Weekend Assignment #202: Love Story

Here we go again, and it's not even a topic from my list:

Weekend Assignment #201: Valentine's Day is coming! Tell us a love story. It can be the story of you and your beloved, someone else you know, that celebrity couple you find intriguing, a quick recap of a comedy or tragedy from Shakespeare, Rob Reiner or whomever (with attribution, of course), or a story you make up yourself. All I ask is that it be a tale of love that appeals to you for one reason or another.

Extra Credit: Have you ever been extravagantly, tragically in love? Would you want to be?

I think I'm going to take at least two passes at this one myself, because I want to give it a greater effort than is practical tonight. But for now:

Some people would probably disagree, but to my mind, the ballad of John and Yoko is truly one of the great real-life love stories of the 20th century. It's got everything: extravagant expressions of love, controversy, a world of jealousy, hostility and condemnation, "overwhelming oddities" to be overcome, opposition from "some of their beast friends" (although it should be noted that Paul helped out on the song The Ballad of John and Yoko), infidelity, Boy Meets Girl, Boy Loses Girl, Boy Gets Girl, politics, music, beds, bagism, and a horrible, tragic loss no one will ever forget.

They met at an art gallery, he the restless rock star, she the avant garde artist just starting to make her mark. He climbed a ladder to read a word she'd written on a ceiling, and was pleased that the word was "yes." That was the start of it. John and Cyn ultimately got divorced, but not before John and Yoko made an album together. Yoko fed John's experimental side, and John gradually inspired Yoko to become more accessibly musical. They tried to use their celebrity to promote peace in a variety of lighthearted ways, never taking themselves too seriously. They split up and got back together, did drugs together, cleaned up their act together and had a child together. John became a house husband for five years while Yoko looked after their business interests. Then they made music again, mostly together, until it all ended abruptly, an icon cut down by a deranged fan, as his wife looked on in horror.

After December 8th, 1980 I wore a series of buttons in memoriam for a whole year. The one I wore most often said "Hold on Yoko." At the end of a year I mailed it to her.

Your turn: tell us of a love story you find appealing or memorable or inspiring. Write it up in your journal or blog, and come back here and leave a link. I'll do the round-up on Valentine's Day, just before I head out to Gallifrey. Which reminds me of another controversial love story.

Karen

P.S. I almost forgot: I've certainly been in love, and maybe even a little obsessed; but it wasn't tragic. Good thing, too! No poison or dagger for this Juliet!