her Own Words

It’s hard to imagine, but 9 October 2010 would have been the 70th birthday of one of Britain’s most iconic musicians, John Lennon, and 8 December 2010 marks the 30th anniversary of his death. In this programme, journalist and broadcaster Nina Myskow meets Yoko Ono, whom she has interviewed on several previous occasions, for an extended conversation about life with, and without, John.

In a remarkably frank and insightful chat, Yoko talks about how she will be honouring John’s birth and death days, and what she thinks he would have been doing at the age of 70. She talks about bringing up their son Sean on her own, and her pride in his work as a musician. The programme also includes Yoko’s honest assessment of her own place in the world and how she feels she is viewed by the public at large.

Yoko reveals the Lennon song that is the hardest one for her to listen to, the one of which she thinks he was most proud, and gives an honest and surprising view of her relationship with Paul McCartney, both in the past and present. Ono also reveals to Myskow the identity of the person who, unbeknown to all, played a large part in helping her and John to reunite after their famous “lost weekend” separation of the mid-1970s.

Music includes Lennon classics as well as home demos and acoustic recordings released by EMI for the birthday anniversary, plus tribute songs by McCartney and Elton John (Sean’s godfather) and an alternative live version of Imagine, taped when it was a new song.