Another fascinating image from December 1968 has surfaced. Although it's a variation on a theme, the most interesting thing is the presence of the den piano, occupying the space where the Fool painted keyboard used to be. Therein lies a tale...but I have no idea what it is. The last sighting of the Fool piano was in June of '68, where it can be seen in the home movie partially shot in the sunroom during the filming of Smile and Two Virgins. John and Yoko moved out of Kenwood shortly thereafter, of course, to allow Cynthia to move back in, before returning at the end of November (see posts passim).
What happened to the Fool piano in the interim? Did they take it with them to Montagu Square? How did it end up at George's country pile Friar Park? I dunno.
The den piano and the footstools that can be seen above, and in other shots taken in the sunroom in December 1968, were eventually moved to Tittenhurst, and presumably now reside in the Dakota:
Good question - I think we need to ask:
ReplyDelete- What did John take along when he moved out the first time
- What did Cyn take for herself when she moved out
- What did John bring back when he moved back in
- What did he leave behind when he moved out again?
I wonder if John might have packed only a small bundle when he moved out, after all he was to start a new life with a new love with little interest in what went before plus they were kind of "on the run" then, living at several different places for a while. So I guess he might have put some stuff that he didn`t want or couldn`t take along yet didn`t want them to stay with Cyn either into storage at a friend. So I could well imagine it that he gave the "Fool-paino" to George to keep it for a while but then never asked it back, thus it came into the possesion of the Harrisons.
That might be a sun room clock on top of the piano :)
ReplyDeleteThat classical guitar is not his but Harrison's. It's the Ramirez Student Model George plays on "And I Love Her", "I'll Be Back" and "No Reply". Lennon's Ramirez was model 1A, which is a higher end concert guitar. Check the round edges on the bridge, the "S" shape treble end on the fretboard and the square headstock. Maybe they traded the Fool piano for the Ramirez Student Model guitar.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, Henry - and worth a post!
ReplyDeleteHey Sean, seriously from one nutter to another, hats off for this site, talk about filling in the pieces, i'm just as nutty about the Dakota but havent made a site about it .. yet :-) but the work you do here is really great and really appreciated by me .. and i know a lot of others, seeing as i nick your photo's please always feel free to pilage and violte my site to your hearts content, anything i find that i think will be a help to you i'll pass along,
ReplyDeleteGreg.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI'm from Spain. I made a research about George Harrison's Ramírez guitar and gave a conference about it at Ramírez guitar shop in Madrid last May the 9th. The question is: if those pictures from December 1968 show John Lennon with George Harrison's ramírez guitar..., where is the guitar now?? Maybe at Dakota Building in New York?? BTW: this guitar was purchased at Ramírez guitar shop in Madrid in May 1963 by Klaus Voormann.
Please: do contact me if you need more info or if you get more about this guitar (=xcgandara at edu.xunta.es )
Best,
XCG