Lennon's life celebrated at festival - Sept 28 2007
Relatives of John Lennon joined musicians, artists and poets at a festival celebrating the life of the former Beatle.

More than 1,000 people are attending The John Lennon Northern Lights Festival in Scotland.

The three-day event is being held in Durness, a tiny village the superstar used to visit on childhood holidays.

The festival features contemporary music, poetry and performance in memory of the late musician.

Artists include Master of the Queen's Music Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, who's presenting a world premiere of a Beatles Prom with the Royal Academy of Music.

Lennon's half-sister, Julia Baird, is reading some of his own poetry and Nizlopi, who had a No 1 with The JCB Song, are performing.

Other highlights include a photographic exhibition by Paul McCartney's brother, Mike.

Lennon's original band, The Quarrymen, are also performing.

During the festival a plaque is being unveiled at the croft house where Lennon stayed during his holidays.

Organisers said people have travelled from across the world for the event.

A pokesman said: "We have proved that by staging this festival in the remotest part of Britain an arts festival of this stature can be held every year.

"Some people called it an impossible festival because of the logistics.

"However, it has been made possible in the spirit of one of the greatest artists of this century."

Lennon was greatly inspired by Durness, which is said to be part of the inspiration for The Beatles' song In My Life.

The late star returned there with his wife, Yoko Ono, son, Julian, and Yoko's daughter, Kyoko, in 1969.



Lennon’s glasses to fetch a million? - July 13 2007
A pair of John Lennon’s trademark glasses are expected to fetch £1 million in an online bidding war - despite having no lenses.

The gold-rimmed specs, which John presented to his Japanese interpreter Junishi Yore in Tokyo in 1966, have sparked a global bidding war on music memorabilia site www.991.com.

But the sunglasses have no lenses because Junishi poked them out on the day the former Beatle died in 1980, in accordance with his religious beliefs.

John Warner, Sales & Marketing Director for the website said: "The response has been phenomenal. Our phones have been in meltdown since the announcement of the auction on Thursday with a ferocious bidding war breaking out around the globe."

The musician wore the glasses on the Beatles’ tour of Japan in June 1966, when the band were at the height of their fame.

But they were forced to remain virtual prisoners in their Tokyo hotel when religious fanatics protested against them being allowed to play at the sacred site of Budokan.

At the end of their fifth and final Budokan concert, John and interpreter Junishi exchanged gifts as is custom in Japan. John received a set of traditional copper cups in exchange for his sunglasses.

The auction is set to close at the end of the month.


Village hosts festival for Lennon - May 21 2007
A tiny village where John Lennon spent his holidays is to host a major festival in his honour.

The John Lennon Northern Lights Festival will be held in Durness in the Highlands later this year.

The three-day event will be attended by musicians, painters and poets, as well as several members of the former Beatle’s family.

Organisers said today it would be "one of the most extraordinary festivals ever to be staged in the country".

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