All Photos: Alan Mercer Lighting: Eric V.
May Pang worked for ABKCO, the Beatles’ management company, in the early 1970’s, and from there was hired as John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s personal assistant. After her relationship with John Lennon ended, May worked for Island Records and United Artists.
May was born in Manhattan. She is the daughter of Chinese immigrants and grew up in New York's Spanish Harlem with an elder sister and an adopted brother, both of whom were born in China.
After graduating from Saint Michael Academy, May attended New York City Community College. She wanted to be a model, but was told she was too "ethnic" by the modeling agencies. May's early jobs included being a song-plugger, which meant encouraging artists to record them. In 1970, she began work in New York as a receptionist at ABKCO Records, Allen Klein's management office, which at that time represented Apple Records and three former Beatles: John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.
May was asked to help Lennon and Ono with their avant-garde film projects, ‘Up Your Legs Forever’ and ‘Fly,’ in December 1970. May was then asked to be Lennon and Ono's secretary and factotum/gofer in New York and England, which led to a permanent position as their personal assistant when the Lennons moved from London to New York in 1971. May coordinated an art exhibition in Syracuse, New York, on October 9, 1971, for Ono's ‘This Is Not Here’ art show at the Everson Museum. Yoko Ono's show coincided with Lennon's 31st birthday.
In summer 1973, May was working on the recording of Lennon's ‘Mind Games’ album. Lennon and Ono were having marital problems and decided to separate, and Ono suggested to Pang that she become Lennon's companion. Ono explained that she and Lennon were not getting along, had been arguing and were growing apart, and said that Lennon would start seeing other women. She pointed out that Lennon had said he found Pang sexually attractive. May replied that she could never start a relationship with John as he was her employer and married. Ono ignored May's protests and said that she would arrange everything. Ono later confirmed this conversation in an interview. In October 1973, John Lennon and May Pang left New York for Los Angeles to promote ‘Mind Games,’ and decided to stay for a while, living at the homes of friends.
In March 1974, Lennon began producing Harry Nilsson's ‘Pussy Cats’ album. May rented a beach house in Santa Monica, for her, Lennon, Harry Nilsson, Ringo Starr and Keith Moon to live in. At this time, May encouraged Lennon to reach out to family and friends. He and Paul McCartney mended fences and played together for the first and only time after the breakup of The Beatles. May also arranged for Julian Lennon to visit his father for the first time in four years.
Julian began to see his father more regularly. Lennon bought Julian a Gibson Les Paul guitar and a drum machine for Christmas in 1973, and encouraged Julian's interest in music by showing him some chords. "Dad and I got on a great deal better then," recalls Julian. "We had a lot of fun, laughed a lot and had a great time in general when he was with May Pang. My memories of that time with Dad and May are very clear—they were the happiest time I can remember with them."
In June 1974, Lennon and Pang returned to live in New York City. Lennon stopped drinking and concentrated on recording. While visiting Mick Jagger in Montauk, New York, John and May saw a Scottish-style cottage for sale close to the Montauk Point Lighthouse. Lennon asked a real estate broker to put in an offer for it in February 1975. Lennon and Pang were also planning on visiting Paul and Linda McCartney in New Orleans in February 1975, where Wings were recording the ‘Venus and Mars’ album, but Lennon reconciled with Ono the day before the planned visit, after Ono said she had a new cure for Lennon's smoking habit.
After Lennon returned to Ono, May Pang started working for United Artists Records and Island Records as a PR manager, working on albums by Bob Marley and Robert Palmer.
May published her memoir, ‘Loving John,’ in 1983. It was later updated and renamed ‘John Lennon: The Lost Weekend.’ The original 500-page ‘Loving John’ book focused mainly on Pang's role on Lennon's albums and sessions. It was edited down to 300 pages, concentrating mostly on the sensational aspects of their relationship. It also included postcards that Lennon had written to Pang during his travels throughout the world in the late '70s.’ May claims that she and Lennon remained lovers until 1977, and stayed in contact until his death.
May's book of photographs, ‘Instamatic Karma,’ was published in 2008. Besides the candid personal portraits, the book contains some historically important photographs, such as Lennon signing the official dissolution of The Beatles' partnership, and the last known photograph of Lennon and Paul McCartney together. Cynthia Lennon also provided a back cover endorsement, acknowledging May Pang's role in reuniting Lennon with his estranged first son, Julian.
May Pang married record producer Tony Visconti in 1989, but the couple divorced in 2000. They had two children, Sebastian and Lara. She remains in touch with some of the people from her time with Lennon, and Paul McCartney invited her to Linda McCartney's memorial service. She was an invited guest at The Concert for George in 2002 and remains close to Cynthia Lennon and Lennon's first son, Julian Lennon.
May Pang lives with her children in upstate New York and produces a line of stainless steel Feng Shui jewelry. She volunteers with an animal shelter called Animal Haven in New York and owns a dog rescued after Hurricane Katrina. She also co-hosts an Internet talk radio show, "Dinner Specials with Cynthia and May Pang", at blogtalkradio.com, with on-air partner Cynthia Neilson.
AM: May, what is an average day like for you?
MP: I’ve only recently started coming out and doing events and autograph shows. Right now I like to design jewelry.
AM: How did you get interested in designing jewelry?
MP: My mother, who was a little old lady from China, passed away a few years ago at the age of 97, liked to make jewelry. I took all her supplies and started making my own jewelry as a way to honor her. She had an amazing eye for these things. I inherited her vintage Swarovski beads. I am updating all her work to fit into the 2000’s. I’m sure she can see it all from heaven. I’m also working on some limited edition photos from my book, ‘Instamatic Karma.’
AM: You really are a photographer aren’t you?
MP: Yeah, I loved it as a hobby and John loved it. He loved the eye I had for him.
AM: Did you intentionally take publicity photos of him?
MP: I never thought when I was taking photos of him that they would be published. There are a few photographs in the book that he absolutely loved. He used one for a 45 single release sleeve. The kids today don’t know what those are. One of my photos was used as a sleeve for ‘Imagine,’ even though it had come out earlier in the United States, it hadn’t come out as a single in England so they used it over there.
AM: Do you still enjoy the attention you get from that time period?
MP: I’m enjoying all of it. I have an Internet Radio Show and I would love to do more. In the past I even did some acting.
AM: I sure didn’t know that.
MP: I’m actually a SAG and AFTRA Actor. I’m in the Mike Nichols film, ‘Heartburn.’ I ran into Mike Nichols at a restaurant a few years later and I told him how much I loved all his films and then told him I was in ‘Heart Burn’ and he told me that was a good movie to be in. So we said good-bye and he walked out of the restaurant. A few moments later he came back in and said, “I remember you in the party scene.” I said, “That’s right.” He told me he never forgets a face.
AM: Do people still associate you with John Lennon?
MP: Oh absolutely!
AM: That must be like a tattoo on your face.
MP: It is a tattoo. A lot of people don’t realize that John’s biggest solo work came from the time we were together. I was with him when he was working with Harry Nilsson and Ringo Starr. I got him and Paul McCartney back together again and got him reconnected with his son Julian. To this day I am very close with Julian and his mother, Cynthia.
AM: Were you star struck when you first met?
MP: I worked in their office and the first thing I thought about was being 13 and in love with the Beatles, but after you work in the office for a while, it starts to change and it becomes a job.
AM: Did you enjoy the job?
MP: Yes, but just like any other job, if you don’t do it well, you are out. A lot of people think it was Yoko who set up the whole job and that she pulled the plug when it was over but it wasn’t that way. She suggested that John and I get together and I told her I didn’t want him. I had been with him for three years already.
AM: What was Yoko trying to do?
MP: She was pushing him on me because she was trying to date somebody else. John and I had a good employer/employee relationship. It was never Yoko who called. It was John who did the calling. He pursued me. That’s the only reason we ended up together. It wasn’t because of Yoko. Also when it ended it was a surprise to John. We were just about to buy a house.
AM: Was that rough on you at the time?
MP: Absolutely! It was devastating. I learned it was the same way for John. Even though he was back at the house with Yoko, he was still calling me. He just wanted to make sure I was alright. If anyone knew John, they knew he was not the type of person to do that. Once you were gone that was it, but that’s not how it was with us.
AM: Was John Lennon a love of your life?
MP: Looking back I feel love for each person I was involved with, but John was the first person I ever lived with. He definitely made an impression. Even though we were not together in the last five years, he stayed in touch with me. Not many people realize that. He called me a lot. Our relationship really did not end, even though there was a forced ending to it. He would still call me. He even called me from South Africa the year he died, just to talk.
To learn more about May Pang visit her web site http://www.maypang.com/