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Dewey Decimal Number: 782.42166092 EAN: 9780312377410 Format: Illustrated ISBN: 031237741X Label: St. Martin's Press Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 160 Publication Date: March 04, 2008 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Release Date: March 04, 2008 Studio: St. Martin's Press Editorial Review: Product Description: “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 old friends 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. Related Items:      see moreAverage Rating:
 Rating:  - Leaves You Wanting MoreIt is hard to pick up a book about John Lennon these days without coming across the words "icon" or "iconic." So for die-hard Lennon fans, this book does not disappoint. The book consists of 138 pages of text and photos, chronicling was has become known as his "lost weekend" with May Pang--the employee designated by Yoko Ono to "date" John when they were on the outs. But this weekend was not a weekend at all, but an 18-month relationship that quickly became a love affair from 1973 to 1975. May was the yin to Yoko's yang (forgive the alliteration), and she created a safe harbor for him to escape his high-profile and sometimes destructive lifestyle and to reconnect with his son Julian and old friends. John and May took informal snaps of each other and of those in their world during this period, both in color & black and white, most taken with either a Polaroid or Instamatic camera. Unfortunately some of the shots, quite frankly, are a bit substandard to publish. They are the kind that we all take of our significant others without much regard to setting or composition or even focus, and then we throw them in a shoebox just as May did and forget about them. These only got into print because John was who he was. But there are others in this collection, many never seen before, that help to burnish or enlarge his image. He could be youthfully handsome or playful or cynical or contemplative, and those shots act as a Rorschach for those of us still wanting to understand who the "real" John Lennon was. He was comfortable enough with May to let his unguarded side show, and for that we should all be grateful for this visual history. A very touching element was the tribute from Cynthia and Julian Lennon on the book's back cover, lauding May for her openness and compassion towards them for which they say they will always be "her greatest champions." There was both a public Lennon and a private one, and this book is an interesting insider's peek at the latter. Rating:  - Instamatic KarmaVery insightful book. Lots of never before seen photo's with written captions about each by May Pang. Very well worth your while if you are a Lennon fan or rock 'n' roll fan. Rating: - A nice bookThis is a nice coffee table type book that takes a look at that time period of her life with John Lennon. But if you really want to know what went on, read her book Loving John, a roller coaster of a book that in the end is sad and tragic, but worth reading. Rating: - What might have been?I am not a huge Lennon fan but I did at one time like John quite a bit--I admit my feelings for him changed somewhat when he became involved with Yoko. I am not here to debate whether they had the perfect love--that's not for me to say--but I was very moved by this book...obviously his feelings for May ran much deeper than a "lost weekend". John seemed so happy here not like the angry LENNON REMEMBERS John or the defensive John that sometimes surfaced in the late 1970's and the early part of 1980. The last page of this book made my heart hurt. John was planning surprise Paul in New Orleans and to record with him again and then..what? He and May broke up obviously and within a year or two John was (by his own admission)telling Paul to not drop by without calling first (which was John's perogative). May has several anecdotes in this book that show John and Paul getting along quite well...and his friendships with George, Ringo, Mal, and Harry are also well documented. It was obviously a happy time in John's life and not the lapse that it has sometimes been labeled. I would be interested now to read other May Pang books. I recall how she was criticized for writing LOVING JOHN and wonder why, if it was as sweet as this book (which it may not have been), people were so critical of it. Rating:  - Lennon AAA+++This is a wonderful Book with Great Pictures of John and the stories behind them! May Pang period of Johns life away from Yoko, well for a little while anyway. Highly recommended! |
