A quiet day in Lennon's Life - by Ritchie Yorke
John Lennon spent a relatively restful day in Toronto yesterday -- in marked contrast to the past nine hectic days of his stay in Canada. Lennon, who arrived with his party at Union Station at 6:30 a.m., would not talk to members of the press and spent much of the day in bed.
"I think they're shattered," said one member of the entourage. The party left Ottawa by train on Tuesday night at 11:30 after Lennon had been driven to the Sussex Drive home of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. "Trudeau wasn't home," explained Beatles' aide Derek Taylor, "but there was a Mountie in scarlet at the gate. Imagine? Just one Mountie. Someone had given us some lilacs when we'd left the peace panel discussion, so we gave it to the Mountie with a note for Mr. Trudeau. It wasn't as good as the box of acorns but it was better than nothing."
The party was driven to the Windsor Arms Hotel, where breakfast was served around 7:30. Shortly after, Lennon and Yoko went to bed, this time to sleep.
The couple rested until almost 1 pm, when Yoko's daughter, Kyoko, knocked on their door and woke them. Later, Lennon had discussions with Allan Klein, his U.S. business representatives.
Klein informed him that despite widespread banning, the Beatles' new single, The Ballad of John and Yoko, has sold more than 900,000 copies in the United States in less than a week. This disc is also Number 10 on the English charts in one week, and the BBC is playing it without restriction, unlike Toronto's CHUM AM, which has banned the disc because of its references to Christ.
In Montreal, Lennon told me he thought such bans were "insane." He added: "It's pure hypocrisy. They also hate what Christ stood for anyway. The only way they can bear to hear His name is in church."
At 4 p.m. Lennon and his party went to Niagara Falls to film documentary footage on his visit to North America.
On his return from the falls, Lennon spoke briefly with reporters, reiterating statements made earlier about his campaign for peace. Autograph hunters quickly ended in five-minute visit to the falls for the Beatle.
This afternoon Lennon is to appear before Canadian Department of Immigration officials, who will continue a hearing on his admissibility into Canada. On Monday, May 26, officials adjourned the hearing until June 5, which allowed Lennon 10 days in Canada, seven of which he used for the Montreal bed-in.
The difficulty was caused by a conviction in Britain in November for possession of marijuana. Today, officials will decide if Lennon is a desirable alien or whether he should leave the country.
According to Taylor, all members of the entourage except Lennon himself want to return to England tonight or tomorrow. Lennon, however, is uncertain. He would still like to go to New York.
U.S. Immigration officials have still not shown any desire to admit Lennon. Taylor says, however, Lennon has not given up hope.
Copyright by The Globe and Mail, June 5, 1969, all rights reserved.