Note: ‘There are several errors in the Portuguese to English review of my interview. I did two others with Brazilian publications as well….and much appreciate the warm reaction to my book.’
VEJA MAGAZINE
John, Yoko, and Me: Revelations from a Friend of Rock’s Most Famous Couple
Veja – Blogs – April 11, 2025
An American radio host shares in a new book how he became a friend and confidant of the duo that left its mark on music
In 1971, at the age of 26, American radio host Elliot Mintz listened to Fly, the newly released album by Yoko Ono. Surprised by the artist’s trippy, experimental sound—she was 38 at the time—he became interested in interviewing her live on his show. Yoko agreed, and during the forty minutes they were on the air, they spoke, of course, about her career: “An artist doesn’t need talent, they just need a certain way of thinking,” she mused. They also touched on trivial topics, like a dog wagging its tail, and more serious ones, like world peace. The only subject not mentioned was John Lennon, the ex-Beatle and Yoko’s husband. As Mintz now admits, it wasn’t a particularly memorable interview—neither because of Yoko’s music nor the conversation. But it opened doors—major ones.
The next day, Yoko called the radio host to thank him for the chat and for not asking about Lennon. “Interviewers never want to talk to me, only to John,” she lamented—and they chatted about everyday things for another forty minutes. The following day, she called again at 5 a.m. just to talk about a book she’d just finished reading. This pattern repeated daily, until a few weeks later, her famous husband got on the line himself. He wanted to ask about certain experimental weight-loss injections that were popular at the time—one of Lennon’s obsessions. From the start, the couple showed great empathy toward Mintz—a bond that lasted until Lennon’s death in 1980, and one the radio host still maintains with Yoko, now 92.
The discreet Mintz kept the details of this long friendship secret for decades, until finally bringing to light what he saw and lived with the couple in his compelling book John, Yoko, and Me. In it, Mintz describes absolutely incredible moments with the two—a relationship that became so central to his life that he installed a dedicated phone line in his house just for Yoko and John. The idea for the book was encouraged by the couple’s son, Sean, now 49—whom Mintz only didn’t become godfather to because Lennon preferred to ask Elton John, “since he’d give more expensive Christmas presents.” With the family’s blessing, Mintz, now 80, felt comfortable sharing the private moments he experienced with them, offering a rare glimpse into the ex-Beatle’s personal life. “One of the palest human beings I’ve ever seen,” is how he describes his first impression of Lennon, whom he first saw in a swimsuit at a ranch pool in California, where the couple had secluded themselves to detox from methadone and heroin.
In an interview with Veja (read interview), Mintz says he still doesn’t know why he earned the couple’s trust. “I could have gotten married, had children, or made more conventional friends—friends who didn’t keep extraordinary secrets,” he says. Maybe that’s exactly why they trusted him: Mintz was always available. “I was alone, patient, a good listener, and I kept my mouth shut. The things we talked about weren’t going to show up in the paper the next day. And so what if they called in the middle of the night and woke me up?” he adds.
Most of the extraordinary confidences he witnessed took place at the Dakota building in New York—where Lennon was assassinated in 1980. In one instance, during a melancholy Christmas lunch with Paul McCartney, he caught a priceless exchange for any Beatles fan. Lennon said he no longer thought about music and wanted to dedicate himself to his son, Sean—to which Paul responded that he couldn’t imagine life without music. “That night, I couldn’t help thinking it could have been a historic day if Lennon had picked up the guitar—right there—and started writing with his friend,” says the author. Mintz also reveals another lesser-known side of Lennon: the ex-Beatle confessed to being afraid of being arrested and deported from the U.S. due to his activism against the Vietnam War in the 1970s.
The friendship endured even when Lennon briefly separated from Yoko during his “lost weekend” in Los Angeles, a period when he plunged into drugs with his assistant, May Pang. Mintz played matchmaker in their reconciliation and even witnessed arguments in the studio with controversial producer Phil Spector. After Lennon’s murder, Mintz took on a new role in the family. At Yoko’s request, he became the executor of Lennon’s memorabilia. It was his job, for instance, to collect from the hospital the blood-stained clothes and glasses the musician was wearing when he died.
That diligent archival work led to memorable musical discoveries. After listening to hundreds of cassette tapes, he found the unreleased Free as a Bird, written by Lennon. Fifteen years later, it would be released as the final Beatles song (until 2023, when Now and Then was recovered with the help of artificial intelligence). “It’s a good song,” says the radio host. More than fifty years after that first interview with Yoko, Mintz proves that the rock-and-roll couple’s life wasn’t just about peace and love—they also deeply valued friendship.
“Yoko Is Not Understood”
American Elliot Mintz, 80, spoke to Veja about his long friendship with John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
What were Lennon and Yoko like in private?
They were a funny and incredibly witty couple. Sometimes melancholic. He was a better speaker than listener. Yoko was more poetic, optimistic, and dreamy. She’s the inspiration behind Imagine. She doesn’t watch TV and constantly reads books.
You handled the inventory of Lennon’s memorabilia. Is there anything unreleased left?
I listened to hundreds of cassette tapes from Lennon. There are moments of him talking to his son Sean or describing a dream. There are snippets of him composing Strawberry Fields Forever, for example. On one tape, there was a version of Free as a Bird, which at the time hadn’t been released. I gave it to Yoko, and the song was released years later. If there’s anything else unreleased, I haven’t seen it.
What was Yoko’s importance to Lennon?
She’s probably the most misunderstood person in contemporary history. There’s still a generation of people who believe she broke up the Beatles. Yoko was John’s muse and his intellectual partner.
Published in VEJA, April 11, 2025, issue no. 2939
VEJA MAGAZINE 1
The Rare, Ancient Egyptian Artifact John Lennon Kept in His Living Room
Veja – Blogs – April 14, 2025
In a new book, Lennon and Yoko Ono’s closest friend recalls his surprise upon visiting the couple’s apartment for the first time
In 1973, John Lennon and Yoko Ono purchased apartment 72 in the iconic Dakota Building in New York City. The main room of the residence was decorated by Yoko Ono, who followed the minimalist shibui style of Japanese culture. The entire space was white and was named the White Room. There, the historic white Steinway grand piano that Lennon played in the Imagine video was installed. But one object, in particular, stood out to the rare few who had the chance to visit the 450-square-meter apartment in the heart of the city.
Beyond the stunning view of Central Park, the White Room contained, according to American radio host Elliot Mintz—one of the couple’s closest friends—a transparent acrylic case atop a white pedestal, about 1.5 meters long. The object inside, the only item highlighted in the minimalist décor, was none other than a 3,000-year-old sarcophagus.
“John and Yoko acquired the last mummy that was allowed to leave Egypt before the government banned the export of national antiquities,” Mintz writes in his book John, Yoko, and Me (Sextante Publishing).
According to Mintz, he once suggested the couple put the object through an X-ray scan to see what might be inside—perhaps it was filled with jewels and gold. Yoko declined, casually responding that the most valuable thing about it was the mummy’s magic, not its possessions.
It’s worth noting that Yoko Ono is currently one of the owners of one of the most valuable private art collections in the world. Among the works are eight Magrittes—including one coveted by the French government—several pieces by Léger, a Tamara de Lempicka, and prints of both Lennon and Yoko created by Andy Warhol.
VEJA MAGAZINE 2
The Bootleg Album That Captured John Lennon Offering Cocaine to Stevie Wonder
Veja – Blogs – April 18, 2025
In 1974, a bootleg album recorded an unexpected encounter between John Lennon and Paul McCartney in a Los Angeles studio
In 1974, John Lennon was going through one of the darkest periods of his life—abusing drugs and alcohol in Los Angeles after separating from Yoko Ono and moving in with his assistant May Pang. During this period, known as the Lost Weekend, the ex-Beatle became friends with singer Harry Nilsson and agreed to take part in the recording of the album Pussy Cats. One night, on March 28, 1974, during a session in Burbank, Paul McCartney and Linda showed up at the studio, accompanied by Stevie Wonder.
American radio host Elliot Mintz—one of John and Yoko’s closest friends—recounts the meeting in his book John, Yoko, and Me (Sextante Publishing). According to Mintz, it was the first time the famous songwriting duo had seen each other in three years, following months of trading public barbs. “John and Paul seemed to pick up their friendship as if they were teenagers again, hopping out of the van to play another show,” Mintz writes. “When John told me about it later, I asked how it felt to play with his old partner. He gave a somewhat indifferent reply: ‘Everyone was watching us, thinking something huge was about to happen. For me, I was just playing with Paul.’”
As if the reunion itself weren’t fascinating enough, Lennon and McCartney recorded a few tracks that night—later released on a bootleg album titled A Toot and a Snore in ’74. What could have been the start of a Beatles reunion ended up as a bittersweet disappointment. The result was a handful of poorly played, unimpressive songs. In one of them, you can clearly hear Lennon offering Stevie Wonder a line of cocaine.
According to Mintz, what Lennon didn’t know was that this surprise encounter had an ulterior motive: convincing him to get back together with Yoko Ono. “A few days earlier, Yoko had called me to explain the plan behind it all,” he writes. “Yoko told me she had spoken to Paul, who offered to talk to John.”
Alongside McCartney, Linda, Wonder, and Nilsson, the jam session also included Jesse Ed Davis, May Pang, Mal Evans, Bobby Keys, and producer Ed Freeman. Lennon’s voice offering cocaine to Stevie Wonder can be heard in the first track of the album: “You want a line, Stevie? A toot? It’s happening,” says Lennon. On the fifth track, his voice is heard again, this time asking for a line himself. Lennon sings and plays guitar, while McCartney plays harmonica and drums—on Ringo Starr’s drum kit. Starr, who also contributed to Nilsson’s album, was not at the session that day. The next day, he complained that McCartney always messed with his equipment. Stevie Wonder sings and plays keyboard, Linda plays organ, and May Pang plays tambourine. Nilsson also sings.
This was the only recorded time that Lennon and McCartney played together after the Beatles broke up in 1970, apart from informal or private gatherings.
