JOHN Lennon's standing in the world - it seems today, 25 years after his death - could hardly be higher.
This is the man, for example, who, alongside the likes of winner Winston Churchill, William Shakespeare and Isaac Newton, made it into the top 10 in the BBC's much-discussed poll of 100 Great Britons.
"He would have been very happy about that," says Yoko.. "In his life, he was an incredibly good artist, but he felt he wasn't really appreciated. He didn't realise how well-loved he was."
Really ? Yoko explains: "As a Beatle he was extremely successful - he knew that. But he also knew that was a lot to do with Paul. Paul was the one who knew how to deal with the world and John was the poet.
"But when John was doing his individual work, I know he felt that people were not so much into his songs."
Imagine. Give Peace A Chance. Working Class Hero. Mind Games. Instant Karma! Gimme Some Truth. Jealous Guy. Power To The People.
And he still had self-doubt!? Incredible.
Yoko, herself, knows exactly what he was - and is still - worth. Speaking to me on what would have been John's 65th birthday, she says: "John stood for world peace and was the first musician to really speak out about the betterment of society. Everyone is doing it now - but remember, John started it!
"And he also showed that women were suffering. Today, I see all these guys in Central Park pushing prams but, after Sean was born, John was the only man doing that! Men now have much more interest in raising their children."
