Street to be named after Beatles widow Yoko Ono in Liverpool?

A council chief has struck a sour note with Beatles fans after he appeared to rule-out the idea of creating a tribute to John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono in Liverpool.

The city already has John Lennon Airport and the Fab Four each have streets named after them.

A theatre is soon to be renamed in honour of the band's first manager Brian Epstein and there are plans to name roads after original guitarist Stuart Sutcliffe and drummer Pete Best.

But calls for John Lenon's greatest inspiration - his second wife Yoko Ono - to be recognised have been scorned by town hall chiefs in Liverpool.

Beatles experts and leading members of the Merseyside arts community have called for Ono, 77, to be given the accolade of a street named Yoko Ono Street.


Ono supporters argue she deserves recognition for the artworks she has staged in Liverpool and the contribution made to its thriving Beatles tourist industry.

But Liverpool City Council member Malcolm Kennedy, rubbished the idea and said he was "not very keen on the idea of Yoko Ono Street".

Mr Kennedy, the authority's cabinet member for regeneration said Epstein, Best, and Sutcliffe will all be honoured, but millionaire Yoko Ono, 77, is not on the list.

He said suitable sites were being sought for tributes to Best and Sutcliffe.

Mr Kennedy said: "We are currently compiling a list of names that we are looking to use in new developments, but it needs to be somewhere appropriate.

"Pete Best was there with them in Hamburg, played on stage with them, and was very much part of the formation of The Beatles.

"The same goes for Stuart Sutcliffe and Brian Epstein, without whom there would have been no Beatles.

"I am not so keen on the idea of Yoko Ono Street though."

But the apparent decision to exclude Yoko from the Liverpool list of fame has angered some students of Beatles history and its contribution to the resurgence of the city.

Ono bought John Lennon's childhood home "Mendips" and handed it over to be operated as a tourist attraction by the National Trust.

Japanese-born Yoko first came to Liverpool when she staged an art installation at the city's Bluecoat Gallery in June 1966.

Yoko has continued to supported Lennon's childhood roots and has been an active champion of the city, twice creating work for the Liverpool Biennial art exhibition.

She dedicated a series of explicit female nude phots entitled "My Mummy Was Beautiful" to Lennon's mother Julia, at the Liverpool Biennial in 2004.

In 2008 she created an installation entitled "Sky Ladders" in the shell of a bomb-damaged church as a memorial to peace.

And now the move to commemorate the "also rans" of The Beatles has triggered calls for Ono to be recognised for her contribution to the life of the city of Liverpool.

Philip Coppell, a leading Liverpool Beatles tourist guide, said Ono should be granted the Freedom of the City and honoured with a street named after her.

Philip said: "There are many Beatles fans who still hold a grudge against Yoko and blame her for breaking-up The Beatles.

"Whatever the truth of that may be, the fact is that Yoko has been a tremendous ambassador for the city, and has made very valuable contributions to its heritage.

"John told Yoko how much Liverpool meant to him and she expresses her love for John through her devotion to Liverpool.

"She was awarded an honorary doctorate from University of Liverpool in the year 2001 and it is high time the city of Liverpool official acknowleged the contributions and support
she has freely given.

"Yoko played a massive part in John Lennon's life and as the world centre of Beatles history it would be right to name one of our streets after her.

"It would show real maturity and would show the city's support for John's message of peace and love."

Yoko's case is also backed by the Liverpool Academy of Arts whose general manager.

The Academy's general manager June Lornie said: "Yoko had carried on Lennon's great work and deserves a lasting tribute in the city of Liverpool.

"She and John were true soulmates and she had a tremendous influence on his creativity.

"I would like to see a street named after Yoko, not least because there are so few named after women in the city.

"Rather than rejecting Yoko the city council should commission a sculpture, from a local artist, of her and John together, to commemorate her continuing association with Liverpool."

As the furore over his ant-Yoko comment grew Cllr Kennedy attempted to dismiss it as "a joke".

In a statement Clrr Kennedy said: "The Yoko Ono comment was only meant as a joke, I have got nothing against her.

"There is no reason why anybody should not be on the list. If the public wanted Yoko Ono street to happen, then I see no reason why it shouldn't happen.

"Indeed there may well be the possibility for Yoko to be honoured in the near future.

"But the main calls were for Pete Best to have a street named after him."

by Michael Lynch
    Clickliverpool