May Pang, John Lennon’s Ex-Girlfriend, To Exhibit Photos In Tampa

TAMPA, FL — May Pang, John Lennon’s companion and lover during his 18-month-long “Lost Weekend” period from 1973 to 1975, will showcase personal, candid photos from her life with the former Beatle Jan. 24-26 at Tempus Projects in Ybor City.

The exhibition, “The Lost Weekend: The Photography of May Pang,” at the nonprofit arts center coincides with the digital release of her feature documentary about their relationship, “The Lost Weekend: A Love Story.” The documentary is streaming on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, YouTube and more.

Pang will also attend the free three-day exhibition, presented by Rock Art Show, to meet those stopping by the venue and to share the stories behind the photographs.

She hopes to clarify misconceptions about her relationship with Lennon and reclaim her life’s story through the documentary and the touring photography exhibit.

“A lot of people didn’t believe I was really with John except for a weekend,” Pang told Patch. “People just assumed without ever really thinking it out. People are writing my story. Whatever they feel like, they’re just writing it.”

She met Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, while working for Apple Records as their personal assistant in 1973.

This was a rough patch during the couple’s marriage and when Lennon separated from his wife, Ono encouraged Pang to become his new girlfriend, according to People magazine.

"I refused," Pang told People. "I respected their marriage. I said, 'That's not what I want to do.' I was very happy as a worker."

It wasn’t long before Lennon “charmed the pants off” her, though, and the two were in the midst of a whirlwind affair, she said.

During his “Lost Weekend” period — dubbed such by the musician himself and a reference to a 1945 Billy Wilder film — Lennon was at his most creative and productive, Pang said.

With her by his side, he released the albums “Mind Games,” “Walls and Bridges” — which boasted the artist’s only No. 1 hit single, “Whatever Gets You Through the Night” — and “Rock and Roll.”

Lennon also collaborated with other iconic rock musicians during this time, including Elton John, David Bowie, Harry Nilsson, Mick Jagger and former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr.

Pang appeared on his song “#9 Dream,” in which she whispers Lennon’s name, and the song “Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)” that he wrote about her during this period, she said.

In addition to being a creative muse, she also helped Lennon personally, encouraging him to reconnect with his family and friends.

This led to a reunion with his former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney, including a jam session between the two. Lennon also visited with his son, Julian, for the first time in almost three years during their relationship.

Pang was blacklisted from the music industry for a while after their breakup.

“John was a freelancer at one point and made mention that I couldn't be at any of the recording places. It was tough,” she said. “It was not a woman’s world and still isn’t, which bothered me. But I’m also Asian, so I’m the low man on the totem pole, they would say.”

Eventually, Lennon’s attorney reached out to her and helped her find a position working for United Artists in the music publishing division.

“Finding songs for other acts was not always easy,” Pang said, adding, “Believe me, I worked very hard and got major cuts.”

The New York City native has long been an audiophile who worked with artists across genres, including Judas Priest and Diana Ross.

“I love music and I love to talk about it, you need to hear this, you need to hear that,” Pang said. “That’s what I love.”

For years, Scott Segelbaum with Rock Art Show tried to convince her to showcase her photos with Lennon.

“He chased me for years about it,” Pang said. “I said, ‘Nobody’s interested,’ and he said, ‘You’d be surprised.’”

With so many misconceptions about her relationship with Lennon, she decided to set the record straight, and agreed to make a documentary about it in 2017.

“I said, ‘Enough’s enough. I now have to do something and take my life back and take back my storyline,’” she said, adding, “People want to believe whatever they want. There are two sides - three sides, really, left, right and somewhere in the middle.”

Lennon fans were quick to vilify her during and following their relationship.

“And Yoko, her side, her team, is going to put it like it was nothing. But you see stuff from when it went on, there was almost no denial about what happened between me and him,” Pang said. “And I walked away from that relationship with nothing. I didn’t ask for anything. I didn’t get anything.”

She remained in touch with Lennon until his 1980 death at 40 years old, when he was fatally shot by Mark David Chapman outside The Dakota in New York City.

Pang claims the musician never fully let go of their relationship.

“There’s always gonna be a time (for us,) he said. He goes, ‘I’m trying to figure it out; how we can do this; how we can get it together,” she said. “But I didn’t want to get any of my hopes up or any of that stuff that much.”

Still, she sometimes wonders what could have been.

“Nobody anticipated him going away forever,” Pang said. “That was the hardest part. So, I never had closure for him because we thought we would still be together. He could have anyone, but he would still talk to me.”

Among the photos included in the Tempus Projects exhibit are images from Lennon’s time in the studio to produce his friend Harry Nilsson’s album “Pussy Cats.” During this time, Pang rented a house in Santa Monica, California, and moved into it with Lennon, Nilsson, Starr and Keith Moon, the drummer for The Who.

Pang also captured the only photograph that exists of Lennon signing the contract to dissolve the Beatles, which happened while he was visiting the Polynesian Resort at Walt Disney World in Orlando. She also took one of the last known photos of Lennon and McCartney on March 29, 1974.

Both of these photos, which have never been publicly on display, are included in the exhibit.

Pang stands by her story and the photos that tell it.

“John used to say to me, ‘The truth will come out.’ He didn’t tell me it would take 50 years to get there,” she said.