Drawing on Lennon's gifts

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ATLANTA - Almost 25 years after his death, John Lennon's spirit continues to hover closely around Yoko Ono.

As she prepared to bring a collection of the slain Beatle's drawings to Atlanta via the Artwork of John Lennon: "When I'm Sixty-Four" last weekend, the 71-year-old legendary artist, musician, feminist and peace advocate consented to an interview.

Miss Ono, who spoke from her Studio One offices in New York, is warm, playful and enthusiastic on an array of topics, including her unexpected 2003 No. 1 Billboard dance club hit, "Walking on Thin Ice," a remix of the song she and Mr. Lennon were finishing on the night of his murder.

Q: It's 11 months overdue but congratulations on the No. 1 record.

A: (giggles) That's very sweet of you. I hope that's just the start, dear. I got a great kick out of it.

Q: You're bringing a collection of John's art, "When I'm Sixty-Four" to Atlanta. Beatles fans can't wait.

A: I'm very excited too. This has been a very, very successful program. I never thought it would be this successful. At the beginning I was very nervous about it all . . . especially since it's about John's work and not myself. I just wanted everything to be right.

Q: Instead of a conventional gallery, you're bringing the show to the Westin Hotel. Was that part of the plan all along, to draw in a less conventional art crowd?

A: Absolutely. With the avant garde artists -- I was one or am one (laughs) -- we always tried to expand the spaces where we would show our things. Places like subways, things like that. And so for me, this is really an extension of that. We were just looking to show the pieces at the right places. When I say the right places, I don't mean the accepted right places. I mean, creating new venues for art to been seen.

Q: What are your favorite pieces in the show?

A: That's a very difficult question. When I set up the program, I went through each drawing and said, "This one is OK, that one is not." The reason I did that is because I really believe the program should be powerful. I had to select the right pieces. I love each one of them.

Q: A lot of people get emotional when they see the "Real Love" series, the drawings John created for and with Sean (the son of Miss Ono and Mr. Lennon).

A: Really, that's how I felt when I started that particular program. It's a very personal one. I was there when John and Sean were there in the kitchen having that dialogue. They would sit at the kitchen table and I'd be making tea or something and just listening to them talk to each other. It was just such a beautiful thing to watch.

Q: There's a lot about family emphasized in the show. I can't help but think back to the interviews you and John gave when "Double Fantasy" was released in the fall of 1980. He shocked a lot of people when he happily discussed his new role as a house husband, looking after Sean and even baking bread while you went off to become the CEO of the family. Twenty-five years later, our culture has changed and we're seeing a lot more men and women following your example.

A: I'm glad you noticed. (laughs). John really wanted to show what he was doing and he wanted to share that experience. Even though the world looked at him as this macho rocker, he felt it was important to make that statement. He wanted to interest people into doing this, especially the men. The world is better for that.

Q: If John were still here, he would be turning 64 this October. Do you ever stop to contemplate what he might be contributing as an artist?

A: Oh, dear, yes. Well, you know, he was such an active person and that would have continued. He would probably be doing the usual stuff that John loved to do. He was very curious about new ideas and new methods of communication. He would have loved and really have gone for the whole Internet and Web site thing.