Yuya Uchida was a pioneer of Japanese rock music, born in Tokyo in 1939 and a key figure in the Japanese counterculture. He died in May 2019.

Interview: John Lennon and Yoko Ono for New Music Magazine — 5 July 1973

Q: When did John Lennon and Yoko Ono give the New Music Magazine interview?

John Lennon and Yoko Ono gave an interview to New Music Magazine on 5 July 1973, conducted by Yuya Uchida at the Dakota Building in Manhattan.

Q: What was John Lennon doing in July 1973?

In July 1973 Lennon was fighting a US deportation order and had recently separated from Yoko Ono, beginning the period he later called his 'Lost Weekend'. He did not receive his US green card until 1975.

Q: What was New Music Magazine?

New Music Magazine was a Japanese music publication. Japan had been one of The Beatles' most significant markets, and Yoko Ono, born in Tokyo, maintained strong connections with Japanese media and culture.

July 5, 2026

On Thursday 5 July 1973, John Lennon and Yoko Ono gave an interview to New Music Magazine, a Japanese publication. The journalist was Yuya Uchida. The interview took place at the Dakota Building on Central Park West in Manhattan — Lennon and Ono's new home.

The interview

The 5 July session was the first stage of the interview, with the second part taking place on the same date. Yuya Uchida also attended a Yoko Ono recording session at the Record Plant in New York on 6 July 1973.

The interview was conducted for New Music Magazine, one of Japan's leading music publications. Japan had been a significant market for The Beatles throughout the 1960s, and Lennon and Ono maintained strong connections with Japanese media and culture — Ono having been born in Tokyo in 1933.

Yuya Uchida

Yuya Uchida was one of Japan's most prominent rock musicians and cultural figures. Born in Tokyo in 1939, he had been a pioneer of Japanese rock music since the 1960s and was a key figure in the Japanese counterculture. His connections to the international rock world made him a natural choice to interview Lennon and Ono for a Japanese audience. Uchida died in May 2019.

The Dakota Building

The Dakota Building at 1 West 72nd Street, Central Park West, Manhattan, had become Lennon and Ono's primary residence. They had moved into the building in 1973, and it would remain Lennon's home until his death there on 8 December 1980. The building's Gothic Revival architecture and its position overlooking Central Park made it one of the most recognisable addresses in New York City. Lennon's association with the Dakota — and the circumstances of his death outside its entrance — have made it a place of pilgrimage for Beatles fans from around the world.

The Dakota Building, 1 West 72nd Street, Central Park West, Manhattan — John Lennon and Yoko Ono's home, where the New Music Magazine interview took place on 5 July 1973.

John Lennon in 1973

By July 1973, Lennon was in the midst of a protracted legal battle with the US Immigration and Naturalisation Service, which had been seeking to deport him since 1972 following a 1968 cannabis conviction in the UK. The case had become a cause célèbre, with Lennon's lawyers arguing that the deportation proceedings were politically motivated — a response to his anti-Vietnam War activism. He would not receive his green card until 1975.

Lennon and Ono had also recently separated, beginning what Lennon would later call his 'Lost Weekend' — an 18-month period during which he lived in Los Angeles with May Pang, Ono's personal assistant. The interview on 5 July 1973 took place during this turbulent personal and legal period.

Summary

Date	Thursday 5 July 1973
Publication	New Music Magazine (Japan)
Journalist	Yuya Uchida
Location	The Dakota Building, 1 West 72nd Street, Manhattan
Follow-up	Second part of interview, same date; Ono recording session at Record Plant, 6 July 1973

Frequently asked questions

When did John Lennon and Yoko Ono give the New Music Magazine interview?

John Lennon and Yoko Ono gave an interview to New Music Magazine on 5 July 1973. The interview was conducted by Japanese journalist Yuya Uchida at the Dakota Building in Manhattan.

Who was Yuya Uchida?

Yuya Uchida was one of Japan's most prominent rock musicians and cultural figures, born in Tokyo in 1939. A pioneer of Japanese rock music and a key figure in the Japanese counterculture, he was a natural choice to interview Lennon and Ono for a Japanese audience. He died in May 2019.

Where did John Lennon live in 1973?

By 1973, John Lennon and Yoko Ono had moved into the Dakota Building at 1 West 72nd Street, Central Park West, Manhattan. The Dakota remained Lennon's home until his death outside the building on 8 December 1980.

What was John Lennon doing in July 1973?

In July 1973 Lennon was fighting a US deportation order stemming from a 1968 UK cannabis conviction. He and Yoko Ono had also recently separated, beginning the period Lennon later called his 'Lost Weekend'. He would not receive his US green card until 1975.

What is the Dakota Building?

The Dakota is a landmark Gothic Revival apartment building at 1 West 72nd Street, Central Park West, Manhattan. John Lennon lived there from 1973 until his murder outside the building on 8 December 1980. It remains a place of pilgrimage for Beatles fans worldwide.

What was New Music Magazine?

New Music Magazine was a Japanese music publication. Japan had been one of The Beatles' most significant markets throughout the 1960s, and Lennon and Ono — Ono having been born in Tokyo — maintained strong connections with Japanese media and culture.