The Ballad of Yoko and John | Interview | 4
British Scandal
Audible
4.4 • 7.2K Ratings
🗓️ 28 December 2022
⏱️ 38 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Matt and Alice talk to Dan Richter, friend and live-in assistant to John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the 1970s. An American who, in his own words, “came along for the ride: a co-conspirator, confidant, assistant and dope-buddy”, Dan gives us a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the private world of John and Yoko. He recalls the making of Lennon's legendary hit 'Imagine', and tells us whether he believes the couple were truly compatible.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hello, Prime Members. You can listen to British scandal at free on Amazon Music. Download the app today. |
| 0:06.0 | Matt, you're a very polite man, but do you F and or Jeff? |
| 0:10.0 | I tend to F, but I'll tell you now, if the situation requires it, I will Jeff all night. |
| 0:17.0 | Well, the situation did require it in this episode, so if you're not into F and Jeff, look away now. |
| 0:31.0 | From Wondry, I'm Alice Levine, and I'm Matt Ford. And this is British scandal. |
| 0:50.0 | So Matt, we have finished the story of John Lennon and Yokohono's relationship. |
| 0:55.0 | It has been a delight to be in that world to conjure those images. I know you're a big Beatles fan. |
| 1:01.0 | What do we uncover that you didn't know? Something that was surprising in the series? |
| 1:05.0 | I'm shocked and I'm ashamed of myself and not knowing that Yokohono was so crucial to the writing of Imagine. |
| 1:12.0 | But I only got credited about five years ago. So it says a lot about how she was viewed by the people around John and actually John himself, |
| 1:18.0 | because you're so aware of the mythology around the relationship that it is easy to forget the human story at the heart of it. |
| 1:24.0 | And of course, the pressures of fame and what happens to you after you leave the biggest pattern in the world ever, it's fascinating. |
| 1:32.0 | As you say, those human details are the ones that we hear so infrequently because we've heard these reproduced myths and legends about the Beatles and about Yokoho as well. |
| 1:42.0 | So we're very lucky today to be talking to somebody who was not only at the centre of John and Yokoh's work, but of their relationship too. |
| 1:49.0 | His name's Dan Richter. He's a Mime, a choreographer and an actor who just so happened to work as John and Yokoh's personal assistant in the late 60s and early 70s. |
| 1:59.0 | To say he's got details is an understatement. He watched John and Yokoh fall in love and the breakup of the band from the inner circle. He joins us next. |
| 2:13.0 | Matt, do you know what I like to do while I'm listening to podcasts? Careful. |
| 2:16.0 | Well, you only listen to your own. So critiquer and performance. |
| 2:20.0 | I would never. It's absolutely on point. The answer is in fact, cook. |
| 2:24.0 | Second question, do you know what makes cooking healthily even easier? |
| 2:28.0 | Listening to your own podcasts. |
| 2:30.0 | Actually, yes, although there isn't any empirical evidence. A mindful chef recipe box is actually what I was thinking. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Audible, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Audible and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.