Days That I'll Remember

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 26 NOV. 2012

A contributing editor to Rolling Stone since its inception, Jonathan Cott (Conversations with Glenn Gould, Dylan, Forever Young, etc.) met myriad musicians, but few if any made as deep an impression on him as John Lennon. An unabashed lover of the Beatles, Cott, in September 1968, not only got a private audience with Lennon, he tagged along to one of the recording sessions for what would become the Beatles' White Album. Cott recounts his many conversations, both on and off the record, with Lennon. Cott's many discussions and interviews (including one conducted just three days before Lennon's assassination, reproduced here in its entirety) reveal the two rhapsodically rapping about the meaning of "Strawberry Fields," dealing with fame, Yoko's alleged role in the breakup of the Beatles ("I think that each of the Beatles was too strong and tough an individual to have been influenced by me in any way" is her response), and the impact of psychologist Arthur Janov's primal therapy treatment on the duo's relationship and work together. What emerges is a picture of a warm, considerate artist who was generous with both his time and talents, who continued to gravitate toward work that resonated with him and his partner, rather than his bank account or even the public at large. Cott does a solid job of creating intimacy between Lennon and the reader, something fans of the much-missed musician will likely relish.