“There were times I was a bit reticent in taking out my camera, like when some ‘old friends’ stopped by to hang out. I didn’t want to intrude on these moments, but John insisted.  He felt that I captured him in ways that no one else did because of his comfort level with me…For years, only my closest friends got to see these photos—which were literally tucked away in a shoebox in my closet.  They were surprised that these images did not convey the John that was portrayed in the press during our time together.  In fact, they saw a side of John seldom seen.”—From INSTAMATIC KARMA

John Lennon is the most famously photographed Beatle—everyone from Iain MacMillian to Annie Lebowitz took iconic images of him—but there have never been pictures of him like these taken by May Pang, Lennon’s girlfriend from 1973 to 1975. In INSTAMATIC KARMA, they’re collected for the first time.  With very few exceptions, these photos are that rare thing: never-before-seen images of an icon.  The photos here show Lennon in a variety of settings: at work, at play, at home, and away. They show a playful Lennon, a casual, unguarded Lennon; they’re the kind of photos one lover takes of another. May has written rich captions to accompany her photos--taken together, they tell a simple story of the time May and Lennon spent together; a time, according to legend, when Lennon was unhappy and unproductive, estranged from his family and bandmates. Pang’s photos clearly tell another story—they show Lennon clowning around, working on his hit album “Walls and Bridges”, embracing oldfriends and family, hanging out in their apartment on Manhattan’s East 52nd Street, relaxing in the country in upstate New York or spending peaceful days swimming in the waters of Long Island.

The photographs in INSTAMATIC KARMA are both color and black & white, casual Polaroids and more composed shots.  Each one is an intimate glimpse into a fascinating time in John Lennon’s life. The book will be released on 4th March 2008

May is nice...fair play to her.

I'm not sure if this belongs here or under the Beatles books thread--

A write-up of some of the contents of May Pang's new book here, complete with photos and interesting anecdotes: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=513300&in_page_id=1879

A good one:

THE FINAL CONTRACT

At the end of 1974, after three years of court battles and acrimony, the final dissolution of The Beatles was about to happen.

The meeting was scheduled for December 19 at New York's Plaza Hotel - ironically, this was the first place the group stayed in America in 1964.

George Harrison was in New York on his Dark Horse tour. Paul and Linda McCartney came in, and of course John and I were already in the city. Only Ringo was missing, but he had signed the documents in England.

Julian was with us for the Christmas holiday and all was calm, all was bright. John was even planning to join George on stage during his concert at Madison Square Garden.

Gathered around a huge table were George, his lawyer and business manager; the McCartneys, with Paul's in-laws and lawyers; Ringo's lawyer and business manager; Neil Aspinall, of Apple, with two sets of company lawyers (one for America and one for Britain); and John's lawyer Harold Seider and his team.

Harold told me that after a while, George said out loud what everyone was thinking: "Where's John?"

"Good question," replied Harold. Harold left the room to call John, who wouldn't come to the phone.

I was with John and it was up to me to tell Harold he had decided not to attend the meeting. Although John was concerned with shouldering a major tax burden because he lived in the United States, I could sense there was a bit more on his mind. His official reason for not showing was 'the stars aren't right'.

George, already in a dour mood because his tour was getting poor reviews, went ballistic. He started yelling at Harold, as did all the other lawyers in the room.

Then George picked up the phone and called John. I answered and asked if he wanted John, but he barked, "No! Just tell him whatever his problem is, I started this tour on my own and I'll end it on my own!" before slamming down the receiver. John was listening over my shoulder.

George's rage didn't last long. Julian went to George's concert the next day and returned home with a message saying: "All's forgiven, George loves you and he wants you to come to his party tonight."

We did go to the party at the Hippopotamus Club, where George, John, and Paul all hugged.

John, Julian and I left New York the following day to spend Christmas in Florida. On December 29, 1974, the voluminous documents were brought down to John in Florida by one of Apple's lawyers.

"Take out your camera," he joked to me. Then he called Harold to go over some final points.

When John hung up the phone, he looked wistfully out the window. I could almost see him replaying the entire Beatles experience in his mind.

He finally picked up his pen and, in the unlikely backdrop of the Polynesian Village Hotel at Disney World, ended the greatest rock 'n' roll band in history by simply scrawling John Lennon at the bottom of the page.



Extracted from Instamatic Karma: Photographs Of John Lennon by May Pang to be published in the United States by St Martin's Press on March 4. A limited signed edition will be available in the UK later this year - for details visit http://www.instamatickarma.co.uk.

Plus a picture from the book here: http://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/b-cc/m-1118648814/s-30/#num33

Thank you Hari for a most interesting read. I love the link with the pics. The one with Paul and John just vegging on the boat somehow made me both happy and sad at the same time ...

I wonder a bit about how much artistic license she takes with her writing. In the passage you excerpted, she seemed to be in two places at once ... hearing George and everyone else in the room yelling at John's lawyer, and also at the other end of the phone with John. Good ears, obviously!

Either way, a great post to read ... thanks again!

Sounds interesting. I'll have to pick it up  

Thanks for moving this to the right thread, Bobber! It does sound like a fun read. I enjoyed her first book very much.

It arrived today. Looks pretty good at first sight. Indeed John doesn't look unhappy at all during this so-called Lost Weekend. He looks relaxed and alright, joking around with friends and relatives. Some interesting pictures taken in the Beach House of Paul and Ringo and even one of them together. I'll try to make good snapshots and post them here if anyone is interested.

Quoted from Bobber

I'll try to make good snapshots and post them here if anyone is interested.

"if anyone is interested", he says casually.

Yes. Yes, I think a person here or there may be interested.

SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

I didn't realize it was out there yet. I must get a copy!

Quoted from Bobber

It arrived today. Looks pretty good at first sight. Indeed John doesn't look unhappy at all during this so-called Lost Weekend. He looks relaxed and alright, joking around with friends and relatives. Some interesting pictures taken in the Beach House of Paul and Ringo and even one of them together. I'll try to make good snapshots and post them here if anyone is interested.

Umm, please sir, may I see one or two if you would sir, please?

Mmm, well alright. I'll see what I can do.

Some snapshots. Not very good quality, but just to give an impression:

Paul at the piano at the beach house:



Paul and Ringo (I thought that Keith Badman wrote that they didn't met at the beach house, but I might be wrong. Obviously they did





John finally signing the papers to end The Beatles:


Julian and Mal Evans in Disneyland:


I haven't read the book itself yet, but judging from the pictures, John gives a relaxed impression, looking for a way to find a new balance in his life with friends and family. One really wonders how Yoko tempted him to come back. You could of course answer 'love', but there are lots of other answers as well...

Quoted chapter 'the dream is over':

"After three years of court battles, public and private arcimony, and millions of dollars, the final dissolution of The Beatles was about to happen. With just a few more kinks to iron out, the dissolution meeting was set to take place at the Plaza Hotel in New York City - ironically, the first place the group stayed in America in 1964 (and just a short walk from our apartment).
It was scheduled for December 19, 1974, when George would be in New York on his Dark Horse tour. Paul and Linda came in, and of course John and I were already here. Julian was with us for the Christmas holidays, and for the moment, all was calm, all was bright. John was even planning to join George on stage at Madison Square Garden.
At the Plaza, George, with his lawyer, David Braun, and business manager, Denis O'Brien; the McCartneys, with Paul's in-laws and lawyers, Lee and John Eastman; Ringo's lawyer, Bruce Grakal, and business manager, Hilary Gerrard; and Neil Aspinall, with two teams of lawyers for Apple (one for the U.S. and one for the U.K.) gathered around a very large table to get all the signatures on te paperwork dissolving the partnership. Ringo wasn't there because he was ducking a subpoena from Allen Klein, but he had already signed the documents back in England. They had him on long distance to confirm he was 'alive'. John's lawyer and advisor, Harold Seider, was there along with his team, David Dolgenos and Michael Graham. Paul and Linda had a camera set up to document the historic occasion.
Harold told me that after a while, George said out loud what everyone was thinking: "Well, where's John?"
"Good question", replied Harold, who was wondering himself.
Harold left the room to call John, who wouldn't get on the phone. I was home with John. It was up to me to tell Harold that John had decided not to go to the meeting at The Plaza. Although John was concerned with shouldering a major tax burden because he lived in the United States, I could sense there was a little bit more on his mind. His official reason for not showing was "the stars aren't right."
George, already in a dour mood because his tour was getting poor reviews and his voice was shot, went ballistic. He started yelling at Harold and blamed him for John not coming. Soon, all the other lawyers erupted at Harold. George then picked up the phone and called John, but got me. I asked if he wanted John, and he barked, "No! Just tell him whatever his problem is, I started this tour on my own and I'll end it on my own!" and slammed the phone down. John was listening over my shoulder. Paul and Linda came by the next day, realizing John was upset with the proposed deal. Paul assured John "we'll work it all out."
George's rage didn't last long. When Julian went to George's concert the next day, Neil Aspinall, John, and I went to talk with Lee Eastman, Linda's father. While there, Julian called with a message from George: "All's forgiven, George loves you and he wants you to come to his party tonight." We did go to the party at Hippopotamus Club, where George, John and Paul hugged. John, Julian, and I left New York the following day to spend Christmas in West Palm Beach, Florida.
On December 29, 1974, the voluminous documents were brought down to John in Florida by one of Apple's lawyers. "Take out your camera, Linda", he joked to me. Then he called Harold Seider to go over some final points.
When John hung up the phone, he looked wistfully out the window. I could almost see him replaying the entire Beatles experience in his mind.
He finally picked up his pen and, in the unlikely backdrop of Disney World, at the Polynesian Village Hotel, officially ended the greatest rock 'n' roll band in history by simply scrawling 'John Lennon' at the bottom of the page.

Cool. It's a shame that May doesn't give any insight into the real question - what was John's state of mind that day? She offers a few teasing glimpses, but is either staying schtum or John kept her at  a greater distance than he did his ex-bandmates.

I was wondering exact the same thing. "Something else on his mind". But what? I read in Cynthia Lennon's book that she was in New York that same day and even joined May, John and Julian to Disneyland. How to deal with his ex-wife might have been on his mind.