Yoko Ono 'The Sun is Down!' Remix Contest

Hello to all (or none);

December 8th, (yesterday), marked the 29th anniversary of the death of John Lennon and while I usually reserve that day to sit and quietly mourn or get lost in the thoughts of 'what if it never happened' while I listen to Beatles/John Lennon music, (like many others I suppose), this year was unwittingly different.

As it happens, two weeks ago I was cruising the net for some new inspiration to get me through the creative lapse I have been suffering as of late in finishing my own records and decided to see what Yoko Ono was up to, (I do that every so often, being a real fan of hers since I was 5 and being too young to get caught in the blame game drama the rest of the world had been going through with her in regard to John and the Beatles break-up), when I ran across her new track 'The Sun is Down!'. (Mind you, I had just spent the evening doing a South Park style tribute to the controversial 1969 album cover 'Two Virgins' by John Lennon & Yoko Ono).


A few clicks later (on a different site) I had run across a remix contest for that song. My first thought, of course, was "Oh My GOD!". Especially since I had totally missed out contributing my re-mix of 'Walking on Thin Ice' to her in 2003 when they finally respected her work enough to create a re-mix compilation disc.

So, I tried a few attempts, but was not happy with any of them and decided to go back to the task at hand which was finishing up the re-mastered 'Darkland' CD for re-release in 2010. A few days upon the completion of the 'Darkland' CD it was time to finally record 'Darkland', the single which is not on the album. It is a standard tune that was intended in 1995 to bridge the 'Darkland' CD to my more contemporary work. After about 5 attempts at a guitar track, I decided to call it quits for the evening (4am).

The following day I went back in the studio to do more work and remembered the remix contest and the thought occured..."The sun is down in Darkland!". So, I immediately went to work doing what is technically a mash-up, I incorporated two of the three versions of 'Darkland', ('Darkland' the single version and clips from 'Darkland (Seascape)' and started doing my arrangements and mixing. Two days later, (yesterday), after sending the final version, (along with cover art featuring the back cover of 'Darkland' artwork by Bill Brown III), off to the contest, I went to lie down and realised what day it was and that I had just spent December 8th doing exactly what John had been doing on December 8th before he was shot; remixing a Yoko song.

I feel a connection to him, like I have never felt before. I could almost feel him smiling down at me at the irony. I doubt December 8th will feel as dark and dismal to me any longer.

Win or lose, I have gained something no contest could ever give me. Peace.

Thanks John & Yoko!

P.S. I am currently putting a video together for the track for YouTube and it shall be posted here when completed.

Happy Holidays