“DOUBLE EXPOSURE” by ROGER FARRINGTON
From Starting Over the Making of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Double Fantasy
by Ken Sharp
John Lennon was singing as he came down the stairs from his apartment at the Dakota. I sat in Yoko’s Studio One office waiting to meet the Lennon’s before we would all go to the recording studio. The voice was unmistakable; I had heard it thousands of times before. “Amazing”, I thought, “I’m about to meet John Lennon.” The accountant working at a nearby desk looked up at me, smiled and said, “Here he comes.” John Lennon entered dressed all in black, looking tan, thin, and eager to get to work. As he walked over to shake my hand, he seemed taller than I expected. His face was tan with long hair steaming out either side of a wide-brimmed hat. His western-styled black shirt was striking and he was carrying a thin briefcase, which I later found out was filled with sheet music for the sessions.
“Right,” he said to me, “Now who are you?” When I replied, he quipped, “I thought you were one of the accountants. So, you’re the photographer are you? Right, well do what you’ve got to do.”
Moments after that brief exchange we were off to The Hit Factory. John and Yoko hurried out of the Dakota and I got one shot of them walking hand in hand toward their limousine. As I backpedaled across the sidewalk, I heard people nearby saying, “Is that John Lennon,” and “It’s John & Yoko”. Someone further down the street shouted, “Hi John” and smiled. John yelled “hello” back. I jumped into John’s green Mercedes with his assistant and we headed off to the studio.
As we approached the Hit Factory, which was really out in the middle of nowhere, I asked John’s assistant if he could get us ahead of the limo, to pull up further down the street from the entrance. “If I can get ahead of them that will be great, to get shots of them walking into the studio.” The sidewalk was completely deserted all around the Hit Factory; I couldn’t believe it…no one waiting, no other cameras…totally secret. It kind of freaked me out and I thought that maybe this is the historic moment that I’m here to document.
As John and Yoko got out of the limousine, I asked them to stop for a photo on the sidewalk. This got them together, walking hand in hand. I backed up to get the whole front of The Hit Factory as they walked under the awning sign. When I made that shot, John was looking right at the camera and I thought, “Wow, that’s just what I wanted.” I sort of ducked my head down and followed them through the door, down the hall and onto the elevator. There were people right inside the front door and they appeared not to notice that this was John Lennon and Yoko Ono walking by. The security guard was totally poker faced. I thought, “God, this guy doesn’t even know this is John Lennon!” We walked straight down the hall and got right on the elevator and went to the sixth floor. I couldn’t believe that I was actually on the elevator, going up to the recording studio with John and Yoko.
The studio atmosphere was tense, confusing and at the same time exciting, all because this was the first day of recording. No one knew what to expect. John and Yoko arrived about half an hour or so ahead of the musicians. As we walked into that sixth floor recording area, I noticed there was an entry way and a couch. The walls had wood paneling with The Hit Factory lettering on the wall. I asked John and Yoko to pause, “Let me just get a quick shot right here.” This shot I call my “Windex” shot because there was a bottle of glass cleaner on the table. (laughs) There was no way I had time to take the bottle and move it. I had to capture the moment. John made another funny quip, “What, are we here to promote the Hit Factory?”
It was a very business like and professional in the studio. Many of the musicians and studio staff were gathering for the first time. Technicians were rushing about with equipment that had to be set up and plugged in. It was whirlwind of activity. Wires began to cover the floor. I had to be careful; I didn’t want to trip over anything and yet I wanted one or two more shots. The studio was very dimly lit too – all in all a photographer’s nightmare. I was really trying to concentrate and get a couple more shots and block everything else out.
John and Yoko obviously wanted to get to work immediately. Upon entering the studio John went into the recording console and opened his briefcase. Then John walked into the studio, plugged this weird, futuristic looking guitar into an amp, and started to play. When I offered him a chair and an ashtray, he accepted it with a sincere thank you, which was nice. John was smoking Gitanes cigarettes, which were very strong filter-less French cigarettes. Yoko had her Nat Sherman cigarettes. I seem to recall that he wasn’t playing any particular song, he was just noodling around. He was experimenting with what kind of sounds could come out of this instrument. I remember just being amazed by all the incredible different and unusual sounds he was getting. When I tried to get some close-up shots my head was pretty close to his amp and I’ll tell you, it was loud! (laughs).
I wanted to try and get him and Yoko positioned for some photos during my limited time. John was too absorbed to move from his spot while he was playing the guitar. I wanted to get him with Yoko in some photos. I remember that I had to coax Yoko to position herself near her husband.
After half an hour in the studio I realized that I should get back to Boston with what I had in the camera. I was under a deadline and thinking they needed to send out images to the wire services that day, or the very next day. I knew that if my photos would help announce to the world that John and Yoko were recording again they would be required immediately. It was tough to leave the studio but my job required me to get back quickly. To the best of my recollection, I caught a cab near the studio; I got to the airport in time to make the two o’clock shuttle to Boston. I remember rushing to process the film and having contact sheets ready by six o’clock. Earlier, Yoko asked me if I was going to stay the night and come into the studio with them next day. I said, “No, I have to get back.” Looking back, I have some regrets not taking her up on the offer. But on the other hand, I felt I had the defining shot of them outside of The Hit Factory, which would be distributed around the world. That photo had the look and the feeling of spontaneity that John and Yoko were looking for.
John Lennon was friendly, open, humorous, but he seemed to want to get going and have a good time. He was definitely on a mission and excited to be back in the studio. He was clearheaded and ready to work. He was greeting all the musicians around him with open arms. He was full of energy and positivity. Yoko was perhaps more reserved and nervous but confident and in control. When it seemed as though the session was about to start and John was starting to talk to the musicians, I felt that my presence was intrusive. At one point, John looked up at one of the arriving musicians – I was probably ten feet away pointing my camera at them – and he nodded in my direction and said “This photographer here is me wife’s idea.” We smiled at each other and I nodded as if to say, “goodbye”.
When I heard the album months later the song “Starting Over” reminded me of how I felt that first day in the recording studio with John and Yoko. That’s what they were doing. That’s where all that excitement, energy and tension came from. Ironically “Starting Over” was the song they recorded the first day. It will always mean a lot to me that I was the first authorized photographer to photograph the Lennons in the recording studio in five years.
Copyright 2010 Roger Farrington. Reprinted with permission from Starting Over the Making of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Double Fantasy by Ken Sharp, copyright 2010 Ken Sharp.