The Last Days of John Lennon: A Personal Memoir

By Frederic Seaman

Book Overview

Frederic Seaman was John Lennon's personal assistant, driver and companion from 1979 until his death. Here is his revealing memoir of Lennon, including Lennon's virtual imprisonment in his apartment... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1559720840
• ISBN13: 9781559720847
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: Birch Lane Press
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.0" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

An Incisive look at the REAL John Lennon

This is an exellently-written book. Without chewing on it, Fred Seaman gives us a very insightful first-hand look at the inner psychology of JOhn Lennon. If you're interested in who John Lennon REALLY was -- as opposed to the air-brushed image of Saint John the Bringer-of-Peace-and-Love-to-Humanity that Yoko Ono has been foisting on the public for the last 25 years -- then you should check out this book. Its no wonder Yoko took him to court. Great job, Fred. And hey, don't feel too bad about the recent public humiliation you experienced in the New York court room at the hands of Yoko's million-dollar lawyers. You saw first hand all the public glory heaped on John and Yoko's heads, and look what happened to THEM. Maybe in the long-run, public shame is preferable. (www.geocities.com/acebackwords2002)

My favorite

This is by far one of my favorite Lennon books...(I have read every one!!!) Fred really brought to light the last years of Johns life and his relationship with Yoko...I know most fans don't believe but if you read all the biographies most all ring the same tune.Fred recently lost a court case with Yoko Ono ...he was convicted of stealing and planning to write a book from the very beginning of his employment. I am glad he had the nerve to stand up to Yoko...Go Fred...wish you could write more.The books was well wrtten in great humor and you could feel Fred really did love Lennon.

I'm just sitting here doing time...

On the surface, this looks like the worst kind of exploitative trash - sordid revelations about a dead rock star by a former assistant convicted of stealing his journals after his death. The inside cover of my paperback copy promises "shocking tidbits" about Yoko's affair with an art dealer and "John and Yoko's colossal shopping sprees." To top it off, Seaman kicks off the book by expressing special thanks to Albert Goldman, "a courageous and uncompromising journalist." But anyone who expects another grubby attempt to dig up the dirt on Lennon will be pleasantly surprised (or disappointed): this is a sober and readable account of the last eighteen months of the ex-Beatle's life. Even Lennon's official biographer, Ray Coleman, who dismissed all the other 'controversial' books (by Goldman, May Pang, John Green, et al) as rubbish, admitted this one had merit, even if Fred does commit the mortal sin of painting Yoko Ono in a less than beatific light. Indeed, John and Yoko's endless hyping of their mythical perfect relationship is revealed to be a front for a depressingly un-romantic situation: John needs Yoko for his emotional and financial security, Yoko needs John for her money and fame. How fast would Ono have been relegated to a footnote in the public eye had Lennon ever decided to finally divorce her? Lennon and Ono's wreck of a relationship isn't the main focus of the book, however; Fred emphasizes his own friendship with Lennon. As for critics who figure that Seaman was just a lackey and Lennon never would have confided in such a minor figure in his life, it's made more than clear in all the shelves of literature already published about Lennon that he was a great talker, and would use any excuse to bend your ear for hours about whatever subjects intrigued him at the moment. At one point, an incredulous Seaman watches as Lennon actually invites a pair of wide-eyed young Beatles fans who turn up at his front door into the kitchen while he pontificates on his favorite subjects: life and death. Lennon's musings on the death of his old hero Peter Sellers, his obsession with violent death and crucifixion, his strange diet, his views on religion, sex, and his love-hate relationship with Paul McCartney make for fascinating reading. We also see a striking contrast between John's obvious love for his second son Sean and his sad inability to reach out to his first, Julian. The trip to Bermuda where John finally regained his muse and began writing the songs for "Double Fantasy" is the focus of the most absorbing chapter of the book. It's as if we're seeing Lennon for the first time all over again, one moment calmly expounding upon the genius of Bob Marley and describing his incredible vision for his comeback album, the next exploding in a tantrum when he learns his wife has decided not to come see him after all. Seaman then describes the troubled Double Fantasy sessions and his own spiral into total despair following Lennon's senseless death. His descript

This book is facinating and depressing.

Fred Seaman's- "the last days of John Lennon" is a rather depressing yet facinating insight into John and Yoko's Lives.John's hired companion and gofer,Seaman tells of John's constant need "to talk." Yoko is not portrayed as a good person. Author describes John wanting Yoko,while she stayed up all night on the phone. Seaman says she was still on heroin,and the staff prefered that,as she was less complaining then. John began to want to work again. Many secrets Yoko kept from John. Most interesting about Seaman's claiming John asked him to be sure Julian got all his journals.Seaman took some journals after John's death,was sued by Ono and gave them back. Really great book!Well writen(Seamon had just graduated with a journalism degree.)Funny things John would say,the dislike for Paul and Linda and Ono's power over John.