Lennon in Denmark

 

Written by Steen Thoustrup

 

In John Lennons Jutlandic footsteps.

 

 

 

The fourth holiday of Christmas 1969 two foreigner arrives to Aalborg airport, one British, the other Japanese.

 

The British man has long hair and full beard and wear round glasses, the little Japanese woman has long hair too.

 

They are being picked up by the womans ex-husband. They drive towards west to a deserted farm in Vust in Han Herred. The couple had before the travel to Aalborg stayed at D'Angleterre in Copenhagen, without any attention alltogether.

 

Who was these two then ? What were they doing in Denmark ? And why exactly Vust ?

 

It was John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Yoko Ono had been married to Tony Cox and they have a daughter, Kyoko, together, - she lives with her dad and his new wife Melinda. The reason why they are in Vust is, that Tony Cox has moved into an apartment in London, and his neighbour, Peter Stansill, knew a movie maker in Denmark, - David Nelson. Once in June 1969 Tony, Melinda and Kyoko moved in with David Nelson in Han Herred where David had his work, and joined the activites there. The connection to John Lennon was not mentioned. But after an aproximately four months stay at Præstegården (The Vicarage) it happened, someone put on some music one day, and when the song Bungalow Bill was played, little Kyoko said: "That's my mother singing", it was not denied. The Cox-family moved away from London, because Tony thought Yoko and her famous husband - John Lennon - would kidnap Kyoko or kill Tony. It was all wildly exaggerated, Yoko just wanted to see her daughter.

 

David Nelson managed a film school in Kettrup and he had leased a derelict farm in Vust, the place is called Ellidsbøl correctly, on the way to Bulbjerg Klit at Jammerbugten in Northwest Jutland, almost as far as you can get away from Copenhagen.

 

In the area there, there was a University, managed by Aage Rosendal Nielsen. He, and his wife at that time, Sara Damskier (former Sara Rosendal Nielsen) became very good friends with John and Yoko. When John and Aage met for the first time John asked: "What are you doing?" and Aage answered that he was managing a world university, Aage then asks John: "What do you do then?" John gets a bit startled and answers "I make music" to which Aage answers "Can you live of that" to this point Aage had never heard rock music and did not knew whom and what sort of a kind Beatles was. This mutual doubt and respect was the beginnig of 10 years warm friendship between John and Aage despite of 19 years difference in age and lives there differed widely.

 

 

 

Sara told about where she once was sitting and peeling potatoes in the kitchen and John came in, he asked Sara if he could play some music for her, and he ertertained with singing and playing on the guitar. It became some unforgetful hours, where a warm friendship blossomed between Sara and the Lennon family. Sara had, in a half years time, known Kyoko and Kyoko had learned a few Danish word too.

 

Aage and John had agreed on a trip to the church the following Sunday, but then the press heard that John Lennon had been seen in Denmark and more precisely in a place in Jutland, none of the various newspaper editorial offices would really believe that this big rock icon could be here in the country, but gradually they became aware that something had happened, and on the Berlingske House arrives a piece of information through the teleprinter: John Lennon in Thy.

 

"oh well, that's a good one, Lennon in Thy, who falls for that?" they said on the newspaper office. But more and more things points in that direction and this young man, Henrik Iversen (later known from DR-Television), were later going on a trip to Aalborg, next day at 07 am in the morning, with the airplane. On the same airplane was a huge crowd of journalists and photographers, a few of them had received a phonecall early in the morning at 06 am. When they then lands in Aalborg it was hard to find a taxi there would drive all the way to Vust, because the weather in the Jutlandic North was very horrible, it snowed so badly. Some of the arrivers did manage to rent a car to go to Vust, many hotel rooms from Thisted to Aalborg was rented out to the press in that period.

 

When the journalists was going to find Lennon, they asked the "locals": "Where does Lennon live?" They found their way to Ellidsbøl, they asked a neighbour to Lennon, who was living in the house next door and how did they look like? "Well, he has such a long hair and beard and such like round glasses" was the answer (in their local speech) The journalists was sure, it must be Lennon, "would you like to earn 300,00 kr.? (kr. = Danish kroner) they asked the neighbour. "Well, sure why not" he answered, "fine, then you have to lure him out of the house by telling him there is a telephone call for him" "no, then I won't do it" was the neighbours answer very promptly, they did not want to trick anyone into anything.

 

Now a siege began on the Lennon family's resort. It was agreed that a press meeting was going to be held at David Nelson's place, there lived in the Præstegården (The Vicarage) in Kettrup, which was reformed into a film school. John informed the press, that he would hold the press meeting, he said, according to Fjerritslev newspaper (today Nordjyske Tidende) the 5th January 1970, that he and Yoko for the first time in many years, had had six whole days off from the press.

 

The press meeting at Kettrup Præstegård (The Vicarage) was cancelled, because it lacked of space. In that moment they had concidered Han Herred hall, but this thought was also rejected. Instead it was the New Experiment College in Skyum Bjerre, there Aage Rosendal were having his work. Monday the 5th January 1970 at 12 o'clock noon the press meeting began with a morning song on the tune "De levendes land" (The Living's Country). After that, the many journalists asked John fx, "How is it to be a Beatle in Thy?" And "Will you buy a little part of Thy?" John answered politely on the odd questions. Every time John came to a new country he was always asked if he would buy a piece of it, but that was not what he wanted, he wasn't a millionaire in the Beatles era, many connected round the Beatles had on the other hand become tremendious rich.

 

At one time Aage stoped the press meeting to have everyone walk around the christmas tree, the cameramen was asked to switch off their cameraes, but a student in 3. real on Skovgårdsskolen (name on the school), Karsten Højen left his recorder on and he got some fantastic recordings from that day. We can hear them sing on the tape: "Et barn er født i Betlehem" (A Child is Born in Betlehem). John can't speak one word in Danish, so he sang his own text and it sounded like this: "ba ba du da dem" and similar between the verses. A while later, Karsten Højen asks John to play some guitar. John and Yoko begins with a little song called "Radio Peace" and later they sing "Give Peace a Chance".

 

After the meeting everything became quieter around Vust again. Thisted Amts Tidende (name on the newspaper) wrote a fun, in a cozy way, almost in H.C. Andersen style.

 

I will now pass on some quotations and abstracts of a fine article from the 6th January 1970, written by someone who called himself: --slurk-- (gulp) who was on the newspaper at the time.

 

[Abstract] "It is not just Kettrup and Skyum there sun themselves in the apostles longhaired fame, also Thisted turned a leaf in the history book!

 

Lennon with company was shopping in Thisted. In Vestergades Brugsforening (Shop) catfood was bought, fruit and spices. In the knitwear house Lennon bought knitting yarn. Lennon spoke with some school kids and wrote some autographs.

Kyoko goes to dance in Aalborg, to learn skomagerpolka (Shoemaker's polka), she can say "Daw" (Hallo) in pure Jutlandic [End of abstract] the article ends word for word:

 

Quotation:

 

"The report on John Lennon's shopping spree in Thisted didn't reach the world press' telewriters. We have it to ourself and that is not to be despised. And it is all true"

 

End of quotation.

 

 

 

Then one day the phone rang in a hair saloon in Aalborg, where Aase Haugkrogh worked. She was asked to come to Vust to cut Lennon's hair, - first she said no thank you, but her collegues said she should do it, so then into a taxi and then on her way to Vust. Aase had calculated an hour on the haircut, but John wanted

something else. First he wanted to be cut as he looked in the beginning of the Beatles era, then a bit shorter and shorter and shorter and at the end there were just 2 cm (centimetres) everywhere. Aase thought Johns hair looked fine, but on Yoko it did not look fine as crew-cut.

 

Kyoko was also cut at the same time, and it was a bit of a pity, has someone said to me.

 

John collected all the hair, noone should have the chance to get hold of the hair.

A half year later he exchanged the hair with a pair of Muhammed Ali's boxing pants.

 

Now the rumour ran, that John had been cut totally bald, then the whole world media press came back again, also the foreigner ones. The house was totally invaded, the photographers was sleeping in the cars, and remember, it was winter and very cold. The newly named country police officer Erik Nygaard was called out to keep the press away from the house, at the same time the price on a picture of Lennon without any hair went up.

 

The big Press Offices made threats on various accidents which would fall down on Kettrup's Film school and others around Lennon's friends, if they didn't get the pictures to themselves. Tony Cox or Aage Rosendahl shot some pictures of John and Yoko and the film was droven to Kettrup, unfortunately David Nelson was in Copenhagen so poor Birgitte Nelson had suddenly around 50 foreign press people visiting in her living room, there alternately offered money and threats for the pictures.

The film was developed into negatives, the real paper photos was going to be made in Copenhagen. To get the photos they chose Steen Kjærgaard to deliver them there. Steen was smuggled out through a backdoor and out to a waiting car, he then drove towards Aalborg. The press discovered the escape and the biggest hunt in cars now began in the north of the Limfjord. In the best Keystone Cops style (Charlie Chaplin's police hunt) Steen Kjærgaard hide out on side roads, switched cars twice, the police in Aalborg was asked to meet up with Steen and stop the press. The film arrived safely to Copenhagen and to Associated Press (AP) in the Berlingske House where David was waiting. Steen came in and went up onto a table, he opened his shirt, on his stomach the film was taped onto his body, he said: "Shall we start at 50.000,00 kr." he shouted. David was furious, "No, give me that film", he said.

 

David Nelson did not knew, that at the same time back in Vust, there was a clever man: Jørn Kjær Nielsen.

 

He had simply had enough, he went back to Lennon and told Tony Cox that it was stupid to start a "war" because of a peace message. Cox got Jørn Kjær's camera and went back into the house and a short while after he came back, Jørn Kjær got his camera and there were one picture taken, Jørn Kjær went to Fjerritslev Newspaper where he met Jens Damsgaard who helped getting the picture developed, it showed John and Yoko sitting on some matresses, John has a guitar in front of him.

 

Jens Damsgaard said it was the wildest he ever had been doing in his whole career as a journalist.

 

Jyllandsposten (name on a Danish newspaper) writes the 24th January 1970 fx [quotation] Lennon and his Danish peace friends' cunningly efforts to harvest profit on the race. Caused bodily fights, threats and wild car chases with road barriers [end of quotation]

 

The journalist at JP (Jyllandsposten): Lisbeth writes about an amount on 100.000,00 kr. (Danish kroner) for one picture there ended on 2000,00 kr.

 

Then suddenly around 24th January 1970 John and Yoko went back to London. They never came back to Vust despite of the many writings about a return in the summer 1970. Many times in the next 10 years Aage Rosendal visited the two celebreties in both London and New York.

 

Aage Rosendal died in 2003, 82 years old and the only "father" there survived John, here I am thinking on Johns real father who left the home when John was an infant, his aunts husband, died in the beginning of the sixties, his stepdad died also in the sixties, Brian Epstain died in 1967, his real dad died right before John had a chance to get to know him, so Aage was, in my opinion, the father John never really had.

 

I have visited Aage in Ringkøbing (Danish town)in 1999 where he told me about the time in the Jutlandic with John, I have also spent a summer holiday (to my family's big regret) in Vust and environs where I visited Sara and other places where John had been and lived, in Johns "house" lived Gunnar Hjelholt and mrs. Berit then, they showed me round the house, I saw John and Yokos room, a little room with not much space, in the back of the house was the place where Aase cut the Lennon family's hair. It is Berit Hjelholt there has made the picture quilt with the title "Som en rejselysten flåde" (As a desired for travellers merchant), behind the chair in the Danish Parliament.

 

 

During my research on John Lennons visit to Denmark I have visited the following:

 

 

·        Aage Rosendal Nielsen, Ringkøbing, Johns friend

 

·        Sara Damskier , Brovst, Johns friend

 

·        Karsten Højen, Brovst, 3.real student in 1970

 

·        Gunner and Berit Hjelholt, Vust, lives in ”John house”

 

·        Nordjyske Tidende (then Fjerritslev Newspaper)

 

 

 

 

Besides that I have had some contact over the phone with a few people:

 

 

·        David Nelson , Løgstør, film school the manager from Kettrup

 

·        Birgitte Philipsen (then Nelson), Davids ex wife)

 

·        Claus Godtfredsen, photographer from Jyllands Posten (Danish Newspaper)

 

·        Jens Damgaard, Fjerritslev Newspaper

 

·        Gunnar Iversen, Radio man

 

·        Henrik Iversen , known from television, man from DR-TV

 

·        Erik Nygård, local police officer from Fjerritslev

 

·        Aase Houkrog, hairdresser from Aalborg

 

 

 

 

I have read old articles in these newspapers and magazines:

 

 

·        Thisted newspapers

 

·        Fjerritslev newspapers

 

·        Jyllands Posten

 

·        Se og Hør

 

 

 

 

To all of whom I am saying a big thank you for giving me permission to take notes and make quotations from.

 

I have heard Karsten Højens tape from the press meeting and Gunner Iversens radio recording and they have been an invaluable inspiration.

 

One thing wonders me a bit.

 

Several thousands people drives every year down Ellidsbølvej towards Bulbjerg Klit, without knowing they are driving by No. 37, where John Lennon lived in 3-4 weeks around new year in 1969-1970. Not one single sign nor plaque, -- oh well, Lennon were just Lennon, and not just some old Viking, writer or politician, so that's probably why.

 

If you, when you have read this, have any questions or any supplementations, then please leave a note in my guestbook and I will get back to you, remember to include your telephone number or email address.

 

 

 

 

At the following pages are my article:

 

 

http://www.fjordvang-thy.dk/lennon.htm

 

http://www.ombeatles.dk/artikler.asp

 

www.123hjemmeside.dk/thoustrup

 

 

 

 

+ mentioned in Beatles Forever Member magazine.