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Post by stavros on Aug 28, 2015 14:27:27 GMT -5
Now I'm sure you are all familiar with that line from the song "Nobody Told Me" You all probably know of the line “...like a UFO you came to me” from “Mind Games” track “Out of the Blue”. Does anyone remember John Lennon's actual UFO sighting story that inspired the line in Nobody Told Me? Above John's sketch of the UFO he saw over New YorkOn 23rd August 1974, whilst still estranged from Yoko, but now living back in New York with May Pang, John Lennon witnessed something very strange. Having recently recorded songs for the “Walls & Bridges” album on a warm summer evening around 9pm he was relaxing. “We had the window open and lo and behold there was this thing just hovering, sort of, a hundred yards away”, Lennon told a local radio station. He claims it was so close that he could have hit it with a brick if he’d thrown one at it. Lennon described the object as having flashing lights around the bottom of it and a red light on the top of it. He continues “…there was no noise and I could hear the freeway down below”. John first thought it was a balloon as the lack of sound ruled out a helicopter. But the strange lights and way it hovered meant it was something he couldn’t explain. It hovered for a further 5 minutes or so and then disappeared as it flew off over the river. May Pang backs up this story and the couple also rang local police and a newspaper to report the sighting. Only to be told other people had seen the UFO too. Pang claims Lennon even subscribed to a UFO magazine and had a keen interest in the subject. In the liner notes to the “Walls and Bridges” album there is a sentence hidden away in a corner which states “On the 23rd Aug. 1974 at 9 o’clock I saw a U.F.O.” And here is a rare video of John discussing the sighting. Something I have never seen until now.
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Post by Panther on Aug 29, 2015 6:23:14 GMT -5
It's a great John moment, isn't it? If it had happened in 1967, we could chalk it up to the drugs, but in August 1974 I think John was healthy and happy. And more-or-less sober. And there were other eye-witnesses.
It might have been Yoko in a small aircraft, spying on John and May...?
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Post by stavros on Aug 29, 2015 12:47:42 GMT -5
It's a moment of Beatles trivia that I didn't know and John seemed very serious explaining the UFO he saw.
I don't think it's worth debating what it actually was but it appears others saw something too.
Yes a nice little story that most books never cover.
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Post by John S. Damm on Aug 29, 2015 13:49:14 GMT -5
Those were neat videos Stavros, especially the film showing John on the roof! Yes, John is as sincere and articulate about this incident as can be. There is no doubt that he saw something that night! I laughed at Panther's suggestion that it was Yoko spying on John and May. Or it was Ringo wanting to mess with John and that was the promotional flying saucer for Goodnight Vienna operated by a large overhanging crane. On darker notes it could have been the U.S. Government engaged in early stealth technology spying on John or Paul found and re-hired Magic Alex to build a weapon transported on a flying saucer to do mind control on John and help Paul re-claim all of John-penned Beatles songs!
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Post by stavros on Aug 29, 2015 16:31:00 GMT -5
Those were neat videos Stavros, especially the film showing John on the roof! Yes, John is as sincere and articulate about this incident as can be. There is no doubt that he saw something that night! I laughed at Panther's suggestion that it was Yoko spying on John and May. Or it was Ringo wanting to mess with John and that was the promotional flying saucer for Goodnight Vienna operated by a large overhanging crane. On darker notes it could have been the U.S. Government engaged in early stealth technology spying on John or Paul found and re-hired Magic Alex to build a weapon transported on a flying saucer to do mind control on John and help Paul re-claim all of John-penned Beatles songs! Ha! I know people often used to make fun of those who saw UFOs and believed in aliens. With all these new planets they keep finding I think attitudes are a bit different these days. But this was back in the 70s(I think this was even before Close Encounters of the Third Kind came out - the sighting was before it, but I am not sure about the interview). So I am proud of John for being a really open minded guy and talking about it. Not only that "Nobody Told Me" although never completely finished, is a great song. "Out of the Blue" a hidden gem and "Across the Universe" (which doesn't mention UFOs but is very cosmic) is an all time classic.
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Post by John S. Damm on Aug 29, 2015 18:32:48 GMT -5
I agree. It would be very arrogant to say that we here on Earth are the only intelligent life in an infinite universe.
John is articulate but calm about his sighting, I am glad he didn't engage in any hippy-dippy talk about peaceful, loving aliens. We know that when they come they are going to blast us so they can have Earth.
I wonder what the U.F.O. reference in "Out The Blue" is about? I always thought that was a throw-away line in that song, kind of silly. I can't remember if there were any big cultural UFO references in 1973 when that song was released. There was that really bad movie "Chariots Of The Gods" but "Close Encounters" and ET all came later.
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Post by stavros on Aug 30, 2015 14:51:33 GMT -5
I agree. It would be very arrogant to say that we here on Earth are the only intelligent life in an infinite universe. John is articulate but calm about his sighting, I am glad he didn't engage in any hippy-dippy talk about peaceful, loving aliens. We know that when they come they are going to blast us so they can have Earth. I wonder what the U.F.O. reference in "Out The Blue" is about? I always thought that was a throw-away line in that song, kind of silly. I can't remember if there were any big cultural UFO references in 1973 when that song was released. There was that really bad movie "Chariots Of The Gods" but "Close Encounters" and ET all came later. Apparently 1973 was a year when there were a lot of UFO sightings, especially during autumn/fall. So I can't say for sure but maybe this was what piqued John's interest in the topic and he threw that line in whilst recording for Mind Games was under way?
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Post by Panther on Aug 31, 2015 8:31:57 GMT -5
We know that when they come they are going to blast us so they can have Earth. It's good to share the forum with such an optimist...
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Post by John S. Damm on Aug 31, 2015 9:39:52 GMT -5
We know that when they come they are going to blast us so they can have Earth. It's good to share the forum with such an optimist... When they come, I will be right there behind you Panther! Maybe I need to listen more carefully to Paul's last single "Hope For The Future!"
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Post by Panther on Aug 31, 2015 19:37:23 GMT -5
Or "Hope of Deliverance"...
But Paul is getting to the age where "Hope of a Bowel-movement" might be a more accurate lyric.
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Post by vectisfabber on Sept 1, 2015 3:23:32 GMT -5
I still remain puzzled as to why, if aliens hang around so much, they continue to make appearances where their craft are seen my a handful of people in odd or obscure circumstances. Why don't they just land in Central Park and say "Hi!"?
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lowbasso
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Post by lowbasso on Sept 1, 2015 10:49:09 GMT -5
I still remain puzzled as to why, if aliens hang around so much, they continue to make appearances where their craft are seen my a handful of people in odd or obscure circumstances. Why don't they just land in Central Park and say "Hi!"? They did, in the movie; "The Day The Earth Stood Still." Look how the US military reacted in that movie version. If I were an alien and saw that movie, I'd think twice about it. If I saw how any military in any country reacts to the unknown, in reality, I'd pass on announcing my arrival..... We are are very schizophrenic society on this planet. I'd stay clear of us if I were passing by this neighborhood....
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markc
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Post by markc on Sept 1, 2015 11:25:37 GMT -5
Usually the less advanced civilization suffers in contacts with the more advanced, ie Cortez/Aztecs. There are certain exceptions, viz Capt. Cook/Hawaiians.
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Post by John S. Damm on Sept 1, 2015 16:01:34 GMT -5
Usually the less advanced civilization suffers in contacts with the more advanced, ie Cortez/Aztecs. There are certain exceptions, viz Capt. Cook/Hawaiians. We are really in trouble then! I am very glad that John Lennon kept his UFO references in "Nobody Told Me" and "Out The Blue" fairly straightforward. Thank God John didn't write a UFO song like Styx's "Come Sail Away" or Billy Thorpe's "Children Of The Sun!" Yuck!
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markc
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Post by markc on Sept 1, 2015 20:21:44 GMT -5
The aliens were probably in NYC just to get a look at John and say "hey man, when are the Beatles getting back together?"
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Post by markc on Sept 1, 2015 20:23:52 GMT -5
I am also concerned about his reports of nazis in bathroom, just below the stairs.
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Post by John S. Damm on Sept 2, 2015 10:16:45 GMT -5
I am also concerned about his reports of nazis in bathroom, just below the stairs. Excellent point! I never understood what that was about? Is that a reference to a WW II era slogan like, "Loose lips sink ships?" In England the Allies did a mighty job of keeping the exact D-Day French landings secret until it was too late for the Jerries. I always wondered if there was a saying in England to the effect, "Don't talk, there's Nazis all around us" or some play on that and that is what John was referring too, something he may have heard as a kid. On some lyrics meaning website, some fan says it refers to the May 16, 1981 bombing at Pan Am in NYC! Only if John got on that UFO and went back to the future!
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markc
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Post by markc on Sept 2, 2015 11:21:06 GMT -5
Could be. John and George and Keith all seemed to enjoy saying they were born during the blitz. Keith likes to say that "Hitler tried dropping a bomb on my ass".
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Post by stavros on Sept 2, 2015 14:48:50 GMT -5
I am also concerned about his reports of nazis in bathroom, just below the stairs. For years (and I mean until I heard the Lennon Anthology) I had always assumed John was singing "There's matches in the bathroom.... It made perfect sense to me as it's an old trick to help eradicate nasty smells. Ehhherrrm. It's clearly "Nazis" on the Anthology version. But I never bothered checking the lyrics out until I heard it in the late 1990s.
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Post by debjorgo on Sept 2, 2015 17:55:30 GMT -5
I always thought it referred to the FBI men eaves-dropping on him, comparing that to the occupation.
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markc
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Post by markc on Sept 2, 2015 18:11:16 GMT -5
Ah, good point.
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Post by Panther on Sept 3, 2015 8:13:27 GMT -5
For years (and I mean until I heard the Lennon Anthology) I had always assumed John was singing "There's matches in the bathroom.... That's what I've always thought he was singing, too... It's really "nazis"??
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Post by debjorgo on Sept 3, 2015 17:53:55 GMT -5
I've always heard it as Nazis.
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Post by stavros on Sept 4, 2015 17:01:17 GMT -5
For years (and I mean until I heard the Lennon Anthology) I had always assumed John was singing "There's matches in the bathroom.... That's what I've always thought he was singing, too... It's really "nazis"?? Yes John really is singing "Nazis". It never occurred to me until I heard the clearer lyric in the Lennon Anthology version. If you mess around with a graphic equalizer or music software you can also hear it clearly on the original M&H (or other compilation) CDs. (I had to check!) As to what he meant well - there are various theories from his dislike of various bathroom cleansing product commercials on TV, to his being monitored by the "3 letter agencies" that Nixon instigated. What seems as a very throwaway line or two in a song can lead to talk of deep conspiracies LOL!
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Post by debjorgo on Sept 4, 2015 18:08:58 GMT -5
Milk and Honey may have been one of the last LPs I bought. I've never used any equalizers and I've never heard anything but "Nazis". I can't hear "matches" if I try.
It's funny, no one believed John when he said he was being bugged but it turned out to be true.
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Post by Panther on Sept 8, 2015 10:07:34 GMT -5
Milk and Honey may have been one of the last LPs I bought. I've never used any equalizers and I've never heard anything but "Nazis". I can't hear "matches" if I try. It's funny, no one believed John when he said he was being bugged but it turned out to be true. Are you suggesting there were actual Nazis under John's stairs in the Dakota? That is fairly unlikely...
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Post by debjorgo on Sept 8, 2015 18:19:16 GMT -5
Milk and Honey may have been one of the last LPs I bought. I've never used any equalizers and I've never heard anything but "Nazis". I can't hear "matches" if I try. It's funny, no one believed John when he said he was being bugged but it turned out to be true. Are you suggesting there were actual Nazis under John's stairs in the Dakota? That is fairly unlikely... It depends on what you mean by the word "actual". If you use "Nazi" to describe someone with Nazi-ish traits, you may see them hiding around here and there. John grew up with war damaged buildings all around Liverpool. Most likely they were the boogieman to him. And these guys lurking around were wearing jack boots. (another ).
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Post by nine on Sept 8, 2015 20:17:41 GMT -5
I still remain puzzled as to why, if aliens hang around so much, they continue to make appearances where their craft are seen my a handful of people in odd or obscure circumstances. Why don't they just land in Central Park and say "Hi!"? They did, in the movie; "The Day The Earth Stood Still." Look how the US military reacted in that movie version. If I were an alien and saw that movie, I'd think twice about it. If I saw how any military in any country reacts to the unknown, in reality, I'd pass on announcing my arrival..... We are are very schizophrenic society on this planet. I'd stay clear of us if I were passing by this neighborhood.... ‘There’s a horror movie called Alien?!’ bridled The Doctor to Clara Oswald. ‘That’s really offensive. No wonder everyone keeps invading you !’
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Post by winstonoboogie on Sept 12, 2015 19:56:21 GMT -5
I always heard it as "matches" too!
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Post by stavros on Sept 13, 2015 16:25:16 GMT -5
I always heard it as "matches" too! Yep for about 15 years I thought it was "matches" as well. Even though the song's refrain is about "Strange Days Indeed". But as debjorgo has already pointed out Nixon and the secret services were really spying on John and Yoko and considered them "radical agitators". Nixon wanted them both deported. Unfortunately Nixon's own twisted sense of morality (or lack of it)ruined him and John eventually got his green card. There is a whole website dedicated to FOIA files that have been subsequently released : www.lennonfbifiles.com/You know if John had have been deported back to Britain, against his wishes, then ironically, he might still be alive today to tell the whole story about it. But the radical period of John's life in New York is often glossed over and ignored because it doesn't paint anyone in good light. Especially the, then, President of America.
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