(SNEAK PEEK) Yoko Ono: Give Her a Chance

Right Answers Mostly

This episode explores the life and legacy of Yoko Ono, moving beyond her reputation as the woman who broke up The Beatles. The hosts trace h

Key takeaways

• Yoko Ono was born into extreme wealth in Tokyo, part of the elite Yasuda family lineage.
• Her childhood was marked by isolation and emotional distance from her parents during the turmoil of WWII.

Main topics

• Yoko Ono's early life and family history
• The impact of WWII on her childhood

Notable quotes

Yoko's part has been hidden in the band's formidable shadow and further obscured by flagrant misogyny and racism.

Conclusion

The episode provides a necessary historical correction, inviting liste

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:24) Welcome back to Write Answers Mostly, a podcast on what you didn't learn in history class, but you really wanted to. My name is Tess Valimo. My name is Claire Donald. And you guys, it is the last episode of Back to School Month. We are so excited to be here. We've had fun, I think. No, we have had range. We have had range, and that's what we do. This one's a little bit more of a wild card. I know. I was not expecting you to choose her. I was not either. And sometimes something just comes to you that you're like, I have to fit it into the theme. You're just like, does this make sense? But everything actually will make more sense as the episode goes on in the essence of Ram of women that we should have learned about. Of course. She does fit into a lot of history. We're going to be talking about Yoko Ono, obviously, today. We're going to be talking about... World War II, the Vietnam War, the Beatles, women during this time, conservatism in the United States. Like, it's going to be everything. I can't wait. Also, this is a premium history episode. Yes. So our premium subscribers get the entire thing, which is usually like, you know, we're talking like we have some long episodes. I mean, Maryland was like almost an hour, 45 minutes, our last Maryland episode. Yes. And main feed usually gets about 40 to 60 minutes. We try to get you guys like a big chunk, but premium, super important to our show. It helps us. continue to do this and you know please consider supporting we have a code for you right now a sale yes and also it is just the last episode of every month and we do this so that we can give you so much free content Okay, Claire, so Yoko Ono. What are your thoughts of Yoko Ono before we dive into this woman? It's so, I do think that she's going to be the perfect for him subject because talk about a woman that growing up was presented to society as like a witch. Being like, she ruined everything. Like she was the reason why the Beatles broke up. Like truly witch energy that she came and cast a spell on this man and took him away from his friends. It's so Meghan Markle coded. Oh, wow. There's a lot in here that you're like, we've seen this story time and time again done to women of different generations. It's crazy. And we will continue to. But that's my... Oh, I should have brought my... I think it's called grapefruit. It's Speaker 2 (2:40) a Speaker 1 (2:40) little yellow coffee table. You Speaker 2 (2:41) have Speaker 1 (2:41) grapefruit? I do have grapefruit. Oh, you're cute. So you guys, to cite my sources, I really just had one source. And that would be this book, Yoko, by David Sheff. Speaker 1 (2:53) He was a very close friend of Yoko's. They met while doing a interview together in the 60s with John Lennon. And she was like. I vibe with you. And she literally asked her assistant, which I thought was funny, to look up his chart to make sure that they would vibe. She's a big. Oh, I'm obsessed. She's a big astrological girly. And she was like, yeah, you can come in. And so they met on this interview. And then he got really close to her kids. And he was able to see her throughout many decades of her life. So this is all from a very close friend. It's not her official. like memoir, but like it kind of is. So to start this episode, I would like to read a quote about why the author and her friend wrote this book. Thousands of books and articles have been written about John Lennon and the Beatles, and in most of them, Yoko Ono is a caricature, a curiosity, or even a villain seductress, a manipulating con artist, and a fraud who hypnotized Lennon and broke up the greatest band in history. The Lennon-Beatles saga is one of the greatest stories ever told, but Yoko's part has been hidden in the band's formidable shadow and further obscured by flagrant misogyny and racism. Totally. And Speaker 2 (4:04) I Speaker 1 (4:04) was just like... That's Speaker 2 (4:04) the Speaker 1 (4:04) end of the episode right there. No. And that's it. Like, that's all we need to know. Literally, like, it's the boys being like, these were my best friends. And like, they were already breaking up. Okay. And we're going to talk about it. Speaker 2 (4:14) But Speaker 1 (4:14) of course, we love to paint women in these lights, especially when it's like touching something as special and sacred as the Beatles. And so many details of her life beyond her relationship with John have been deemed unimportant and irrelevant. And that is why we are covering the woman. The artist, the activist, Yoko Ono on RAM today. Let's go. Let's go. So before we get into her and her birth and her sign. We'll talk a little bit about her parents and her family history, which I thought was very interesting. So Yoko was actually born into extraordinary privilege. Really? I didn't know she was a rich girl growing up, but her mother's grandfather had been one of Japan's wealthiest businessmen. People actually called him like the Japanese JP Morgan. Okay. You don't touch the Morgan letters. You don't touch the Yoko Ono letters. Exactly. The Ono letters. Thank you, Claire. Sorry. Well, her family's father was also part of Japan's elite banking class. The money was good. Money. Okay, it probably wasn't the Ono letters because it's her mom's side. I think her mom's side is the Yasuda. Okay. Then the Yasuda estate. So they fell in love. I guess her mom's parents were like, he's like not as rich as us, but like. It's fine. He's cute. You guys seem to be like really in love. So they actually like they didn't get match made. They like really fell in love with each other. She's like a heiress. Totally. Like everyone knew who she was. Like she's like famous. Wow. And he wasn't famous, but he was rich. Like he was still a rich kid. OK. So they get married at this glamorous wedding. It's attended by all of Tokyo's elite. And as a couple, her parents were known to be like super cultured and glamorous, really chic, musical. Her dad was like obsessed with playing the piano and her mom sang, but emotionally like quite distant. Like people were like, damn, they're intimidating. Two years after their wedding, Isuke, which is her father, moved to the United States to actually run the bank in San Francisco. So he's like, I know we're newlyweds, but I got to go. And her mom, Isoko, was like, I am eight months pregnant. Oh. It was like business takes priority. So it wasn't like you're going to come with me. No, she stayed. And also, I think she wanted to stay. Yeah. Well, I mean, I wouldn't want to. I'm about to. Well, yes. And I'm about to have a child. I don't want to have to move to San Francisco right now. Yeah. Like, I think it was like fine. Like their arrangement. And we're going to see this time and time again of them kind of like separating. And it's fine for now. But two and a half weeks later, Yoko was born. And she and her mom lived at her parents at the Yasuda estate. So she is born. in 1933 in Tokyo, Japan. Can you guess her sign? I just like don't know that much about her, but I'm going to say Aquarius. What is this all about? It's all about also like witchy vibes, like especially air signs, but Scorpio too, I would feel like it's a witchy vibe, but like Aquarius, witch. Yeah. Like it's, I was just like, I just chuckled to myself and I said, of course, I think. She is like two men and women. Even if you're not like she broke up the Beatles, you are a little bit almost like intimidated by her because of the witchiness. Totally, totally. Like you're just like, I don't want to get too close. I don't know like what could happen. So yes, on February 18th, 1933, Yoko Ono is born. And she was a very lonely, lonely child who just craved love that she did not receive from literally anyone. And so much of like her story and her pain, of course, it all starts at childhood. When she went to bed at night, her mom would literally like show her a picture of her dad and just be like, here he is. Say goodnight. And she would look at the photo and be like, goodnight. Daddy. It's like, who is this person? What is a dad? Because has he just not been home? No, no. He's just he's in San Francisco. He's working. So, yeah, she's like, what even is a dad? And like, this is supposed to be my dad. Exactly. And on top of that, her mom is just like really emotionally distant. And she's essentially just raised by multiple nannies. And her mom has like some really intense rules with the nannies. Like she tells the nannies if she falls, like don't help her get up. Like and she's like she's like a baby and a toddler. Oh, my God. She's like she needs to learn on like on her own. She should not be coddled. She was born in 1933. And like think about like also like they're in Japan. Yeah. It's just like a very different culture. Yeah. Even with raising kids. She would tell them do not rock her in your arms. I know, like, that's, like, really sad. That's devastating. It is devastating, Claire. And she also was, like, disinfect every seat before she sits down, literally wherever she is. So there was just, like, a level of, like, Speaker 2 (8:48) it Speaker 1 (8:48) was just, like, a little neurotic. Yeah, like, major micromanaging. For sure. And obviously, as a child, Yoko was, like, picking up on this. And she just knew that her mom was more interested in, like, parties, high society, and glamour than raising her, like, from a young age. She was like, oh, you'd rather, truly, it's like Luann. Speaker 2 (9:05) and her Speaker 1 (9:06) children. Can I go to dinner with you tonight? Oh, no, sweetheart. No, sweetheart. It's an opening. Mommy needs to go by herself. Like, look, not to mom shame, but you know, like there is just this level to bring it to Bravo. It's like that kind of vibe where she's like, I know you might love me, but it just, it's not feeling like that right now. In 1935, her dad finally is like, All right. I guess I can meet her. You can come to San Francisco. Sorry. I just have to say, I think we have mentioned Countess Luann in every single episode. Why is she showing up so much for September? I don't know. It has been every single episode. I know. Luann, you want to come on? Especially after we said that about you. Speaker 1 (9:43) She's like, honey, I've heard it all before. No, seriously. She'll have a drink and a cigarette with us and we'll call it a day. Or to her sister. So the dad's like, all right, Yoko's two. You can come to San Francisco and I can meet her, which is crazy. And I guess the moment he met her, he looked at her and he said, let me see your hands. And she held out her hands and he was like, okay, you can actually maybe be a good pianist one day. She was like, oh my God, don't do this to me. Please don't do this to me. Like, I'm literally two. She said that she remembers that she literally thought her hands were shrinking when he touched them. That she was just like, I don't. Oh, God, here we go. Like, this is going to be a long journey of him, like, wanting me to be this, like, certain artist. And she said this about her parents. Quote, my parents were very close to each other, but not with me. My father was very distant. When I was a child and I wanted to see him, I'd have to call his office to make an appointment. And my mother just wanted her own life. She was beautiful. She looked very young. She used to say. you should be happy that your mother looks so young. Oh my God. Once again, it is giving Luann in that scene where she's like, what'd your friend say about me? Like, oh, they thought I was pretty. Like, well, what'd they say? I will say, I don't know that much about Yoko Ono. I have seen like scenes of her in a documentary with John Lennon and her sitting very close to him. And I think that he reciprocates that back. But like, that makes so much sense of like, we are together. She literally had no one. She Speaker 2 (11:08) had Speaker 1 (11:08) no one until she was in her like early 20s was finally when she like literally was even like physically around people and men. And it was just very cold and isolated. And it's about to get worse. Oh, my God. It is about to get worse. So the year is 1937. And her dad sends him back to Japan. He's like, nice to meet you. Get back over there. Japan is in war with China right now. And this year, her baby brother, Kasuke, is born. I didn't realize that Japan was in War with China. Really tough run for Japan. I did not. The next few years. I did not be there. Yes. Like, it is just beginning. Yeah. It is just beginning. She enrolls in a progressive arts preschool focused on composing. Oh, my God. Little Baby Mozart. It's literally like Catherine McPhee and David Foster's. Oh, my God. Child, if you guys have seen this kid play. Every instrument. Especially the drums. To see a three-year-old play drums like that is really shocking. I feel like that is the vibe of this preschool. It's like, that could not have been me. Maybe you, though, because you were at Montessori doing cool shit. I was working with my hands. Yeah, I wasn't doing much. So then in 1939, the dad's bank is actually transferred from San Francisco to New York. So they finally decide, OK, the kids should come, and we should relocate as a family. And this is a tough time for Yoko. These are like some of her first memories with just really intense racism. Oh. Because they are like one of the few, you know, Japanese families in the neighborhood. People threw stones at them. Oh, my God. Her neighbors would always complain about how gross the food that they were cooking smelled. People yelled slurs at Yoko as she walked down the street. And she was like, this was a very dark time and like didn't wasn't fully aware that this was happening. And it doesn't seem like she had her parents to, like, sit her down and be, you know, like, explain what was happening to her. I don't imagine that there were, like, nice family conversations around, like, how to deal with this. So they actually returned to Japan in 1941. This is when Yoko is eight. And she is still just, like, so lonely. And she's playing piano because her parents are like, you should do something that obviously, like. We want this to be your passion. But when you think about it, piano for a kid is lonely. If they're not in sports or the arts, it's just so... She's doing all this by herself. She is just a lone soldier. And she starts surviving by escaping to the good old imagination. Okay. Okay. We've seen this before. Her mind was her most reliable companion. Like disassociating. Totally. And by 1945, America was bombing Tokyo relentlessly. There is no easy transition into this part. There are nightly air raids. And their mom was like, well, fuck, like I need to gather the kids and we need to. They had I think they had a bomb shelter at their estate. Yeah. Just like most rich people did. They had a plan for like worst case scenario. And Yoko remembers listening to the radio in the bomb shelter and would hear kamikaze pilots say, Mommy, I'm going now. I wish you goodbye and I wish you a long life. And she, like, cannot stop thinking about these pilots, like, saying that to their mothers. Like grown men. It's always really hard to hear grown men, like, calling for their moms or something like that, you know, like in really. Oh, my God. And, you know, kamikaze pilots, like, they know exactly what's going to happen to them. She said, quote, it was the most horrific thing I've ever heard, and I'll never forget that. What an incredibly cruel thing to do to any human being. I think that changed my whole idea about war. So she has this from a young age of being like, war is terrible. Why are we doing this? And in March 9th, 1945, wave after wave of bombers set Tokyo absolutely ablaze. Many of her classmates fled to the mountains, but her mom was like, let's go to this local farming village. I think I have an idea of like... where we can go be safer because obviously Tokyo was not an option to stay there. And it was a rural and safer community. And so she's 12, her brother's eight and her sister is three. And they actually buy a small house in this farming village, but the roof wasn't even done. So they had like no protection. And obviously like this is a very different life for Yoko. Like this is, she grew up with such immense privilege. And she immediately takes on the role of an adult. Like she's finding food for her siblings. She's, you know, would beg and barter on the streets, trading her mom's kimonos, jewels and antiques for rice. Oh, my God. And locals were like, oh, must be so hard to be like this little rich girl that all of a sudden has like a fall from grace. So like kids were not kind to her there. And the feeling of being afraid, ill, and starving, truly wasting away, became a recurring theme in Yoko's art that we will see. Because these are like her earliest childhood memories. Like, how scary. And on August 6, 1945, the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. And on August 9, a second bomb was dropped. Obviously, a horrific time in Japan. I mean, killing, I think, more than 200,000 people. People dying from radiation poisoning after an injury. And four months later, her mom is like, OK, I think it's like settled a little bit. We can go back to Tokyo and like. Four months. Oh, my God. They were in this village for four months. I'm just like four months after an atomic bomb. Like, I don't know if it is going to be safe. Yeah, it's I mean, you know, it changed forever. Yeah, it changed forever. Her dad actually, because her dad's been gone this whole time. And her dad's like, I'll come back now. That's crazy to me that you could just like stay in New York while your like wife and children are just like bombs. I mean, like everyone is dying. That's crazy. But she actually remembers she has this like kind of visceral memory of seeing her dad for the first time. greet them and looking at his like fear and vulnerability and she was like oh I finally understood like he was a victim of the war too and like I saw that he suffered just like my mom suffered just like my family's suffering like we were all suffering well it's very mature of her sure is like as a child she kind of like had compassion for him like you know you just see your parent like look really sad