In New Interview, McCartney Says Ono Did Not Break Up the Beatles
By DAVE ITZKOFF

More than 40 years after the breakup up of the Beatles, there remains a category of fans that – rightly or wrongly, sincerely or jokingly – continues to blame Yoko Ono for the dissolution of the group. But in a new interview, Paul McCartney made clear he has let it be, and does not consider Ms. Ono, who is John Lennon’s widow, to be at fault.

Speaking for an hour-long conversation that will be shown on the BBC, Mr. McCartney told the television presenter David Frost that the Beatles were already winding down by the time Lennon became romantically and artistically involved with Ms. Ono.

“She certainly didn’t break the group up,” Mr. McCartney said in remarks quoted by The Guardian. “The group was breaking up.”

Starting in 1968, Lennon and Ms. Ono released several albums together, and were married on March 20, 1969. Within months the Beatles band mates went their separate ways and formally split the band.

But in the interview, Mr. McCartney praised Ms. Ono for introducing Lennon to more experimental and unfamiliar modes of musical expression.

“I don’t think he would have done that without Yoko, so I don’t think you can blame her for anything,” Mr. McCartney said, according to The Guardian. “When Yoko came along, part of her attraction was her avant garde side, her view of things, so she showed him another way to be, which was very attractive to him. So it was time for John to leave, he was definitely going to leave.”

Elsewhere in the conversation with Mr. Frost, The Guardian said, Mr. McCartney criticized Allen Klein, the manager who worked with the Beatles after the death of Brian Epstein. (“I said I wanted to fight Klein,” Mr. McCartney said.) He also discusses the death of his first wife, Linda; his marriage to Nancy Shevell; and the joys of parenthood and grand-parenthood. As Mr. McCartney said in the interview: “Being a father, grandfather, is my coolest thing.”

http://artsbeat.blogs.nyt...c_c=199531

...and I shat a gilded turd today too.

duccichucka said:

...and I shat a gilded turd today too.

it's 2012... people still bitching about Yoko & how she supposedly broke up The Beatles

People need to get over it & give that entire story a damn rest

if people could simply google, they could find out The Beatles where ready to break up since 1968, over many different well.. ''differences''

Gunsnhalen said:

it's 2012... people still bitching about Yoko & how she supposedly broke up The Beatles

People need to get over it & give that entire story a damn rest

if people could simply google, they could find out The Beatles where ready to break up since 1968, over many different well.. ''differences''

I'm still amazed there's still a large group of people who think one person destroyed a group that was already apart.

Timmy84 said:

Gunsnhalen said:

it's 2012... people still bitching about Yoko & how she supposedly broke up The Beatles

People need to get over it & give that entire story a damn rest

if people could simply google, they could find out The Beatles where ready to break up since 1968, over many different well.. ''differences''

I'm still amazed there's still a large group of people who think one person destroyed a group that was already apart.

Bet you money it's the same people who think John Lennon was a saint

I'm happy The Beatles broke up. I think they were all great artists who were being held back by having to share an album. I'm a much bigger fan of their solo careers.

And Paul already said it wasn't Yoko's fault in an interview years ago. I'm not sure why this is making the news now.

[Edited 11/10/12 19:34pm]

Gunsnhalen said:

Timmy84 said:

I'm still amazed there's still a large group of people who think one person destroyed a group that was already apart.

Bet you money it's the same people who think John Lennon was a saint

Good possibility.

And water is wet.

From what I've read John Lennon was an insecure basket case and he ruined the band.

By the time Yoko came into the picture the band was on the verge of breaking up. Her sitting in on sessions by Lennon's insistence didn't help, but it was hardly the cause.

HOLY SHIT! STOP THE PRESSES!! DAVID FROST IS STILL ALIVE?!

It was always the fans blaming Yoko, not the other Beatles, even publicly. This was clarified before John Lennon left the earth.

John: http://www.youtube.com/wa...mp;t=6m44s

Cinny said:

It was always the fans blaming Yoko, not the other Beatles, even publicly. This was clarified before John Lennon left the earth.

It seems to be something that keeps on being brought up like an eyesore or something... my first thought looking at the article was "slow news day?"

Neither Yoko Ono OR any of the other wives/girlfriends of The Beatles were ever the blame for the band breaking up.

Like I said before and I'll saying it once more time, the only once that are at fault for breaking up The Beatles are Lennon McCartney. Period. Point Blank. End of story.

Timmy84 said:

Gunsnhalen said:

it's 2012... people still bitching about Yoko & how she supposedly broke up The Beatles

People need to get over it & give that entire story a damn rest

if people could simply google, they could find out The Beatles where ready to break up since 1968, over many different well.. ''differences''

I'm still amazed there's still a large group of people who think one person destroyed a group that was already apart.

Some fans and even some critics blame Yoko out of pure borderline racism.

Yes, I said it! There were some people that were already piss about John leaving Cynthia (a white woman) for Yoko (an Asian woman). So these people figured if Yoko is guilty for being a homewreaker (despite that it takes two, John AND Yoko, to commit adultery!), then why not find Yoko guilty for being a band wreaker too?

And lets not forget that Yoko had to endured a few racial slurs that were said about her back then such as being called "dragon lady", "Jap" and so forth.

TonyVanDam said:

Timmy84 said:

I'm still amazed there's still a large group of people who think one person destroyed a group that was already apart.

Some fans and even some critics blame Yoko out of pure borderline racism.

Yes, I said it! There were some people that were already piss about John leaving Cynthia (a white woman) for Yoko (an Asian woman). So these people figured if Yoko is guilty for being a homewreaker (despite that it takes two, John AND Yoko, to commit adultery!), then why not find Yoko guilty for being a band wreaker too?

And lets not forget that Yoko had to endured a few racial slurs that were said about her back then such as being called "dragon lady", "Jap" and so forth.

I always believed that...

TonyVanDam said:

Neither Yoko Ono OR any of the other wives/girlfriends of The Beatles were ever the blame for the band breaking up.

Like I said before and I'll saying it once more time, the only once that are at fault for breaking up The Beatles are Lennon McCartney. Period. Point Blank. End of story.

George was ready to jump ship. John kept him in and Paul apologized for talking down to him, but he was writing songs and enjoying life outside The Beatles to make it worth his while, but those other interests were a factor in the marriage ending.

Yoko made things uncomfortable but she became someone John started playing songs off of instead of Paul. There's a few Beatles songs she should've gotten credit for but never felt the need to put her name on "Revolution 9" or "Because", even though she has every right to it, and of course "Imagine" came out of a poem she wrote.

It probably started when Epstein died, but India did more to divide than unite. Magic Alex's presence was becoming more and more unwelcome, and factored in as much as anything Yoko could've possibly done. Eventually John kicked him to the curb.

Klein vs Eastman and Paul doing things behind John's back, but the actual breakup happened in a hotel room in Orlando in 1974. That's where he really put the idea of Beatle reunions behind him.

If Yoko had been a nice, quiet white girl they would have blamed the breakup on Linda.