Published on April 5, 2023 10:00 AM As a lifelong fan of the Beatles, May Pang was, in 1973, living what many would consider the dream. In a new documentary, the woman who went from assistant to lover of the ex-Beatle talks about her side of a misunderstood story, Smack in the middle of the 1970s, John Lennon experienced what he famously called a lost weekend, echoing the title of a classic 1945 movie about an out-of-control alcoholic. As someone who grew up a fan of the Philadelphia sound she cites singers like Bobby Rydell and Fabian as well as the Beach Boys, she says the shock of seeing these British moptops gave way to pure affection. 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Before she became an important part of John Lennon's later years, May Pang was born to a Chinese family and spent much of her early childhood in New York City's Spanish Harlem, as stated in Salon. NEW YORK -- A new documentary takes its name from a time in the life of the late John Lennon. He didnt want to, and I didnt.. They were having problems in their marriage; they actually werent talking to each other. People dont understand that the phrase wasnt about our relationship., Regardless, the term became so resonant that a new documentary centered on that period The Lost Weekend: A Love Story devotes half its title to it. Yoko kept pushing, but I waited for John to make the first move, says May. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2023 OnTheRedCarpet.com. Did Yoko really set the whole thing up? Yet this was the bed-hopping, do-what-you-feel 70s, so it all seemed a little less weird at the time. Ive been told by men that Ive gone out with that Im stronger than most women. It fills in a famous episode in rock mythology, enriching the story. The two were watching Reverend Ike on TV one night when the famous preacher suddenly yelled, "whatever gets you through the night! ", The film even explains how Lennon's only number one single as a solo artist came to be written in the small apartment. That Pang helped to bring John and Julian back together, despite Yokos machinations, seems more convincing than not. [37] Cynthia Lennon also provided a back cover endorsement, acknowledging Pang's role in reuniting Lennon with his estranged first son, Julian. Why AI Has Some Viewers Asking Which Film Actors Are Real. [26][27] After the meeting, he failed to return home or call Pang. Not so much Ringo, but with George.". Now that Lennon was on his own with her in LA, Pang encouraged the ex-Beatle to reconnect to his son. I told her I wasnt interested at all. Theyre all in a safety deposit box and very valuable to me, says Pang. In 1970, she used her chutzpah to bluff her way into a job at the office of Allen Klein, whose management office represented Apple Records and all the Beatles but Paul. After enjoying 12 hours with May in her home-and at a nearby Gilligan's Seafood Restaurant near Pomona, NY,- us two Texans . [43][44], Although having had no contact for 30 years, on October 9, 2006, Pang accidentally met Ono in Iceland, on what would have been Lennon's 66th birthday. A love story that took 50 years to tell, "The Lost Weekend: A Love Story" explores the 18-month romantic relationship between John Lennon and his Chinese-American assistant May Pang, See production, box office & company info. Regarding her breakup with Lennon, Pang calls it a "gray zone.". Just be aware that people are going to be talking about you. Their trauma, our entertainment: what happens to documentary subjects when the cameras leave? If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply. John loved movie stars. Moreover, she said Lennon would side with Pang in defiance of Ono. [34][35] Besides the candid personal portraits, the book contains some historically important photographs, such as Lennon signing the official dissolution of the Beatles' partnership,[36] and one of the last known photographs of Lennon and Paul McCartney together. [1], After graduating from Saint Michael Academy, Pang attended New York City Community College. He grew up on American films.. documentaries to Albert Goldmans The Lives of John Lennon. Like many Lennon observers, Ive always felt like I knew the basic bones of it. Its been covered by everything from E! ft. apartment on East 52nd Street in Manhattan. According to her, the couple were considering buying a home in the Hamptons. Interviewing John Lennon's Lost Weekend Girlfriend. Everything to him was barmy Whats wrong with everyone? I miss those conversations.. Mainly, Pang said, it was Ono who gave the orders and there were a lot of them. Dismissed by her stern father, who imagined he was still king of the roost back in China, May found herself subject to the ancient cultural tradition of sons being superior to daughters. Go for it.. Eventually, Lennon found out about Onos alleged affair and, Pang said, instead of being jealous, he said: Oh, good!. That Yoko, trying to save the marriage, made the decision to set up John with May Pang, basically instructing the two of them to have a romantic affair. Pang believes Ono chose her to be the couples personal assistant because she was efficient. Initially, that was a plus for Ono. The dark side is very much there. In 1973, she moved into The Dakota in New York City, where the couple lived. But I wanted to help him with everyday stuff. Pang published her memoir, Loving John, in 1983. Also, she said Ono grew jealous as time went on and began to call a million times a day, Pang said. Quite the arrangement,I dont know what to think? Our thanks to Viv Goldberg for her help in arranging the interview. (In the early 70s, hed become a real political scold; after the drubbing received by 1972s Some Time in New York City, that was part of what he was letting go of.). I thought: Oh God, theres going to be more people involved now? Pang recalled. Less well known is the period that followed when he and Pang returned to NYC. I didnt want to be his mother, but I did act as his secretary, his personal assistant. John was drinking, but that was overblown in retrospect, says Pang. So that's where I started out.". [11] While there, Lennon was inspired to embark on two recording projects: to make an album of the old rock 'n' roll songs that inspired him to become a musician, and to produce another artist. He always had a pad and his pencil or Flair pen, and he writes it down," Pang said. "She thought it would be two weeks, gone, goodbye. Pang, 72, was just 19 years old when she landed a job at Apple Records, and before long, she was working as the personal assistant to Lennon and Ono, 90. Parts of Pangs story dovetail perfectly with todays sensitivity to the consequences of workplace sexual harassment. . To gain access to the deck, Lennon and Pang had to climb out of their kitchen window. She was reluctant at first, but Pang and Lennon were soon together. The pair was forced to return to New York in February 1974 for Lennon to meet with lawyers about his immigration status in the U.S. Yoko told John she wanted a divorce and ordered him to her attorneys office to sign the papers. We see Pangs photograph of Bob Gruen snapping his famous photograph of Lennon in a New York City T-shirt. Even when John Lennon and Pang were thousands of miles away from Ono, Pang says that Ono was a constant presence in their lives, because Ono . At this time, Pang encouraged Lennon to reach out to family and friends. Pang, 64, gained fame in the early 1970s as John Lennon's girlfriend. May Fung Yee Pang (born October 24, 1950) is an American former music executive. "It was nice, believe me. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. [4][8] Ono explained that she and Lennon were not getting along, had been arguing and were growing apart, and said that Lennon would start seeing other women. Its no coincidence that he reconciled with Paul during this period. Pang also worked on albums by Nilsson, Starr, Elton John and David Bowie. Music was my passion, explains the Spanish Harlem-born author and subject of the upcoming documentary, The Lost Weekend: A Love Story, premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival for a sold-out show on June 10. Pang claims that she and Lennon remained lovers until 1977, and stayed in contact until his death. To say that she was in over her head would be an understatement. He had his first No. For a person who is not supposed to be in his life, I was in his life, she said. "And still making music.". In that regard, Pang believes that Lennons characterization of his last few years with Ono as a time of domestic bliss was a fabrication he used to promote his reunion album with her, Double Fantasy. She pointed out that Lennon had said he found Pang sexually attractive. "He loved being able to walk around and being able to talk. 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My memories of that time with Dad and May are very clearthey were the happiest time I can remember with them. Speaking recently to The Journal News at her Pomona home, Pang showed photos of Lennon, and a gold record for his 1974 album "Walls and Bridges," where Pang can be heard singing backup on "#9 Dream.". She also said that she continued to see him, and be intimate with him, until his death. With May Pang, John Lennon, Julian Lennon, David Bowie. He wouldve been very vocal about what he was going on in the world. Lennon told her the view reminded him of The Mersey River in his native Liverpool. [2] Pang was then asked to be Lennon and Ono's secretary and factotum/gofer in New York and Britain, which led to a permanent position as their personal assistant when the Lennons moved from London to New York in 1971. Her tale begins in NYC, continues in LA, and then ends more than 18 months later in Manhattan. Pang insists the celebrated Troubadour incidents where John was thrown out of the iconic Hollywood club for heckling the Smothers Brothers and then for putting a sanitary napkin on his head were anomalies in Lennons stay in Los Angeles, where he was relentlessly egged on by sidekick Harry Nilsson in particular. Pang also arranged for Julian Lennon to visit his father for the first time in almost four years. But she hasn't ruled out a future run for local office. The pair moved in together, renting a 900 sq. You just dont want to get in the middle of that.. According to Pang, every time a call would come to the Dakota from Lennons young son Julian, from whom he had become estranged, Ono would instruct her to tell him his father wasnt available. She also remembers the good times for Lennon career-wise. She was asking me that but, at the same time, she said: You will! Pang said. May and John returned to New York in the late summer of 1974, to begin work on John's album Walls And Bridges and "get away from the bottle". Not that everything was bliss in this stretch of time. She wanted to be a model, but the modeling agencies told her she was too "ethnic". Lennon bought Julian a Gibson Les Paul copy guitar and a drum machine for Christmas in 1973, and encouraged Julian's interest in music by showing him some chords. [6] Ono's show coincided with Lennon's 31st birthday, and a party was held at the Hotel Syracuse, which was attended by Ringo Starr, Phil Spector, and Elliot Mintz, among others. At one point, George turned to me and said, May, this is the third party weve been to this week People are going to start talking about us. He was such a lovely man. Tips for dealing with flood-related losses after the storm, Manhunt enters 3rd day for alleged Texas mass killer. [23] While recording Walls and Bridges, Al Coury, vice president of promotion for Capitol Records, got possession of the chaotic Spector session tapes and brought them to New York. All Rights Reserved. For another Ono film, Pang had to ask both everyday people and celebrities to show their legs for the camera for peace. I loved this woman (Pang), I made some beautiful music and I got so fucked up with booze and shit and whatever."[30][31].
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