Boy, oh boy, did Sean Lennon put his foot in it. Apparently, the younger son of late Beatle John Lennon and his mom, Yoko Ono, are big Lady Gaga fans. When Gaga visited Yoko at the NYC apartment she shared with John until his murder in 1980, she was allowed to play a piano that belonged to John. Sean took a photo of Gaga posing at the piano – of course, in her trademark fishnet freak-wear – and posted it on Twitter. I don’t think Sean was prepared for the outrage that ensued.
Sean Lennon has defended Lady Gaga on his Twitter page, after irate Beatles fans lashed out after seeing that she had played John Lennon’s white Steinway piano in New York.
Lennon had posted a Twitpic of Gaga sat at the piano in her famously skimpy clothes. A caption said, “With Gaga at mom’s house, she’s belting on the white piano,” to which he received a torrent of negative messages from “uptight” fans.
Several people posted messages of “disappointment” after seeing the “unworthy” famous Lennon piano being used by the ‘Poker Face’ star, to which Lennon replied, “Pianos are meant to be played. Why is everyone so uptight? What should we do, lock it away in a dusty room? So judgemental…”
Responding to one particular Tweeter, Jennifer Flatman — Twitter handle lavielibre23 — John Lennon’s youngest son retorted, “Come on, lighten up … life’s too short, there’s enough real problems in the world,” before later adding, “Firstly, he gave that piano to my mother for her birthday, it is hers. Secondly, he was not not uptight the way you seem.”
Gaga had been visiting the Dakota Building — where Lennon’s mother Yoko Ono lives — when the photo was taken.
The piano in the photo resembles the white Steinway John played in the video for the song “Imagine,” so I guess it’s understandable that hardcore Beatles fans might be upset that a skanky attention-whore would think that she is worthy of sitting at it. But if Yoko allowed her to play it, then I don’t see what the big deal is. I would have swooned at the change to even touch it. I didn’t realize Gaga was a big Beatles fan – they may be the one band she hasn’t ripped off in her own career. But who knows, maybe her next CD will have a duet with Yoko or something equally horrific. You know what really bugs me about this whole story? How does Gaga just walk around every day, visiting people in their homes, going to baseball games, etc., in get-ups like that? I mean, I can see why she needs to dress in underpants as outerwear as part of her stage show, but when she is just out visiting people? Really? You have to wonder where her head is at. Is there any point in her day when she isn’t “On?”
Great. I can only imagine GaGa walking around like this when she is 80.
Bleuch!
Even now, I’m over looking at her. Call it habituation. After watching her video for Alejandro, what will she do to keep up? Will her next film clip be XXX rated?
I agree with Sean–their son for christ’s sake—dad wouldn’t be uptight about it, no one is proclaiming she is worthy, she’s just sitting at it playing it in excitement like any of us would do, right? Is the piano supposed to only be a shrine?
My, oh, my. I like Ga a bit, I love the Beatles. This doesn’t bother me. Should it? Am I missing something?
Is that what she was wearing for her visit?
I would’nt let her sit on my sofas.
You know what, John Lennon was all about love and acceptance, and people who claim to be his fans being so judgmental is more an affront to his memory than anything else. WTG Sean! Tell it like it is.
this is going to sound horrible, i know.. but I think she dresses up like that because she is so ugly. She needs to detract attention from how unattractive she is.
lewd, gross. hideously ugly person. the telephone and alejandro vids were terribly irresponsible.
once again. she needs to stop existing.
BUT, i think hes right about his dad. if anyone wouldnt pass judgment on her, it would be john lennon.
I think Sean is right. And I love the Beatles. Treating the piano like a shrine is silly.
Seeing someone play it kinda help keeps the music alive, you know?
Why am I not surprised that Yoko is a Gaga fan? Is she trying to start a double vowel name club or something?
Remember when John and Yoko held a press conference in their Honeymoon bed?
I have a feeling he wouldn’t be offended.
Hey, at least she has the ability to play a piano. Not like it’s some one like Lohan coming over and rubbing her crack hands all over it or something. And let me tell you first hand, I worked at a stadium when Sir Paul was playing, and the Beatles fans that can afford those sky high priced tickets are MEAN! I don’t know what it was but they were all so cranky and rude.
I like gaga, but her whole persona can get kind of old. It is difficult for any artist to remain interesting especially when they are constantly trying to create shock value and gather so much attention with their look…look at marilyn manson. I can’t really compare them because gaga’s music is good, I hope her next album is just as good as the first, but we’ll see.
Whoever owns the piano can let whoever thay want play it. The end.
He’s right, that’s for they’re for. He’s probably tired of people turning his dead father into their safeguarded deities–as if they have some kind of spiritual claim to him in perpetuity. A pianist playing a piano with permission, perish the thought. Sounds like a lot of Courtney Loves in waiting.
John Lennon wouldn’t have cared.
Yeah, all those fans turned that into such a bigger deal than it really was. Like #12 said, at least she is a talented musician and can actually play piano. It’s not like she broke into their house and stole it..
I’m not a fan of hers, and not a big Beatles fan either….but what’s the big deal? It’s not like she hopped on the piano at some museum or something. If John Lennon were alive, and he let her play it, and posted that same picture, would people be criticizing him? Much ado about nothing.
She’s not ugly, she’s perfectly fine. John Lennon outside the beatles is overrated.
Something that bothers me about Gaga…
Everyone always gushes about how “talented” she is just because she can play the piano. What is up with that? It’s a freaking piano. Many people can play it, yet they act as though Gaga is some prodigy at it.
I’ve played a variety of instruments, through the bass guitar to violin, and the piano was by far the easiest to learn.
It’s just always bugged me that Gaga is considered “hugely” talented, when there’s musicians out there who can play a variety of instruments and are way more talented than this attention whore clown.
“She Loves Me Ya Ya Ya … I wanna Hold Your Ha-a-and” -shaddup, Beatles fans, you’re no different than Beiber-Babies, just older and cranky.
And Ga-Goofball strikes again, trying to jump-force an assimilation next to/with/as an legendary icon.
Total douche-bag.
Irena those vids weren’t irresponsible they were just junk. Alejandro, as has been constantly pointed out, is a rip-off of Madonna and Ace Of Base. Everything she does is for media attention or lame, derivative, and imitative of everyone from Bowie and BOy George to MJ and Madonna, and others. She doesn’t write her own music, it’s “co-written” by others, with the others doing most of the work. Google her discography and read the credits. She is just not that good at all; the best dance pop of the 80s beats her stuff. In fact, her pop music isn’t even fun – a tremendous deficit for a pop entertainer (no, she’s not an artist folks).
I don’t care that she touched the piano. Eh, whatever. She’s starting to look more like 80’s Madonna. She can go away now, that’d be great.
Puh-LEEZE! Anyone, including Elton John and Billy Joel, would be castigated by Lennon fans fans for playing that grand.
Lemme tell you something: I’ll betcha it was out of tune. Yoko is notoriously tight with a buck.
I remember reading an interview Sean Lennon did a few years ago, where he mentioned it can be kind of insulting when uber-fans think they have a closer connection to his dad than he does. This, to me, sounds like an example of that. They’re family. It’s furniture. They can do what they want with it.
What @Sumodo said. WORD!!!! I only add that “castigaged” is too big a word for my coffee deprived brain, so I read it as “castrated”
either works if you think about it.
As I’ve posted many times, I can’t wait until Lady Gaga’s 15 minutes become a long lost blurry, faded memory of fake blood and lobster head pieces. I’m a Beatles fan. Not a defensive, pretentious Beatles fan; just a regular one. I don’t care at all that she touched his piano. As Sean said, it’s a piano! The crazed fans need to get over it.
But, I do agree with everyone who is annoyed that she doesn’t wear pants. I mean, honestly, wouldn’t a normal person be arrested for walking around like she does?
@Audrey Color me mean too, because I agree with you.
I like GaGa. But what I really want to say is way to go Sean for his mature replies. Twitter arguments – how stupid! Really, why are people so uptight when there really are more important things in the world?
Lennon wouldn’t care about the irrelevent. So she plays on his piano big deal. Who is she for him to have cared? Had it been Mao on the other hand yeah he would have cared but he wouldnt do anything about it he’d just toss the piano out and get a new one.
Beatles fans need less time on their hands obviously. What a stupid thing to get their knickers in a twist over. If John were alive he’d probably be thinking of collaborating with her.
She’s starting to piss me off.
This is ridiculous. It’s their piano, they can do what they want with it. It’s nobody’s business.
People want to bitch about anything, don’t they? If it was okay with those that knew Lennon best, then what business is it of those that didn’t. Such a mountain out of a mole hill!
is that tila in that last photo?
Piano is one of those instruments that starts off easy and then warp speeds into something extremely difficult. Perhaps a little bit more irritating than being commissioned to sculpt a piece out of a marble slab with nothing but Kleenex to act as your tools. Ravel makes you wonder if your own birth was necessary, then Messiaen answers with a firm ‘no’. I remember setting a Debussy prelude on fire: memories.
The piano-thing? Meh, whatever. It’s Yoko’s to do with whatever she wants; so lighten up Beatles fans. At least Gag-me can play the thing.
As for crack-wear in public? She’s just trying wayyyyy too hard to stay relevant. Which, judging by all the prior comments and in my own opinion, is making her irrelevant.
I agree with Sean; these people are way too uptight and judgmental.
I wonder how many of those who went off on Sean are true Beatles fans vs. Lady GaGa haters.
@ ‘a’ (#34) – perish the thought! That’s Devon Aoki, one of the more successful models ever.
Its Sean and Yoko’s piano now they can do what they like with it. We British Columbian’s own John’s Roll Royce,and many have sat at the wheel, whats the big deal? I love John Lennon’s music but the man was a huge hypocrite, he was a musician and poet who made mass quantities of money and lived a lavish lifestyle in his many homes, not the simple hippie he wanted us to believe he was. Get real people
Remember that Gaga actually plays the piano, and writes her own music just like John Lennon did-and much UNlike many other so-called pop ‘stars’ who are only faux techno/studio products.
Sean and Yoko did not do anything wrong by inviting GaGa to have a moment at John’s piano. In fact, I think it’s sweet and cool that they did that.
Nobody has a right to criticize Sean and Yoko! The ‘fans’ shouldnt be so rude to his surviving family members.
What do all you people care if she had enough respect and utter reference for John Lennon, that she’d sit and perform one of his own songs??? What do you Beatles fans’ care??? As long as Sean and Yoko was ok with it I’m sure John was looking down with a smile. I’m not even a Lady Gaga fan but I just gained alot of respect for her…the rest of you are just looking for reasons to gripe as usual. Grow up people !!
Sean is such a handsome dude! I DO agree that Gaga could have worn something else, maybe pants over that. That white pant suit she has on in the pics is really cute and with the white piano, it would have looked really nice. She had permission to play it and that’s that, I doubt she disrespected Yoko or Sean, and it’s not like she danced on top of John’s grave or got him to sign a record, then shot him, for crying out loud! What that lunatic did to John is uncalled for and I think John had lots of love for his fans and he passed away doing a good deed and being nice to a fan in the end. Sad, but a nice way to remember him being thoughtful towards a “fan.” Very good points as to (don’t be so uptight, and there are more problems in the world.) I’m sure back in the day, people who were “hippies” wore less close or the same, but Lennon loved them anyway. R.I.P JL
BTW Smoothe I think you’re an idiot. Go read a book or two about John Lennon and learn a few things before you call him a hypocrite.
I agree with Sean. It’s a piano. It should be played. Instruments are meant to shine forth and give us the power of music.
I’m a Beatles fan, and if I was over there and Yoko said I could play it I’d be all about ‘mary had a little lamb’. As would most of those upset Beatles fans, I’m sure they are all just jealous.
He was a person. A person with flaws and good things, not this mythical god that some want to make him into. And it’s a piano. Like Sean said, what are they supposed to do burn incense on it and keep it as a shrine?
Listen to the intro to “Speechless”. Beatles, bigtime. That whole song is Elton John meets Beatles.
Anyway, it is, after all, only a piano, and I would bet that John would want anybody who loves music to play it. I think jealous Beatles fans are the twitter dissenters. And whoever said ‘big deal so she plays piano – anybody can do that’ – She also sings quite well. It’s not all about just playing a piano with her anyway. Can you dance like that and belt out songs, in key? I seriously doubt it.
ew… that face is like ‘I’m playing the most difficult symphony’, but the happening truth is like ‘do – re – do – re – do – re’.
I wonder what a lot of these ‘purists’ would have done if they had the chance to play it, assuming they’re proficient with a few tunes? Would they back out of the room bowing every few steps whispering ‘not worthy’? That could be considered rude as well, to not accept a gracious offer because you’re more enamoured of a ghost than you are of enjoying small pleasures with real people. What, you think they’re going to start adjudicating on the spot? What if people were strictly forbidden from touching the piano, would that be better? I can only imagine what people would say about her hoarding his memory and being creepily obsessed, like a modern-day Miss Havisham or Queen Victoria, or, Heaven forbid–Courtney Love. We can’t dig up Horowitz and the musicologists are in the unemployment line, so I guess King Fanbase will have to suffer these pretenders to the throne in the meantime. Eep.
Lady Gaga is not yet 25, has an amazing voice, plays piano and writes her own songs, and has 6 number 1 singles in a row. Let her dress the way she wants to, it doesn’t detract from her talent. It’s sad how Americans seem to want everyone to fit into a certain mould, the Minivan Majority mould, or else you’re labelled a freak. The land of the free to be judged, apparently.
A proud Canadian (born in the U.S.)
I don’t think the actual playing of the piano is a big deal either really; it is their stuff. (and I am in the gaga=overrated camp big time)….. but really, I don’t understand people who post stuff online only to say after the fact “what’s the big deal?” He put it out there, surely he would have known there would / might be some fallout.
I heart Jo Mama Besser. You eloquently summed it up!
If his wife and his son are perfectly fine with this, I don’t see why the fans can’t just chill. I mean, I’m a huge Beatlemaniac myself and I’m not exactly fond of Yoko, but I will respect the wishes of his wife and son. And I think that if you’re a real lover of John Lennon, you should do the same.
Yoko likes Gaga. Big surprise.
Yoko likes Gaga. Big surprise.
John would have loved it. He was all she was….a rebel who loves music.
I skipped reading the comments, so if I repeat I apologize- Gaga’s song “Speechless” (probably going to be a single?) seems to be influenced by The Beatles (as well as Queen). I’m of the opinion that she’s defnitely influenced by The Beatles, but so far that influence hasn’t fit into much of the music that makes it on her albums.
Edit to say to Jo ‘Mama’ Besser: PREACH! My thoughts exactly.
OK, can someone please explain to me what the big deal is about this chick?
She’s a wannabe Madonna. Her music’s ok, but it’s not like it’s anything new.
I guess that’s my point. She’s not new, and I’ve heard that said before. The only difference I see between her and Madonna onstage is masturbation vs. the tossing of blood over oneself. That’s entertainment?
And Gaga’s desperate moves for attention have reached the point of pathetic. I’ve never enjoyed pics of someone falling so much.
Hopefully, the fifteen minutes are almost up. She’s so boring.
@Mama Besser- Agree. I just switched over to pipe organ after thirteen years of piano and it’s a relief to have your feet playing some of the notes.
And I’m glad I’m not the only one who has burned Debussy before. XD
And people who say Lady Gaga isn’t talented, seriously, singing and playing at the same time is NOT EASY. And she does both very well.
Thanks!
From what she was playing on the Today show (well, one song, what can you tell?), it sounds like the next album may be a little different. Less dance stuff, a little jazzier maybe.
I like Speechless better than crap like Alejandro, which seems, I don’t know. Forced. The dance stuff is fun, Poker Face and Let’s Dance were silly, Telephone was campy. Teeth seems like it wasn’t really meant to be a single, but since she’s tossing them out there and her fans are eating them up, why not.
She’s said she loves the Beatles and was heavily influenced by them, so why wouldn’t her music sound like them? If Madonna was an influence, she’d sound like her too. Guys, Madonna was big a whole 25 years ago – a “classic” to someone Gaga’s age. I don’t know why everyone gets their tighty whities in such a bunch that she’s a copycat.
Everying old is new again, just with a twist.
And the whole piano thing is just dumb. It’s a piano. She’s not drinking tea made from his crushed and dried bone marrow, for god’s sake.
When I first read the title I was all “grr…I even like gaga and i dont think she deserves to play it” but then I read Sean’s response and it put my head back into perspective.
He is right on this one, guys. It’s not like gaga is a war-monger or animal abuser (that we know of). She’s in the entertainment industry – I don’t think John would have minded. Sean is right – he seemed too much of a level-headed, peaceful kind of guy to give two shits about someone touching a material belonging.
Agreed that some people are being too uptight, and that Gaga needs to put on some clothes. I wouldn’t have let her sit on the piano bench without putting down a throw of some sort first. Very cool that Yoko and Sean aren’t uptight like some of Lennon’s fans.
John would have loved it. He was all she was….a rebel who loves music.
burn the piano seat! 😛
Sean’s right and man I can only imagine how annoying people can be, but I must admit.. I did cringe a bit when I first saw the picture, probably jealousy & sadness for the most part.
the hell, i would let almost anyone else sit on the bench except for what’s her name. let alone play it. i don’t think so.
i’m an artist and wouldn’t allow anybody paint my paintings or use mytools. john is love and he is the walrus. i don’t know this gagga bitch. but to allow this to be video taped. $$$$ only thing comes to mine. she blows. those eyes! wtf.
I am so in love with this girl. The top picture is blatently going to become the Maralyn Monroe pose for her! Excellent. Thanks Joe