The New York City Annex of the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame has collaborated with Yoko Ono to open an exhibit featuring the effects of the late, great John Lennon, including his piano, the “New York City” t-shirt he made famous… and a paper bag containing the bloody clothes from the night he was shot to death. “It was hard to include,” Ono told the AP. “And I thought it might be criticized as well.”
Ono says she made the decision because she wants people to see the effects of gun violence, but I dunno, Mixers: Aren’t we all pretty clear on what guns do? What do you think? Is this a legitimate opportunity for education and reflection, or just further capitalization on the tragic murder of a talented man? Is Yoko making the right decision in trotting these intimate artifacts out? Or is it time to put poor John to rest already? And will you be attending the exhibit?
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yuck. I can’t imagine how you could do that. They are the clothes your spouse was murdered in. Why would you even still have them? Yoko crazy.
I think that anyone who is like “oooh, I want to see the bloody clothes he was murdered in” is not the type of person you want to attract. dumb idea.
I think I’d probably go and see this. Last time I was there the Ford Theater had some of the bloody sheets from Lincoln’s assassination on exhibit.
I don’t think Ono’s reasoning really holds up. We know guns kill. What showing these objects does it makes people more real. People like Lincoln and Lennon are mostly tragic deaths some of us have read about. But you see that they actually bled puts things into perspective. I find that exhibits like this move me. It shows that these people who were rightfully elevated to a status that could be called beyond mortal are just like you and me.
She already had the bag of clothes – and his still-bloody glasses – on display at the Cleveland Rock Hall’s Lennon exhibit (I think I saw it in summer 2001). Both items were encased in a floor-to-ceiling white tower, with a clear center where you could see the bag and the glasses on a stand. White benches with white tissue boxes were nearby, and many people (myself included) used them. There was also a white phone on a nearby wall with a sign that essentially said, “If this rings, pick it up because it’s Yoko calling.” She never called while I was there, but a docent said she called usually a couple times a week.
Yoko has been quite involved in anti-gun programs, so I think this is perfectly in line with her advocacy. Shocking? Yes. Moving? Yes. But I think she’s preaching to the choir.
Yoko, crazy? No. I do believe that title belongs to an M. Chapman. Props to Ono for taking a stand against gun violence. And for being “human.”
Guns don’t kill anymore than cars do…people kill, using cars, knives, forks, guns, sticks etc. How many lives have been saved by someone defending with a gun…ohh but you don’t look at that do you?
I think the exhibit of the clothes just punctuates how absolutely senselss murder is and what the world lost when Lennon was murdered. If you don’t want to look at that part of the exhibit, then move on.
I think it’s good that Ono is doing that.
I see no problem in it.
I encourage any sort of exhibition that opens new generations to how great an artist John Lennon was and how senseless murder is. Good art almost always depicts morbid loss and loneliness. Censorship and guns only silence it.
As disturbing as that part of the exhibit might be (and I do plan to visit it), the point is – this is a museum, and there’s no denying the importance of the events of Dec 8, 1980 or the validity of having those artifact in the Lennon presentation.
this just adds to my dislike of yoko. I have read almost anything I can on the beatles and John, and I think yoko was his demise and she continues to capitalize on him. I weep for him, his sons, and what he stood for, but she is just a waste of space and looney!!!!!!!
It’s a horrific idea. John Lennon stood for peace and would certainly want to be remembered for that, not having people attending this exhibit walking away with a memory of his bloody clothes. If Yoko wants to make a stand on guns, she should insist on having information on gun control at the exhibit or invite attendees to sign a petition banning guns.
OMG OMG …..It’s just totally WRONG.
Ask yourself …what would Lennon do??
I’m sure John would not want everyone or anyone to see his bloody clothes.
We all know what blood looks like!
I love Yoko (not half as much as John) but this is just wrong wrong wrong!
Come on draw the line …somewhere!
This is not the first time they have been displayed. The clothes are in a paper sack, kind of like a grocery bag, and you can’t see blood or the clothes. Tone the “shock” down. The only thing that’s disturbing is that Yoko Ono is living the high life off of her deceased husband.
I think John would approve–his life with Yoko was centered around performance art–he was killed in cold blood, it is an indelible part if his life…Yoko isn’t making it the focal point…it happened and it ought to be noted.
I was there today — the exhibit is great, and anyone who loves Lennon (or rock music, period) should really check it out.
As for the bag of bloody clothes, it’s literally just a brown bag. You can’t see anything in it, there are no blood splatters on the bag or anything tacky.
It’s more of what it represents that is disturbing, but it sends an effective message.
B!tch
It was okay for Yoko to display
her husband’s legacy, but the out-
fit he was shot in has got to go.
I don’t understand the big deal. I was at the R&R Hall of Fame several years ago and saw pretty much the same exhibit, and I remember the bag with the bloody clothes being the most powerful piece. It was moving and really hit home for a Lennon fan like me. I think it’s a part of history that many people would like to see to feel as though they are seeing a piece of Lennon; if people think it’s too violent, then those people should not go.
I think that putting the blood-stained clothes on display definitely will and has gotten mixed reviews, but I think that it’s the most powerful of all of the things on display at the exhibit. It proves a strong point about violence and how it affects so many people everyday, and how John Lennon was such an amazing person and how life is so brilliant, and yet when your loved ones pass away, you get back their belongings in a cheap bag.
If you read the description on the piece you know some of what Yoko had felt.
I really loved the exhibit. It’s very moving and powerful.
I think that Yoko is doing the right thing. Just think. They do the same things to soldiers that died in the war; they may clean their uniforms, but that’s not the point. They show the clothes that the man or woman died in, for memorability. I think that John would be honoured to have his deathbed clothes shown at a museum, because for those of you who say that Yoko’s crazy and that John wouldn’t want that, think about how no one would know John better than his wife, like your husband or your wife. SHE KNEW HIM BEST.
Just returned from NYC – and Yoko’s exhibit. The brown bag was there, there was obviously stuff in it, but it was not visible.
Brilliant exhibit, tastefully done, and very powerful.
There are people who watch from the stands and there are people who play on the court. John & Yoko played on the court. The ones in the stands always seem to have an opinion.
ps – if u want to kill some one buy a gun, its easier than with a car….
John Lennon, this man has changed my life. Im fifteen and I have a new outlook on life. The message that he sang in and said everyday has inspired me to be a better person. To truly know and fight for what I believe in. I never met John Lennon but every time I hear his music I feel his presence. His message will live on forever and I cant thank him enough for what he did. As for the bag of clothes, John was about powerful messages. This is clearly one and we should all respect Yoko for doing it. She is the one who inspired a lot of John’s work, and I truly thank her for that.
-Me