October 21, 2024

BOOK REVIEW – We All Shine On

We All Shine On

John, Yoko, & Me – Elliot Mintz

I hope you will read this incredible new book by my dear friend and fellow author Elliot Mintz, who has been a wonderful supporter of my Yoko Ono biography.

Here is my review of Elliot’s fascinating memoir…

© Madeline Bocaro

Imagine being the only trustworthy liaison between John & Yoko and the world – for nine years…

Elliot Mintz was swept up in an all-consuming wonderful, strange and challenging adventure with the Lennons, as their “secret friend.” Elliot juggled his lifelong career as a radio broadcaster, PR agent (and close friend to superstars) to faithfully assist the Lennons with undying dedication and discretion – ultimately changing his own destiny.

This is a fascinating memoir from the man who was (and still is) a trusted guardian of the infamous peace-loving icons who tried to change the world, but could not manage their own extremely complex lives.

The heart-wrenching opening chapter recalls an evening in February 1981, two months after the murder of John Lennon. Elliot Mintz is cataloging John’s belongings in the Dakota’s sub-basement (at least the items that had not been stolen). He meticulously trudges through this dismal task, all alone inside the gothic fortress that could not shelter John Lennon from his fate. John’s possessions – suddenly elevated to the status of sacred relics – are eerily and poetically described in detail. Of all the iconic items he mentions, several pair of John’s round eyeglasses are most poignant. Elliot glances through a pair, experiencing John’s “myopic” view of the world. He considers whether or not John’s poor eyesight may have led to his introspective clarity of the universe. And there is the paper bag containing the blood-soaked remains of John’s clothing and possessions from the hospital on the night he was brutally murdered.

The book ends with Mintz describing the harrowing aftermath of John’s death, the fragile state of Yoko, and sharing his own deep thoughts in his sincere voice. The rest of his astounding memoir includes everything in between.

Mintz wonders what his life would have been like without John and Yoko in it (obviously, it would have been much more normal) but he graciously accepts his fate.

As a young broadcaster (originally from New York) Elliot lived in Laurel Canyon near the Sunset Strip, interviewing celebrities – many of them his neighbors – including David Cassidy, Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Frank Zappa, Micky Dolenz of the Monkees and other legends, including Sal Mineo, Mae West and Phil Spector.

During the wild and free decades of the 1960s and 70s in Los Angeles, stars were drawn to Elliot’s deliberate, in-depth and intimate interviewing style, leading many to befriend him along the way.

Mintz suggested a radio phone-in show for teenagers to KPFK (and later KLAC. He chronicles of his successful path in radio from the age of 21, interviewing the more edgy celebrities across several mediums.

The main focus of the memoir is his nine years with John and Yoko (1971 – 1980). He is drawn into their world after arranging a 1971 phone interview with Yoko (for KLOS radio) to discuss her unconventional album, Fly. Yoko is extremely pleased with Elliot’s complete attention to her work, without mention of John or the Beatles. She calls to thank him the next day, and the next. She never stops calling.

An emanating warmth from Yoko magnetically draws Elliot into a whirlwind of wonder, enlightenment and the tedium of incessant, detailed and sometimes absurd or impossible assignments from Yoko (and later, from John). He becomes their umbilical cord to the outside world.

He meets the Lennons in person in the summer of 1972. When Mintz gets fired for playing their Some Time In New York City album in its entirety on air (with its lead-in track featuring the N-word) he accepts John’s invite to “join the circus,” and they hit the road to San Francisco. They discuss philosophy, religion, politics, astrology, conspiracy theories, Paul McCartney, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and other music, books and TV shows. Elliot was also a conduit for John, who was eager to learn more about the celebrities he was interviewing.

John and Yoko’s personalities are revealed in glowing detail – the darker aspects as well. It was not easy being John and Yoko, and it was equally difficult to assist, and to please them. Elliot was constantly taken by surprise. Which role would he be required to play at a particular time? Whose birth date must he secretly obtain for Yoko – to ascertain if it was astrologically safe to interact? What revelations or pearls of wisdom would John or Yoko drop next? Where in the world would they ask him to be tomorrow? When would he ever get a break? How could he manifest their latest Zen riddle? Mintz had to remain alert, open, receptive and covert.

Their gift to him was a completely different and enlightened viewpoint of the world. Mintz portrays John and Yoko as highly evolved, with unlimited energy.

The book beautifully conveys their personalities, their moments of elation and despair, of magic and turmoil – all of which comprised the Lennons’ deep love story.

Elliot has more difficulty explaining the parable of his own relationship to the couple, and how they actually viewed him. At least he was sure of their trust. Most heartbreaking is when Yoko tells Elliot, “Everyone betrays us.”

“The English language contains some 170,000 words, and yet I’ve never come across a single one of them that fully describes the odd contours and strange angles that made up my relationship with John and Yoko.” – Elliot Mintz

1973 brings a west coast television career for Mintz on KABC.

In 1973, the Lennons move into the illustrious Dakota building (described in detail) where he frequently visits them. Then comes even more drama – after John’s first infidelity to Yoko. The Lennons’ 18-month separation (John’s “Lost Weekend” with assistant and temporary lover May Pang in Los Angeles) puts Elliot in the impossible position of trying to keep John safe (while he is drunk, raging and despondent) at the directive of Yoko. Mintz is drained by calls from John in L.A. and from Yoko in New York, as they were both extremely depressed from being apart. John’s stress level from missing Yoko was off the charts. Alcohol fueled the fire. John was still facing deportation in the midst of a suspenseful court case. Elliot is uncomfortably positioned in the middle of an extremely strong couple whose power and mental well-being was now greatly diminished by their separation This chaotic period is detailed with lots of new information.

In 1977, Elliot stands by the reunited couple and their child, Sean, spending blissful time with the Lennon family in New York and in Japan. Sean’s advice to Mintz upon learning that he was writing the book was, “Just tell the truth.” And so, he did – just like John and Yoko always did. It’s baffling that despite being so brutally honest about their lives, they were so greatly misunderstood.

The final chapters cover the devastation of John’s murder and many other frightful horrors that Yoko had to face, with Elliot as her only trusted protector. More than forty years later, he remains faithful to his dearest friend, and to Lennon’s legacy.

– Madeline Bocaro, author

In Your Mind – The Infinite Universe of Yoko Ono