The Al Capp sequence


When I first saw this movie, I couldn't figure out why it included footage of Al Capp's visit to John and Yoko's hotel room during their bed-in for peace. Capp was such an annoying tw*t and just insulted them. I later assumed that it demonstrated the kind of treatment they got from some quarters at that time. Both John and Yoko were clearly unprepared for Capp's spiteful assault.

Anyone who does any research on Capp will find that he was known to be a cantankerous, obnoxious, egotistical b*stard who enjoyed winding other people up. During the 1960's he was particularly known for deriding and heckling peace protestors and those opposed to the Vietnam war, so John and Yoko were just one of many targets.

What Capp did in this movie was clearly premeditated. He happened to be in the same hotel at the same time and saw an opportunity to have a dig at them and stroke his own ego at the same time. He was quite crafty because he didn't go in there shouting and screaming. He was actually quite polite at first and appeared to be praising them. This lulled John and Yoko into a false sense of security. But Capp's real intentions were soon revealed when he began with his nasty, sarcastic taunts. I'm surprised John didn't get up and deck him.

Hindsight is always a great thing and when Capp ridiculed the cover of the "Two Virgins" album John should have simply pointed out that nudes had been featured in art for centuries, so what was the big deal? In fact, the cover perfectly captured the intended mood and concept of the album. Capp then got the lyrics wrong to "The Ballad of John & Yoko" so he obviously hadn't listened to the song properly. But why would Capp have a problem with this song or John's peace message? There have been countless songs before and since that spread some sort of message and speak for many people. If Capp didn't like it then he shouldn't have listened to it. Of course, this annoying old g*t couldn't leave it at that.

I still hate the sequence that features him and wish that John would have flattened him, but I guess that would hardly have been fitting for a peace protest! At least John remains an icon and will never be forgotten. He did far more than Capp ever could. Capp is a tiny footnote in history, largely unknown and forgotten, with a reputation of being a not-so-pleasant person. Maybe that's what really grated him; that John's incredible fame and influence vastly over-shadowed his own.

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When capp says "you got live with that",meaning Yoko,that's when I thought John might have hit him,because after it John say's "nice try".

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It wasn't too long after that that Capp's own world came tumbling down.

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I though John replied with "Nice drawings".


I need to watch again.

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@urilla11 But why would Capp have a problem with this song or John's peace message?
According to his Wiki entry, he "attacked militant antiwar demonstrators, both in his personal appearances and in his strip." I guess he viewed the Lennons as such.

As for why the sequence was in there, I think the intent was to show that Lennon's life wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, and that he had nasty incidents with people who didn't like him. IMO if Lennon was alive, he would've insisted on it being included.

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he was surely lucky not meeting john 5 years earlier when he was a violent man. but it was clearly indicated that capp was invited to the room, not an excuse for his behavior.

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Capp was a complete douche. He died of emphasemia (suffocation) with many family tragedies in the end. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

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