Days That I'll Remember

November 26, 2012
A contributing editor to Rolling Stone since its inception, Jonathan Cott (Conversations with Glenn Gould, Dylan, Forever Young, etc.) met myriad musicians, but fewâif anyâmade as deep an impression on him as John Lennon. An unabashed lover of the Beatles, Cott, in September 1968, not only got a private audience with Lennon, he tagged along to one of the recording sessions for what would become the Beatles' White Album. Cott recounts his many conversations, both on and off the record, with Lennon. Cott's many discussions and interviews (including one conducted just three days before Lennon's assassination, reproduced here in its entirety) reveal the two rhapsodically rapping about the meaning of "Strawberry Fields," dealing with fame, Yoko's alleged role in the breakup of the Beatles ("I think that each of the Beatles was too strong and tough an individual to have been influenced by me in any way" is her response), and the impact of psychologist Arthur Janov's primal therapy treatment on the duo's relationship and work together. What emerges is a picture of a warm, considerate artist who was generous with both his time and talents, who continued to gravitate toward work that resonated with him and his partner, rather than his bank account or even the public at large. Cott does a solid job of creating intimacy between Lennon and the reader, something fans of the much-missed musician will likely relish. Agent, Steve Wasserman.

December 1, 2012
Rangy and revealing interview/conversations between Rolling Stone journalist Cott (Bob Dylan: The Essential Interviews, 2006, etc.) and John Lennon and Yoko Ono. This is the story of Cott's long association with Lennon and Ono, starting in 1968, told mostly through fully rambling interviews. The pleasure is in hearing their voices, for it seems that the material is verbatim from recordings. It starts during that fraught period when the Beatles were breaking up but still producing game-changing music, and Lennon and Ono were coming in for much more than their share of grief: for their naive and ludic ways, the experimental nature of their music, the dissolution of the band and the passing of a brilliant cultural moment. Cott engages with Ono's art, which could be challenging, and embraces its spirit of mindfulness and mirth while exploring how she managed to turn the vitriol spewed her way into a positive energy. But it is Lennon who commands the stage here, holding forth on the music he and Ono were making, bridling at the disservice of the press, explaining the bed-ins, the nude album cover, the deportation battles, the struggles with writing songs ("I always think there's nothing there, it's shit, it's not good, it's not coming out, it's garbage...") and the troubles of fame ("Do they want me and Yoko to kill ourselves onstage? What would make the little turds happy?"). Cott keeps the proceedings fluid and conversational, sometimes with a bit too much detail--"John got up and went over to a closet, took out a blue denim jacket, put it on, and then the three of us walked to the front door"--and sometimes a bit sycophantish ("an undeservedly blessed fan like myself"). Overall, though, he provides rare, raw and insightful comments from two colorful art personalities. Lennon and Ono as open and naked as on the cover of Two Virgins.

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Starred review from March 1, 2013

Cott (contributing editor, Rolling Stone; Dinner with Lenny: The Last Long Interview with Leonard Bernstein) delivers a raw and intimate portrait of the much-written-about--but still fascinating--Beatle and his wife and muse. Cott weaves expanded, more in-depth versions of his previously published Rolling Stone profiles (which were based on 1968, 1971, and 1980 interviews) into a completely new, unified work, adding a touching 2012 interview with a reflective Ono. The 1968 conversation is the book's highlight, with Lennon laying bare his thoughts on Beatlemania, his bandmates, songwriting techniques and inspirations, and the public's mostly spiteful reaction to his then-new relationship with Ono. Cott is an outstanding interviewer who doesn't let his own obvious reverence and affection for both Lennon and his wife keep him from asking tough questions. The book includes stunning images from Ono's art films and charming photographs of the couple at home and at play. VERDICT Recommended for admirers of Robert Hilburn's Cornflakes with John Lennon, not to mention the legion of Lennon fans who want something more personal than a standard biography.--Doug King, Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia

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