Al Capp and John Lennon
This is a great insight into two figures from art and music.
Al Capp, cartoonist most known for his “Lil’ Abner” comic strip, shows up at John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s peace bed-in in Montreal. Al Capp had been seen as a liberal kind of guy, but in the 60’s, he turned quite conservative, lampooning many anti-war advocates. These included individuals like Joan Baez, and entire groups, such as the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).
Anyway, as you can see in the video, Al Capp shows up with quite a bit of hostility toward John and Yoko. He asks John to explain a lyric he wrote that talks about crucifixion.
Christ, you know it ain’t easy
You know how hard it can be
The way things are going
They’re gonna crucify me
Al Capp repeatedly insults not only John, but also Yoko. Watch John’s facial expressions during this clip. Pay special attention when Yoko suggests that we are all married to one another. Capp says in response to Yoko “Now that is a very unpleasant thought for you to plant in my mind”.
I guess he’s trying to be funny, but it sounds very insulting, and John doesn’t like that.
For me, the best part of the video is at the end, when one of John’s assistants (I think his name is Derrick) tells Al Capp to get out. John is quick to reprimand the guy, saying to “please leave him, we asked him here, we asked him here”.
What an insight into the peaceful John Lennon. The guy wasn’t just talking about the stuff, he was living it. This little encounter sums up so much of what he was all about.
When the guy apologizes, Al Capp’s response is: “It’s not me to forgive you, it’s for your psychiatrist!”
In 1971, Capp was charged with attempted adultery by a female student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Capp pleaded no contest to a reduced charge and withdrew from public speaking. The resulting bad publicity led to hundreds of papers dropping his comic strip. Al Capp died in 1979, one year before John Lennon was killed by a fan.
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