September 2003 By Steven M. Housman Yes, ONO! Yoko Ono has been a household name since the late 60’s. This avant-garde Japanese artist was a virtual unknown until her name was romantically linked with John Lennon, one of the greatest men in rock history. Ono, better known for her association with Lennon rather than her art and music weathered the nasty commentary and kept true to herself and to her creativity. At the age of 13, Ono told her father she wanted to be a composer. Her father tried to discourage his headstrong teen by telling her “there were few women in such position.” Judging from what we have all seen of Yoko Ono over the past 35 years, I think it’s fair to say that Yoko Ono answers to no one except herself. The latest incarnation of Ono’s career is her historic recordings reproduced by such heavyweights as DJ Danny Tenaglia, Peter Rauhofer, Francois K., Eric Kupper and others. Her first outing was last year’s smash remix of her controversial 1971 recording “Open Your Box (The Orange Factory Remixes).” The single was an instant smash in dance clubs and went straight to the top of the charts. The single that recently was a huge club hit was her 1980 ditty “Kiss Kiss Kiss (The Superchumbo Mixes),” remixed for 2002. It was a cut from the Lennon/Ono Double Fantasy album, which incidentally won a Grammy for Album of the Year. Her most recent single was the 1981 disco-fusion classic “Walking On Thin Ice,” which was released earlier this past year and was also the last collaborated effort she had with Lennon. An entire set of her songs carefully and classically remixed is scheduled for release later this year. © 2003 Steven M. Housman. All Rights Reserved.