Freetime - 14th October 1971

Recorded: ? (Possibly Live)

Transmitted by: WNET (USA) Colour 14th October 1971

One of the most intriguing Television appearance by the Lennon's - this TV special was shot in front of a studio audience and was presumably designed to promote Yoko's Syracuse exhibition which opened five days before the broadcast. Alternative film-maker Jonas Mekas was present throughout to help the Lennon's run through a series of exhibits. John and Yoko appeared from out of a big Black bag and a blind-folded Yoko then introduced "Draw a circle", next John introduced "Fly" for which a white ladder was set up for audience members to climb and then 'fly' off from the top. "Sweep piece" was performed by a couple of stage hands throughout the entire show, they slowly swept the floor with brooms. "Question piece" saw the audience fire questions to John, Yoko and Mekas only to have a question returned. Yoko and Mekas then began having their own question and answer session (question by Mekas and an answer from Yoko), John was sitting on a chair timing their conversation with a stop-watch, he would cut lengths of string according to how long each question and answer lasted. Mekas finally ended the sequence "I do not have any more questions", Yoko replied "You don't have any more questions? May I ask you a question?" and she then lay on the floor and began screaming. Yoko collected all the pieces of string John had cut and put them in a glass jar, making comments as she picked them out again (for example - associating the longer pieces with a scream), she then made a necklace. For "Promise piece" Yoko broke a base with a hammer and asked the audience come to the stage and pick up each segment promising "We will gather here in 10 years and put them back together." The final piece was a wrapping event, John asked a few members of the audience to come to the stage to help John and Mekas wrap Yoko with gauze. Underneath, Yoko was breathing into a microphone before John and Mekas eventually carried her off the stage whispering the credits.