John Lennon - Life at Cold Spring Harbor Part 1

[RichRod66]

U can get my info on Facebook.

[RichRod66]

Hey Neil, Fred appeared on Howard Stern in the '90's but for the life of me can't find it anywhere on You Tube. Do u hv posted? Thx

[RichRod66]

Sorry to hear that.

[RichRod66]

Neil, you rock!!! Thanks for the quick response. I'm still in Brooklyn too: Bay Ridge. It seemed Fred disappeared so this is welcome news. I highly doubt he remembers me but if so you can pass on my info to him. That's great Aunt Helen is still here. How about Uncle Norman? These vids are a godsend. If you ever unearth the "I'm losing You" Hit Factory video, I'll know I died and gone to heaven!!!! Thanks Buddy

[NeilFraudstrong]

@RichRod66

Norman died on September 2nd, 2009. He is missed.

[RichRod66]

...these vids give credibility to his writing and is fascinating to see images that I've only read about. Fred was generous and kind with his time on the phone to me and I always wanted to thank him for that. If it wasn't for him we would only have Yoko's one sided view. These images humanizes John even more. I hope Fred is doing fine.

[NeilFraudstrong]

@RichRod66

I will tell him for you.

[NeilFraudstrong]

@RichRod66

Sorry for the short reply, was playing Call of Duty with my friends. Fred is doing well and he lives a quiet life in Brooklyn. He's a social worker for the city of New York and will be retiring in a few more years. Aunt Helen is still alive and very active at the age of 93.

[RichRod66]

Wow, great stuff. When Fred's book came out, I was moved to reach out to him to show my appreciation with what I feel was the most accurate accounts in Lennon's last year. We spoke a couple of times in the mid '90's trying to make plans to meet and talk. I lived in Brooklyn Heights which he was familiar with but regrettably lost touch....

[NeilFraudstrong]

@RichRod66

He lives in Sea Gate now.

[kaitlinan]

@NeilFraudstrong you should write a book on John... or a blog post... or anything LOL. But seriously, I'd love to know how much you know about him... he is such a mystery... There is no definitive true book on him....

[NeilFraudstrong]

@kaitlinan

I actually am working on a book about John. I was encouraged by a lot of people and so I said, "You know what? I will."

[wonderkatty]

LLLLool, i like the way John runs at 3 secondes!!!...

[chumshot1]

@wonderkatty XD XD XD IKR!!!!!!! Hes such a spaz :D

[donna1175]

@3:51 Yoko looks like a ghost when she walks past the camera, you can see thru her :)

[chumshot1]

@donna1175 lololol I KNOW!!!!! Its creepy 0_0

[dutchgoing]

@donna1175 Old video cameras would ghost like that because they actually had a scanning tube inside them which would reatin after-images. Street lights would leave trails on the screen too. You had to be pretty rich to have home video like this in 1980.

[NeilFraudstrong]

@dutchgoing

Indeed. This was a pretty exclusive item circa 1980. Before camcorders, it was mostly like super 8 home videos which weren't really that great. This was like cutting edge technology for 1980.

[dutchgoing]

@NeilFraudstrong When I first started using VHS video recorders in 1989, very few people owned them, I borrowed the one I used which was a Panasonic NV181, quite a small satchell about 12" by 18" which you could carry on your shoulder, connected by a cable to quite a nifty little camera, black and white viewfinder and autofocus. The fractal feeback video on my channel was done with a VHS (full size tapes) camcorder, quite big but very good quality. The recording you see is 19 years old.

[dutchgoing]

@NeilFraudstrong My uncle had a video camera and separate recorder in '80 which was pretty bulky, he still has it in his loft. A Ferguson Videostar toploader VHS machine which was about the only domestic video available in 1980 in the UK if you didn't want Betmax cost £500 in old money. We had use of one during the school hols because my father was a teacher, leaving it in school would guarantee that it would get stolen. The old VHS tapes had instructions telling you which way to insert them LOL

[NeilFraudstrong]

@dutchgoing

I think this is a similar setup here. In part 2, Sean keeps looking at the TV (off screen) as he moves and I think he's intrigued by the ghosting effect. He also mentions being "on TV" several times throughout parts 2-whatever.

[dutchgoing]

@NeilFraudstrong Yes the novelty was so strong that pugging the camera into the TV as you shot was something I remember doing. Robert Rosen in 'Nowhere Man' paints a pretty grim picture of the Lennon-Ono household in the late 70s, but day to day reality seems pretty normal. Nice to see it.

[NeilFraudstrong]

@dutchgoing

Robert Rosen is a hack. Note, he's not necessarily wrong, but he's a hack and a backstabbing bastard.

[dutchgoing]

@NeilFraudstrong I have nothing to compare his book with. I found the emphasis the Lennons placed on astrology very odd indeed and their use of heroin. The importance of money and goods to them and the reality of Yoko as a hard-nosed business person was certainly well described, but I have no idea if it is true or not, well written.

[refusetolose103]

it's really a shame the more i talk to this neil strong fraud i get the feeling that he dosen't know much about lennon at all other than what's common knowledge. iam honestly starting to think he's not fred or neither knows fred..and is more like on the lines of a chapman. a lost soul that made up this imaginary world to get himself some attention and in his obession has some great lennon material which is kind of sad really..and i think that's pretty much the story in a nutshell..

[NeilFraudstrong]

@refusetolose103

Jesus Christ, you're such an amateur. Give it up.

[refusetolose103]

@NeilFraudstrong ok. anybody who believes anything you say i feel sorry for them.. your a fraud!!

[NeilFraudstrong]

@refusetolose103

lol k

[chumshot1]

@NeilFraudstrong Wow, thats aiight dont listen to him he's a spaz xD

[NeilFraudstrong]

@chumshot1

Don't worry. The great thing about being me is a lot of people who don't know what they're talking about try to tell you that you're wrong, but what they don't know is that I know people who were actually friends with John on a personal level and they have all confirmed my research to me as being accurate and correct. So they continue to tell me how wrong I am and I just laugh and go, "Yeah. You're right." and roll my eyes.

[chumshot1]

@NeilFraudstrong WOW!!! That is rlly cool. Im glad ur right, then LOL! God I wish I couldve been around for John :(

[refusetolose103]

this. neil fred paul mal george martin what ever his name is a joke fraudstrong your a strong fraud a perfect name you picked in attempt to prove your so called friend is an angel and i never claim yoko is.. but your claims are wild i could pick apart your post all night thats how much bullshit they are but ill leave it with this yoko dont go after cynthia or may cause they know to much andbody who really knows things knows yoko treats them like shit and snubs them on the reuglar..

[NeilFraudstrong]

@refusetolose103

Okay buddy, keep believing the myth, but when you find out that I was right I will be right here to say I told you so.

[refusetolose103]

@NeilFraudstrong one more time buddy! what myth !!!! that john and yoko didnt have a fairy tale realtionship news flash that's been common knowledge since the 60's but yet fred 's the lone ranger is exsposing the so called myth that anybody that really knows about john like you seem like you barely do at all.. knows it doesent exsist anyway a perfect myth about there life together your just a plain idoit and ill bet anything on your sad exsistence that i do know what iam talking about..

[NeilFraudstrong]

@refusetolose103

You have no idea whatsoever what you are talking about and you are only looking like an ignorant fool.

[refusetolose103]

fred seaweed is no different than yoko.. they both try and use johns name to make money or did . and they both use the reason and say there trying to protect his legacy.. there really no different.. but iam sure also in there own ways they had love for him and are truthfull about aspects about him... but good and bad there really not much different in how they handled there interaction with john..

[NeilFraudstrong]

@refusetolose103

This is a completely ignorant assessment of Fred. Fred is a friend of mine who has been slandered for over 25 years by people who have no idea about his case other than the side that Yoko tells. Fred wrote his book because working with the Lennon family was a notable experience. Fred has not tried to use John's name to make money. He has his own job and his own money. Fred just wrote about his experiences and published a book about it.

[refusetolose103]

@NeilFraudstrong listen iam not gonna go back and forth with you but maybe he should of thought about that when he signed the confidentiality agreement that if he was gonna right a book he shouldnt of took the job in the first place. that seems alittle deceptive dont you think? and if it was just a book why did he steal numerous boxes of personal things that isint just a yoko tale because he lost his court case and had to return the items.so i guess all the stolen items had to do with the book..

[NeilFraudstrong]

@refusetolose103

Let's take a look at this so called confidentiality agreement: John Green, Yoko's tarot card reader, signed one. Yet he published a book without being sued. May Pang used to work for the Lennons and therefore signed a confidentiality agreement, yet she's never been sued for any of her books. Yoko went after Fred because he was exposing the myth in the most public way and she went after him as a form of damage control, not because of some stupid confidentiality agreement.

[NeilFraudstrong]

Fred did NOT steal "boxes of things". This is, yet again, a widespread lie. John received a lot of audio equipment from companies vying for his endorsement. John never needed it and he would just store it in one of his apartments for storage where it would collect dust. He would tell Fred, "Go ahead, take this, I don't need any of this crap" and when John is alive that's okay because if there is a discrepancy he can say, "Oh it's cool, no problem."

[NeilFraudstrong]

When John is dead, however, and these items are missing out of the log, it appears stolen even though it was a completely legitimate transaction. Jack Douglas and May Pang both verify these details. You are so far out of your element it's not even funny. He lost his court case because Yoko was going to bankrupt him through the courts. She was going to endlessly file motions and delays to bankrupt Fred financially. He never stole anything, but whatever you obviously know more about him than I do.

[NeilFraudstrong]

And do you know why John Green, May Pang, and Cynthia will never be sued? Because they hold the bombshells that would destroy Yoko Ono in a court of law. Those are the three people she fears the most because they have all of the dirt on her and she wouldn't dare sue them and have them make their claims in a court of law. Fred was an easy and sensitive target which is why he got hammered the way he did, not because he was some criminal mastermind or scheming employee like you seem to believe.

[refusetolose103]

@NeilFraudstrong your so full of shit it hurt's to watch your post... she was suing him because of the myth he's exposing may pang talks shit all the time about yoko about how she is..and i read john green s book he say's the same shit that fred did so what myth was fred exposing you know the difference why she went after him and not them cause he was publicly trying to sell personal items and make money off the lennon name not a personal book that they wrote lennon's actuall personal items.

[NeilFraudstrong]

@refusetolose103

Again, you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.

[refusetolose103]

@NeilFraudstrong like you didnt address in my other post because you have nothing to say so you resort to a small rebuff like a child!! you know so much about the lennon story but you said yoko didnt sue may because may has to much dirt on yoko and yoko is scared.. first off may say's the same thing fred does about there real realtionship and what yoko is really about not just yoko's positive projection. so your fred is the lone crusader of the truth is bullshit like you are..

[refusetolose103]

@NeilFraudstrong your story dont really add up either! why claim to be his friend over and over but yet have in your posssession a personal tape that he shot but yet you didnt get it from him! your friends with him and have a TAPE that he shot himself personally but you didnt get it from him .(yea ok) if you did get it from him or you are him and you were afraid of yoko or somebody suing you why claim in allmost a bragging way that you know him.if its all about john why not just show the tape.

[NeilFraudstrong]

@refusetolose103

You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Fred has never, in any way, shape, or form, contributed to this channel. I was not bragging that I knew him. Most people dislike Fred because they are uninformed so bragging would do little in the way of reputation. Fred has never leaked anything to me. You know, the Lennons DID have other employees then and now. Maybe it was one of them? WOW WHAT A MYSTERY. You're being an ignorant conspiracy theorist.

[refusetolose103]

@NeilFraudstrong but my original point was yoko does alot of sneaky things and that's never in question but i love how alot involved do the same thing's but point the finger at her. that's probally why they clashed because there not much different. but in an attempt to slander his wife and at the same time claim to have respected john.he uses slander tools likea bout her coldness at the time of lennon death but yet lennon himself was know to laugh when people close to him died .

[NeilFraudstrong]

@refusetolose103

It's not slandering his wife when there are facts involved. The truth is that John and Yoko was a Greek tragedy and a relationship of codependency, not love. The sooner you realize that all you thought you knew about John's life with Yoko was either not true or extremely exaggerated, the better off you will be. John and Yoko was, first and foremost, a business entity. Their relationship only existed in the public arena, but behind closed doors it was the complete opposite.

[refusetolose103]

@NeilFraudstrong but saying that i really enjoyed fred's book or yours or whatever.. but i tend to lean more towards larry kanes lennon revealed for somebody who knew john for more like15 teen years not one or two you get a sense that he doesnt just say he loved and respected john he's shows it threw action even though you can tell he doesnt totally agree or understand with everything yoko does he reports and reflects john legecy with an objective honesty and dignity..

[NeilFraudstrong]

@refusetolose103

I address this question every day. I am not Fred Seaman.  People refuse to believe me, but what can I do?

[helterskelter1]

@NeilFraudstrong You know your Fred Seaman stop lying!!!!!

[NeilFraudstrong]

@helterskelter1

Thanks for blowing my cover, dick.

[refusetolose103]

@NeilFraudstrong i dont really care if you are or you arent but your a fraud to me regardless..lol why even come on here and say you know him thats strange!! if i knew him i surely wouldnt come on youtube everyday to brag about it ..and if you are him that's even more weird that he/you would seem that desperate for attention that his/yours only outlet to reach out to people is make up a fake profile on youtube and talk about himself/yourself allday thats really lame.iam sure you have more to do.

[refusetolose103]

@NeilFraudstrong 4- or the joke lennon made when they lost mal evans ashes and him saying look in the dead letter office seems kind of cold and insensitive dont you think? but dosent mean he didnt love mal that's the way he dealt with death! so maybe yoko's coldness isint that unusual. you would think somebody who spent so much time with him would realize that if they were really trying to understand who he was and who he loved. and why he loved them. and were really interested in his legacy!

[NeilFraudstrong]

@refusetolose103

Fun fact:

Mal Evans' ashes were never lost in the postal system. This is an urban legend. Yoko and John spent hardly any time together. Yoko was busy practicing witchcraft and trying to have affairs with Sam Green and Sam Havadtoy while John was upstairs wallowing in his own depression. I am just going to end this here because there is no way that I will ever get through to you. If you want to believe in the myth, it's okay, a lot of people do, but the truth is out there

[refusetolose103]

@NeilFraudstrong so larry seem's to take the approach of not slander towards people john loved! never once does he do that and that says alot about somebody charceter.!! he wrote his book as if he wrote the kind of book he would of writen if john were still alive!! and to me that's a true testament-of truth honor respect and love for john.

[inthenitesky]

Common Chris you gotta tell us - how on earth did you get this footage? I find it interesting that J&Y wanted or needed a nanny and an assistant considering John was a stay at home dad and Yoko didnt seem to have a proper 'job' per se? Still strange yet cool too watch these vids

[NeilFraudstrong]

@inthenitesky

Well, as far as Helen goes (Sean's nanny), she really helped out a lot with raising Sean because John and Yoko were somewhat passive as parents. John was definitely there and involved with Sean, but he couldn't handle him when he was tired or whatever. And Fred would go out and do things for John that he couldn't do like go to a record store to buy records or go to a music shop to buy an instrument or go to a market. Fred was just a general do it all assistant.

[pallallan]

Funny those pictures never reached us before? I thought there were none? Great ! Thanx!

[jmc575]

Yoko was born in Feb. 1933. In 1980 she was 47. In 2010 she is 77; 7 1/2 years older than John ( who would be 70 this year).

[movescamp8]

Was this right after John & Sean got back from Bermuda? Am I the only one that sees tension between the two (Yoko & John)? 4:00 he just stares at the camera for 18 eerie seconds. I wonder what he's thinking? This video is great.. you can pick up on real energy here, nothing phony.

[wisesatyr72]

John must have a premonition that we'd be watching this film on youtube someday, otherwise why'd he record this? lol

[NeilFraudstrong]

@wisesatyr72

John recorded his family life to the point of obsession. He did it with audio, video, and photographs. John was very romantic about his family life and often documented it because he was obsessed with the idea of finally having a family of his own. Now you may be saying, "What about Cynthia and Julian?" and that's true, I agree. But this time, John was not under contract and he had time to appreciate his family and he wanted to document every moment of it.

[wisesatyr72]

@NeilFraudstrong Well I understand about all that and he did felt very bad about julian and was very nervous about hanging out with him.

I just dont appreciate other people like my best friend saying that John is too political and should not get involved in protesting and all that which I disagree, his non- existent political career was very brief and he was retired for about 5 yrs whilst making this film. I just admired everything about this man, he really had a window to the human soul.

[evangelo66]

this must be late 70's, right?

[NeilFraudstrong]

@evangelo66

It's from April 1980.

[1365225]

man this is so boring no wonder john was taking so much a class drugs what a sad and boring life and he also looks in really bad shape as well

[zamandeggs]

nice rack on helen.

[NeilFraudstrong]

@zamandeggs

LOL. My god, man. I admit, I laughed. She was about 61 or 62 there. She's 92 now and will turn 93 this year.

[TheCocky69]

@NeilFraudstrong who?

[NeilFraudstrong]

@TheCocky69

Helen Seaman, Sean's nanny and Fred's aunt.

[jasonriggs]

If Yoko has hours and hour of this they could make the ultimate reality show. It would be a reality show before anyone had a concept of a reality show and it would be starring the biggest rock star in history... John Lennon.

[NeilFraudstrong]

John recorded everything to the point of obsession. Even in The Dakota, but especially in Palm Beach and Cold Spring Harbor. In nearly every photograph from Cold Spring Harbor, there is a camera in the background.

[BeatleUniversity]

@NeilFraudstrong I know two girls who met John Lennon at the Record Plant in 1980. I wondered if Yoko has the tape somewhere? The studio musician told his daughter that John recorded everything he did and might have it on tape. I WAS SO DARN CLOSE TO MEETING HIM!!!!! I'M PISSED ABOUT IT TO THIS DAY!

[muziktrkr]

If you've read the interviews, he wanted to move to a place that felt like Scotland. Also, Billy Joel's former "glass house" is around that area. John was into boating around that time, so I wouldn't be surprised if they exchanged hellos in the harbor.

[JohnLennon100]

Where do you get these videos???? It's awesome!!!

[robertjames111]

this is friken awsome

[utubesucks2003]

I am speechless! Thank you!

[NeilFraudstrong]

Every time I see this video I always think of Fred's book when he mentions that John would frequently answer the door at The Dakota himself which would surprise the hell out of delivery boys and gofers since most never dealt with him directly or expected to.

[BeatleUniversity]

@NeilFraudstrong In 1978/1979 I worked with a girl at a record store. She would say her father used to deliver spring water to John Lennon. He would be in the kitchen as the was delivering it.

[NeilFraudstrong]

Yes, John was very very very attentive. He kept track of the gas mileage on his apple green Mercedes station wagon. Every time they took it out or when one of the gofers took it out, he would always note the mileage in a notebook. Similarly, whenever they had deliveries he was almost always the one that oversaw everything. Fred has said that it came as a great shock to the delivery boys because none of them expected to actually see the man himself open the door and receive them.

[MrsLennonforever89]

OMG! thank you for sharing these videos <333

for this I'll subscribe to you :)

[joefixit14]

y dident he treat julian like how he treated sean

[maccalex]

This was recorded directly after he sang "Dear Yoko" take 2

[bigpaul1980]

I have to say, this is pretty much THE best video of John Lennon to EVER hit youtube and congratulations must be given to Chris! the number one Lennon tuber!!

[nonnel64]

Like being there with them, think about songs were on air that spring, The wall, and others, and feel like being there with our hero...

[paulcage79]

wow, great work Neil! thank you so much

[NeilFraudstrong]

I've always thought it was interesting that John loved to be in front of and behind the camera. You would think that during all he went through with The Beatles that he wouldn't want to be in many photos, but I guess when it was something for the family it brought joy to him as opposed to one of the fans outside The Dakota or on stage or whatever.

[joefixit14]

well manly in the beatles ringo was the one who took pics but john loved to be in ringos pictures GOOOOOOOOOO JOHN WE LOVE U <3

[ladybird2500]

I want to know what Sean got!! :D

oh.. he's so cute... thanks !!

[NeilFraudstrong]

It was probably something really awesome like a Martin D-42. I am being facetious, but I saw a photo once of John, Sean, and Julian playing guitars (or rather, John was teaching them) and they all had brand new Martin guitars.

[NeilFraudstrong]

I just watched this again and it just occurred to me what the surprise was.

Earlier, John was like "Sean doesn't know you're here yet. He's getting dressed now." And she says, "Oh, do we still have time?"

Maybe the "surprise in the kitchen" was Yoko?

[AbbeyRoad1965]

"I'm going to get one of these at home this is colour!"

haha

[alt1962]

Thanks!!

[NeilFraudstrong]

I love how John skips to the door. He's like a kid on Christmas morning except his present is a million dollar oceanfront home.

Also I forgot to include this, but this was filmed in April 1980. My guess would be April 11th or 12th 1980. John is wearing the same clothes that he wore in the video(s) of him performing Dear Yoko which would indicate (obviously) that this was filmed the same day.

[Nepenthe070]

Thanks for this rare look at the Lennon's real life.

[NeilFraudstrong]

This video and this series would not have been possible without Mr. Beatleg. Thank you, Mr. Beatleg.