Bagism

Frequently Asked Questions


This page attempts to answer frequently asked questions that I receive. Before contacting me, please check to see if your question is answered below.

If you have a John Lennon and/or Beatles question not answered here, PLEASE post it on one of the Web Boards. The web boards have lots of self-proclaimed Beatles and John Lennon experts ready and willing to help you.

Questions



John Lennon/Beatles Questions


(top) What does the word "Bagism" mean?

John and Yoko wanted to draw attention to the fact that people pre-judge others based on their outward appearance (hair, skin color, etc). They reasoned that people would be able to communicate better with one another if they weren't distracted by such petty differences. To make their point, John and Yoko allowed themselves to be interviewed by the press while being completely covered with a large bag so that they could not be seen and could only be judged by their words. Of course, they weren't advocating that everyone walk around under a bag...they did it only to make a point.

(top) Where can I find the albums "John Lennon Collection", "Live Peace in Toronto", and "Lennon"?

All of these CDs are currently out of print. The record company is no longer making them and stores (generally) cannot order new copies. I suggest looking in the used CD sections of several record stores or the online auction site eBay. You may also try posting a message on Bagism's Web Boards or the Beatles newsgroup rec.music.beatles and ask if anyone is willing to sell their copy.

(top) Do you know any good biographies on John Lennon?

"Lennon" by Ray Coleman is probably the best biography on John Lennon. Coleman was a journalist who often travelled with the Beatles and he also became a friend of John's. I strongly DISCOURAGE you from buying "The Lives of John Lennon" by Albert Goldmann. It is full of unsubstantiated accusations and Goldmann is known for having made a living by slandering other people. Other good books on John (but not necessarily biographies) are "The Art and Music of John Lennon" by John Robertson, "Come Together: John Lennon in His Time" by Jon Wiener and "John Lennon: In My Life" by Pete Shotton. Check out Bagism's John Lennon/Beatles Book Reviews for readers' opinions on lots of other books.

(top) Where is John Lennon buried?

John Lennon was cremated, not buried. The whereabouts of his remains were not released to the public. Many people think they were scattered somewhere while many others believe they are still in the possession of Yoko Ono. But those are just guesses and your guess is as good as anyone else's. If you are looking for a John Lennon memorial to visit, try Strawberry Fields in New York City's Central Park.

(top) What is the name of the person who killed John Lennon?

Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono made a simple request to John Lennon's fans. Never repeat the name of his killer. Doing so would only give his killer the fame and notoriety he was seeking. If you must know, look at any newspaper during the days immediately following December 8, 1980.

(top) How do I contact Yoko Ono?

You can send regular mail to Yoko Ono at the following address:

Ms. Yoko Ono
1 West 72nd Street
New York, NY 10023

Some visitors to Bagism have claimed getting responses from Yoko when using that address, while others have not. I do not have a phone number or email address for her.

(top) What does "Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé" mean?

John sings the foreign-sounding phrase "Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé" in his song "#9 Dream." According to John, it doesn't mean anything...it is just a phrase that came to him in a dream and he decided to base a song around it. Artists are funny that way.

(top) What is the significance of the "5th of November" in the song "Remember"

This song, off the John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album ends with John Lennon singing "...remember the 5th of November" followed immediately by a loud explosion. What does it mean? In 1605, Guy Fawkes and his fellow co-conspirators planned to blow up England's Parliament building and the visiting King James I. The 'Gunpowder Plot' was foiled before it could be carried out. Every year on November 5th, the British celebrate 'Guy Fawkes Day' by lighting bonfires, shooting fireworks, and burning effigies of Guy Fawkes. See the excellent site Guy Fawkes - Treason in 1605 for more information.

(top) Do you know where I can buy Beatles-related merchandise?

No self-respecting Beatles fan should be without a Beatlefest catalog within arms reach at all times. It is just jam-packed with Beatles goodies of all sorts. Give them a call at 1-800-BEATLES or visit the Beatlefest web site.

(top) Do you have the tabs/guitar chords/sheet music for songs by John Lennon?

Try the OLGA archive and the John Lennon Guitar Chord Archive.

(top) Do you know the value of my really rare Beatles-related item (or where I can sell it)?

I am not a collector of Beatles-related memorablilia so I am not qualified to judge the value of such items (at least not in monetary terms). I suggest visiting Beatles Collectibles by Rockmine Archives and Steve Clifford's Beatle Website.

(top) I have a question about John Lennon or The Beatles that I don't see here. Can you answer it?

It is a very time consuming task for one person (myself) to answer all the questions from all the visitors to this site. PLEASE sumbit your question to one of the Web Boards. There, you will find lots of people discussing John's life, his music, etc. By using the Web Boards, the chance of finding an answer to your question will be greater since you'll be accessing the combined wisdom of John Lennon fans around the world.


General Questions


(top) Why do I get errors when posting to the Web Boards or voting in the poll?

If you are getting "Code not Specified" or "Bad Request" errors, it may be due to a problem with "cookies" (tiny bits of data stored on your computer by web sites for later retrieval). Previous versions of the Web Board program stored cookies in a way that some older browsers couldn't understand. For more information and instructions on how to avoid these errors, go to the Cookie Fixer.

(top) I'm working on a web page. Can you help me with it?

There are lots of individuals on the Internet who have gone through great lengths to put together tutorials and resource lists. For a good page with links to everything you could ever want to know about creating web pages, check out the Web Designer. I also have created a few web tools to help you with color, tables, and frames. Check out ColorMaker, TableMaker, and FrameShop.

(top) Where did you get the script for "such and such"?

Most of the scripts on Bagism, incuding the Quiz, Links, Chronology, Polls, and Album Reviews I wrote myself especially for Bagism. Someday, when I have more time, I'd like to make these scripts generic, add documentation, and distribute them on their own web page. I have already released an earlier version of my Album Reviews script (one that doesn't require a database), which can also be used as a guestbook. It is available as a Macintosh binhex file or a PC zip file. A good site to look for other scripts is The CGI Resource Index.

(top) Can you add a link to my site?

If you have a John Lennon page or other Beatles-related page, then you can add a link to it from the Links section. There is a form you can fill out and it will be added automatically. I ask that you return the favor by adding a link to my site from yours (see below).

(top) Would you mind if I add a link to your site on my page?

By all means, be my guest! The more people that know about my site the better. Please use the following URL when linking to my site: http://www.bagism.com/. Please do not link to any sub pages within Bagism because they may be deleted without notice. If you'd like to add a graphic to use as a link, use the one below:

Logo for Links

(top) Can you add "such and such" to Bagism?

I'll gladly accept requests for new items and/or new features. Just let me know what you have in mind. If I like your suggestion, I will definitely implement it if at all possible. I never consider this site finished -- I try to add something new at least once a week. Usually, I have a long list of things I'd like to add. The only problem is finding enough time.

(top) I saw a mistake on one of your pages. But you probably already know about it, right?

No, I don't. If you see any mistakes on any of my pages (dead links, spelling errors, etc.) please tell me about it right away. I try to provide a high quality site so it is very embarrassing when I stumble across one of my mistakes when I know it must have been there for weeks or even months.

 

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Frequently Asked Questions
Last updated on Apr 9, 2018