“I was 23, and my first boyfriend was John Lennon!” — May Pang
Two-day free exhibit, Tue-Wed, Oct 1-2, to be held at:
Creative Framing Solutions
410 Chestnut St., Manchester, NH
+1 (603) 320-5988
http://www.creativeframingsolutions.com
Recently I had a couple of items to be framed, so I visited Creative Framing Solutions on Chestnut Street. In my experience, owner Grace Burr has always done immaculate work. While chatting she mentioned that she was planning to have more shows on-site. Her next show coming up was by a photographer I was not familiar with. (Possibly showing my ’60s pop-culture ignorance.)
The exhibition, entitled “The Lost Weekend: The Photography of May Pang,” will provide fans a rare opportunity to see John Lennon in a new light, through the lens of someone who knew him intimately during one of the most creative periods of his life. May Pang’s candid photos will be on display and available to purchase. Pang will attend the exhibit, meeting customers and telling stories behind these amazing limited-edition photographs for sale of John Lennon.
The exhibit coincides with the recent digital release of the film documentary about John Lennon and May Pang called “The Lost Weekend: A Love Story,” available on many streaming platforms (Amazon Prime, AppleTV, YouTube, Vudu) and produced by Briarcliff Entertainment. Watch the film’s trailer below.
Photographer May Pang knew John Lennon intimately. Pang was Lennon’s lover during the infamous “Lost Weekend” which lasted 18 months during late 1973 through 1975. During this highly creative time for Lennon, Pang took candid photos of Lennon in a comfortable, relaxed environment. A collection of these private photographs will be on display and available for purchase at Creative Framing Solutions, 410 Chestnut Street, Manchester, NH., on Tue-Wed, October 1-2. Admission to the exhibit is free to the public. All works are available to purchase.
During the Lost Weekend, with May’s help, Lennon had his most artistically and commercially productive period post-Beatles—with the albums “Mind Games,”,”Walls and Bridges,” which included his only #1 Hit Single “Whatever Gets You Through the Night,” “Rock and Roll” and collaboration with Rock legends Elton John, David Bowie, Harry Nilsson, Mick Jagger, and Ringo among others. Also, on that album Pang can be heard on the song “#9 Dream” where she whispers John’s name in the song. Another song on the album, “Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox),” was written about Pang.
Pang also encouraged Lennon to reconnect with his family and his friends, which ultimately led to a reunion with Paul McCartney and a memorable jam session between the two Beatles. Pang also arranged for Julian Lennon to visit his father for the first time in almost three years. One of Pang’s photographs of Julian Lennon graces the cover of Julian’s latest album entitled “Jude.”
Lennon also went into the studio with friend Harry Nilsson during this time and produced his album “Pussy Cats.” It was during this time that Pang rented a house in Santa Monica and moved in with Lennon and fellow partiers Ringo Starr, Keith Moon (The Who) and Harry Nilsson. Several photos from this time also appear in the exhibition. Other highlights of the exhibition include the only photograph that exists of John Lennon signing the contract to dissolve the Beatles as well as one of the last known photographs of John Lennon and Paul McCartney together from March 29, 1974. Both photographs have never been available to the public until now.
Pang has also published three books on her times with Lennon including Loving John, John Lennon – The Lost Weekend and Instamatic Karma featuring photos from her private archives.
JUST THE FACTS
WHO: May Pang, John Lennon’s lover and companion during the infamous “Lost Weekend” which took place late 1973 through 1975.
WHAT: A photographic exhibition and sale entitled “The Lost Weekend – The Photography of May Pang” featuring candid photos of John Lennon and friends coinciding with the digital release of the feature film documentary on May Pang and John Lennon’s relationship “The Lost Weekend – A Love Story.”
WHEN: Tuesday, October 1 from 3pm – 8pm and Wednesday, October 2 from 3pm – 8pm.
WHERE: Creative Framing Solutions, 410 Chestnut Street, Manchester, NH 03101 (603) 320-5988; www.creativeframingsolutions.com
WHAT ELSE: May Pang is available for interviews. Contact Scott Segelbaum at [email protected] or call (610) 389-1807 for scheduling. High resolution JPEGs available upon request.
