Village Voice reporter and late-night talk show host Howard Smith conducted a series of lengthy interviews with John Lennon and Yoko Ono during the years when The Beatles unraveled and Lennon was engaged in a difficult struggle to obtain a U.S. green card. Skeptical yet open minded, Smith drew them out on their favorite topics, including bed-ins and other media-directed events for peace. Lennon dominated the discussions; he sounded energized, thoughtful and determined. “We’re selling this peace thing like soap,” he said, hoping to reach beyond the usual audience for placard-waving protesters. An eight-disc audio collection of these freewheeling discussions, I’m Not the Beatles is not for the casual fan but includes fascinating bits for the serious collector or pop culture scholar.
