I Met the Walrus, by Jerry Levitan

This is one of those books that you can reread and delve into again and again, since it is most beautifully designed, illustrated, produced and written. It is the memoir of musician, actor, film producer and lawyer Jerry Levitan, who, when he was a nerdy fourteen year-old, conned his way into an interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, an experience which changed his life. Levitan had been a fanatical Beatles admirer, and he could not let the opportunity pass to see Lennon face to face when he and Ono visited Montreal in 1969. So, with plenty of chutzpah and zero self-doubt he conned his way into the press briefing, and then got Lennon to agree to a private interview of some twenty minutes. The resulting media frenzy was as extreme as the amazement and disbelief of his family and friends.

Years later, Levitan made an award winning film about his moment with The Walrus (Lennon). The book comes with a CD containing the audio of the interview (Lennon softly-spoken with a Liverpudlian accent), black and white footage with no sound (courtesy of Levitan’s sister whose movie camera he had borrowed) and close-up photos (Lennon and Ono, both barefoot, dressed in white with long black hair). Even if you are not a Lennon fan, it is worth reading as a time capsule of Beatle-mania in the sixties. If you are, this is a must-have.

The website of the book with more pictures and videos, is here. [Retrvd. 2016-03-05]