I’ve Gone Down Two Pants Sizes… But I Still Look Awful In Everything

Angelina Jolie photographed by Davis Factor, 1995

Harry Nilsson and John Lennon

Quotes from "Who is Harry Nilsson (and why is everybody talkin' about him?)"

Harry Nilsson: I was still working at the bank and I, I hated the beatles because I said shhhhi, you know they're beating me to the punch... and then there was that moment when you say well you're either with them or agin 'em, and I decided to go for the latter [sic] and I said yeah, they really are... that good.

Jimmy Webb: We'd be arguing about the Beatles, and he'd say "The Beatles are the ONLY band! There's only one band. That's the Beatles. No one else matters."

Harry Nilsson: So one day I was, early, five in the morning, I got a phone call and there's this voice, long distance, hello hello who is it? It's John. John who? John Lennon. Is this really John? He says yeah I just want to say you're fantastic man, we're listening to you all weekend you know it's great great great, it's fantastic. Uh. the following Monday I got a phone call from Paul, how are you, just calling to say you're fantastic, you know, oh you're great, really love what you did and all that stuff you know, Derek played it for us and hope to see you soon. Clunk. The next Monday morning I get up, comb my hair, five o'clock in the morning, waiting for a call from Ringo. There was no call. But he ended up being the best man at our wedding so that's okay.

Ray Cooper: [The Beatles] uh, y'know, pronounced him to the world and said 'listen to this man!' and we did.

Micky Dolenz: I remember that's one of the only times I've ever seen him kind of patting himself on the back and tooting his own horn. He said 'you know they think I'm like the fifth Beatle'.

Harry Nilsson: I got a phone call and it was from Derek Taylor and uh, Derek said 'hey, the lads, the beatles, the fabs, would like you to come and join them for a session, they're recording at Abbey Road'. I thought right, Jesus, this is about as good as it gets.

Harry Nilsson: That first night in London I spent at John Lennon's house, and he gives me like a hug and he smiled and he put me at ease instantly. So I, for some reason I would say anything in front of this man and it would be okay. That night we spent the entire night with a little help from our friends, uh talking. Just sitting and talking. All night, till dawn, till seven or eight o'clock in the morning. And John and I on and on and on and on about marriage, life, death, divorce, women, what's it all about, you know, what are we doing?

Diane Nilsson: He said that he and John were a lot alike, that they'd had similar childhoods, and um, I wasn't surprised by that. So I, you know, it was clear that John had a lot of anger. He didn't hide that. Harry hid it, but John didn't. So. I thought that was very interesting.

Rick Jarrard (Harry's producer): Harry, after he went over to England, and was with the Beatles, or with John, I really don't know which. He changed. He changed and became somebody else that I no longer knew. Out of the blue I got a telegram that said 'I'm finding another producer' and basically that was the end of Harry's and my relationship. [...] I never saw Harry again after that telegram. Never spoke to him, never saw him.

Harry Nilsson: John was one of a kind, I mean there was just no one like him, he was tough as nails, he just uh, fearless and said what he felt. You know, that's something, he was always ahead, he was always a couple of steps ahead of you.

Jimmy Webb: To have John, was like giving Harry the best present he could have... That almost made up for the fact that his father left him. And there may be some of you out there saying, yeah, Webb's being the amateur psychiatrist, but I think that almost made up for it. Because Harry really wanted to be one of the Beatles.

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'Pussy Cats'

Micky Dolenz: They were like in each other's face. It was like a duel.

Perry Botkin, Jr: They were a friendship made in Hell as far as I'm concerned. John had his troubles, Harry had his troubles, and they got together and really, that was when Harry really blew his voice.

Jimmy Webb: He and John Lennon were egging each other on as to who could scream the loudest and scream the longest and with the most ragged, actually self destructive vocals on tape as possible. He told me one time that there was blood on the microphone. Harry told me.

Perry Botkin, Jr: I believe it was purposeful. Not consciously, but I believe that he was - I can't believe I'm getting into all of this first of all - I really, I think he was for some very bizarre reason, trying to self destruct.

Jimmy Webb: That was the saddest thing that ever happened to me in my life, was when I realised that he, that he was in that much trouble vocally and that he didn't know how to tell me, and that he didn't want anyone to know and it's just hard for me to talk about it, I just can't talk about it...

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John's Death

Mark Hudson: I was with Harry on the night that John was shot, and he was in the studio, it was that Monday night and we were all watching the football game and all at once a flash came on the screen that said John Lennon had been shot.

Van Dyke Parks: It devastated him. Because I don't think that Harry felt that they'd had their last conversation.

Yoko Ono: Well it was so severe, that we didn't talk about it. Between us.

Mark Hudson: I don't think he ever really dealt with it. And right after that he went into major gun control. [...] It was all for John but I really sort of think it was sort of a ghost that stayed with him forever.

Harry Nilsson: My name is Harry Nilsson and I'm the National Chairman of the End Handgun Violence Week which takes place between October 25th and October 31st. If you want to help please write to... Too bad we have so many people dying every year from handgun violence, thank you.

Terry Gillian: The whole focus of his being seemed to be about trying to get gun control laws.

Lee Blackman: And Harry, who was a very private person, and was rarely seen in public, went public with this, he went on television talking about the importance of handgun control, he formed an organisation for handgun control, he went to Washington and lobbied with lawmakers...

Sometimes I wonder if people would like me more if I was literally just a skeleton

I’ve lost over a kilo on ritalin. I have not felt this good in so long.

though the largest percentage of content I reblog may say otherwise (psychosexual obsession with paul mccartney) john is actually my number one. I cant get enough of this insane unwell alive girl. he is laura palmer to me. he is toxic yuri. he's actually the worst. he's some fucking guy who was sick in the head. I'd do anything to be his best friend

<3

Free Rein is literally, and I mean LITERALLY the worst thing I've ever watched. It's utterly stupid, completely predictable and full of annoying teen-equestrian-ey clichés, so the fact that I've nonetheless suffered through this pile of garbage waste of lifetime should tell you something about the misery I'm ready to endure in order to enjoy Freddy Carter's glorious cheekbones.