But she is also a musician herself and, above all, a very original artist. In her works, Ono often uses the possibilities of photography, film, installation and sound recordings, she has also written two books. Human rights and politics are not indifferent to this small and energetic woman, her voice is often heard even today. Ono does not stop in her activities even at the age of ninety, she will celebrate her birthday on Saturday.
In January 2021, she was behind the birth of the streaming channel Coda Collection, which offers a number of music documentaries, concert recordings and series. A few years ago, Ono also performed, for example, in support of the imprisoned members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot, to whom she awarded the LennonOno Peace Prize in autumn 2012.
She advocated for the release of the Burmese dissident Suu Kyi from prison, spoke out against the war in Iraq, and is involved in the fight against AIDS and gay rights. And she also participated in financing the production of the tapestry, which was made for Prague’s Václav Havel Airport as a tribute to the Czech ex-president.
“The One That Helped Break The Beatles”
But whatever she does, she will probably forever remain “the one who helped break up the Beatles” to her detractors. Her strong influence on Lennon is still debated. Was she an inspiration to him, or did she rather use him? Music critics never liked this extravagant woman. It is said that she only fed on John’s successes, by humming along to songs together, or in the best case, by “supporting vocals”. Much more attention is paid to Ono’s achievements in the field of visual art. But her experiments are also not completely accepted by the general public.
He works with various media, uses the possibilities of photography, film, installation and sound recordings. Already in the 60s, before meeting Lennon, she realized several happenings and performances. The works of the former member of the Fluxus movement are often evaluated as “extraordinarily profound”, at other times as “obviously absurd”, sometimes as both at the same time. In 2003, Ono personally presented a cross-section of her work entitled Women’s Room at the Kampa Museum in Prague.
Yoko Ono pictured in 2018
For example, the performance Cut Piece from 1964 is known, when she sat on stage and invited the audience to cut a piece of her dress for someone close to her. She shocked Ono with the work Nutopia, created from 100 coffins, on which were olive branches as a symbol of peace. On the other hand, she perceived the posters with exposed buttocks as a “celebration of humanity”. After one concert, when she began tearing out pages from the Bible and handing them out to the audience, she explained, “I was spreading the word of God.”
Aristocratic background
Born on February 18, 1933 in Tokyo, Ono comes from a high-ranking aristocratic Japanese family; already in childhood she received a classical music education, played the piano and learned composition and singing. After the end of World War II, she joined her father in New York, where she continued her studies. She began to devote herself to music again and gradually established herself in it. It was in the 1950s that she entered the world of avant-garde artists. In 1956, she married one of them, the pianist Toshi Ičijanagi. She devoted herself to art and composing music and met with like-minded people.
In 1962, she returned to Japan for two years. In the years that followed, she divorced, remarried film producer Anthony Cox, and divorced again. In August 1963, her daughter Kyoko Chan Cox was born. She met Lennon, who was seven years younger, in 1966 at London’s Indica Gallery. The singer was attracted by an exhibit there: a ladder up to the ceiling, where the visitor could use a magnifying glass to read a single word – YES.
Lennon was completely charmed by her, he declared that it was only with her that he knew what love was. In May 1968, he recorded together with her the first joint album Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins, on the cover of which they are both naked, so the record had to be sold in a paper bag. The album contains a collage of sounds and spoken word.
One of the photos for the album Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins
The media-watched couple were married in 1969 at the British Consulate in Gibraltar: in style – both in white. In addition to making music together, Ono and Lennon became involved in the peace movement. For example, their press conferences held directly in the beds of hotel rooms to protest against the war in Vietnam became famous. The famous song Give Peace a Chance was created in 1969 at one of these Bed-In events.
In 1975, the Lennons finally had their long-awaited child – the boy was named Sean Taro Ono Lennon. He was born on his father’s 35th birthday (October 9), which Ono decided to help by caesarean section. According to an old Hindu superstition, the soul of the father after his death is reincarnated into a son born on the same day. Sean inherited musical talent, for example with the band IMA on his mother’s critically acclaimed 1995 album Rising.
Ono collaborated with Lennon on several other albums, which were released under the banner of The Plastic Ono Band. Under others, Ono is already signed herself. From recent years, they include Yes, I’m a Witch (2007), Between My Head and the Sky (2009), Yokoimthurston (2012), Take Me to the Land of Hell (2013) and Warzone (2018).
