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Credit, Osni Omena
John Lennon and Marco Antônio Mallagoli met on John Lennon’s 40th birthday
Exactly 40 years ago, the musician and businessman Marco Antônio Mallagoli, then 27, it occurred to him that he wanted to spend John Lennon’s 40th birthday, on October 9, 1980, together with the idol. It wouldn’t be easy, he thought. But it was worth a try.
Some friends tried to dissuade him from the idea: “Man, he hates a fan. He’s going to spit in your face!” Argued the most excited.
Mallagoli shrugged. A Beatles fan since 1963, when he first heard a song by the English quartet, he took the necessary precautions: the first was to find a corner to stay in New York.
He couldn’t have found a better place: Osni Omena, the cousin of a friend who liked the Fab Four, lived on 71st Street, a block from Dakota, the building where Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono lived, and he opened the doors. department doors.
The next step was to provide a gift for the birthday boy – a copy of The kings of iê-iê-iê (1965), the Brazilian version of the film’s soundtrack A hard day’s Night (1964), with dedication and everything.
Mallagoli arrived in New York around October 5. Every day he spent an average of eight hours, from four in the afternoon to midnight, in front of the Dakota.
At the corner of 72nd Street and Central Park West in Manhattan, the Dakota made history as the most famous residential building in the world.
With high ceilings, mahogany walls and marble floors, the place was home to stars such as actress Judy Garland (1922-1969), dancer Rudolf Nureyev (1938-1993), and the couple John Lennon and Yoko Ono. who moved there in 1973.
“In the 1980s, Dakota became one of the most popular tourist spots in New York. At any time of the day or night, there were spectators at the door of the building who wanted to see its distinguished residents,” says Omena , who lives in New York. York since the summer of 1980 and works as a 3D designer.
Before long, Mallagoli became a “childhood friend” of one of Dakota’s porters, 45-year-old Cuban José Perdomo. To seal the friendship, he gave him “a pack of cigars and a bottle of cachaça.” In return, he asked the kindness to deliver the LP that he had brought from Brazil to the most illustrious neighbor in the building.
On the big day, John Lennon’s birthday, Mallagoli was not the only one who wanted to congratulate the idol. A small crowd formed in front of the Dakota.
At one point, little Sean, celebrating his birthday on the same day as his father, yelled from the seventh-floor window, “There’s a little surprise for you in the lobby!”
The former Beatle had provided foil-wrapped cake slices and autographed colored balloons for fans.
Instead of accepting his piece, Mallagoli struck up a conversation with the guy who had brought the gifts. When he found out it was Frederic Seaman, the artist’s private secretary, he asked if the birthday boy had liked the gift he had given him the day before. “Ah so, was it you?” He was shocked. “John has already listened to it three times. He hasn’t heard a Beatles record in a long time …” he said.
At that moment, Mallagoli had the courage to ask if he could go up a bit and, who knows, maybe get to know the idol up close. “No, I wouldn’t,” Seaman replied.
“People like people”
The next day Mallagoli was there again. He came face to face with a limousine, parked in front of the door, with the engine running. He should go any minute, he thought. There was no other. After a while, the girl Mallagoli was talking to fell silent and her eyes widened.
It was the password. Behind him, John Winston Ono Lennon, with his unfailing round-rimmed glasses.
Wasting no time, Mallagoli introduced himself as the president of the Revolution fan club in Brazil. John returned the greeting, thanked him for the gift, and the two began talking.
Credit, Osni Omena
Mallagoli took a photo with Lennon in front of the Dakota in New York
“Why didn’t you ever go to Brazil?” Mallagoli started a conversation. “Why they never invited me,” John replied. “So, from now on, consider yourself a guest,” he smiled. Then Mallagoli wanted to know if Lennon was working on a new album. “Yes, it will be called Double fantasy“he replied, referring to his fifth studio album, released in November 1980. Shortly after, he recounted some of his plans for the future: to release another album, Milk and honey, at the beginning of 1981 to later go on tour in Japan, Europe, the United States … “And Brazil”, interrupted Mallagoli. “Yes, and Brazil,” agreed the singer.
At this point, John said something that made Mallagoli’s heart race: “After the tour is over, I’m going to call Paul, Ringo, and George to see what we’re going to do with our lives!”
“His idea was to bring the Beatles together to record some more records,” Mallagoli recalls. “Each of them would continue their solo career, but from time to time, the four of them would get together to play together.”
This time, it is Lennon who asks a question: “What song of the band do you like the most?” “Of all of them,” said the fan. “Pick one!” The idol insisted. At that moment, Mallagoli thought of the first one he heard, in 1963, when he was 11 years old: She loves you. “Why?” I was curious. “You’re welcome …” Lennon said, with a mischievous smile, and added: “When are you going back to Brazil?” “Even today,” he said, looking at his watch. And they said goodbye.
“It was the most magical 15 minutes of my life,” says Mallagoli, now 67. “An emotion difficult to explain.”
On the way to the limo, John stopped, turned to Mallagoli, and gave the impression that he wanted to say something. However, he changed his mind and got in the car. Some time later, Mallagoli asked Seaman if, by any chance, he knew what John wanted to tell him. “Well, he thought about inviting you to see the recordings of the album in the studio. But, since you were on a scheduled trip, I didn’t want to bother you,” explained the assistant.
“Wow, man, if I knew that, I wouldn’t even go back to Brazil!” He laughs.
The photos that recorded the meeting between Lennon and Mallagoli were taken by Osni. “Yes, I’m also a Beatles fan. But not as much as Mallagoli,” jokes the friend. “My first reaction was to take the camera from Mallagoli’s hand to record the moment. John Lennon was very attentive and receptive. People like us,” he describes.
Football in the street
Contrary to what he had told John, Mallagoli stayed one more day in New York. Before returning to Brazil, on the 11th, he made one last stop in Dakota, to say goodbye to José Perdomo. Among other stories, the Cuban goalkeeper said that at Easter that year, Paul, Linda and their children spent a few days in the company of John, Yoko and Sean.
Credit, Osni Omena
A few weeks after the meeting, Lennon was assassinated.
“One night John and Paul came down with some kids from the building, closed 72 and played ball there. There was no one on the street,” Perdomo said. It didn’t stop there. According to Lennon, the former Beatle planned to skip Carnival in Brazil soon. “He was wearing a mask to avoid being recognized,” said the Cuban.
Back in Brazil, Mallagoli received, a few days later, a call from Fred Seaman. Lennon’s secretary confirmed the singer’s intention to tour Brazil. “The idea was to put on a show in each state, get the money out of the box office, pay the band fee, and donate the rest of the money to a local charity,” he recalls.
It was a few more days before Mallagoli received an order from the Post Office: the gold record of She loves you, accompanied by a note written by Simmons. “Lennon told me this album is going to be better in your hands than in his.” Mallagoli called to say thank you. “Lennon liked you very much,” confided the secretary. “It was like two old friends who hadn’t seen each other in years …”.
Shooting in Manhattan
Osni Omena had just returned from work when, on the night of December 8, 1980, she heard the sound of fireworks in the street. Hey, what are you celebrating? He thought. “Are Puerto Ricans celebrating a national holiday?” He speculated.
Dakota remains one of the most famous residential homes in New York
A few minutes later, Osni was listening to his favorite rock station when the announcer interrupted programming to deliver news that no one wanted to hear: Former Beatle John Lennon had just been knocked out of a Dakota door. Osni didn’t think so: they weren’t fires, he thought, they were shots. Stunned, he made sure to check closely what was going on.
“There were a lot of people crying. When we learned of his death, it was a great shock. A real tragedy,” he recalls emotionally.
Years later, Omena found Perdomo again, who recounted details of that night. It was he, he said, who took the 38 from Mark David Chapman, John Lennon’s killer. “Do you know what you did?” Asked the doorman. “Yes, I killed John Lennon,” replied the guy who did not try to escape the crime scene, nor did he offer resistance to the police who gave him a voice in jail.
Mallagoli learned of Lennon’s death on Tuesday the 9th. It was after one in the afternoon when he arrived to open his store, in Faria Lima, in São Paulo, and was surprised by the crowd. “Marcão, how are you?” Asked a friend. “Okay, a little tired, why?” He replied, pulling the keys out of his pocket. “It’s really fine, are you sure?” Another insisted. “Why? What happened?” He stopped, suspect.
Credit, PA media
Brazilian says Lennon would have suggested he wanted to play with the Beatles again
That’s when the guy showed him the Jornal da Tarde headline: “Shots. Lennon Cai. A Beatle Will Die.” Mallagoni was hard to believe. “Impossible,” he repeated to himself. He was only convinced of the tragedy when he called New York and, after a long time, managed to speak to Osni. “It’s true, yes. They killed Lennon!” Confirmed the friend on the other end of the line. That day, the Revolution store did not open. Mallagoli returned home, packed his bags, and took the first plane to New York. There was still time to hear the mother complain: “I want to see if the day of my funeral you will cry like this …”.
Mallagoli arrived in New York on the morning of the 10th. From JFK, he headed straight for Dakota.
The fans gathered in front of the building spoke of nothing else: Mark Chapman, the author of the shots, was just a scapegoat.
According to the conspirators, the CIA, the US intelligence agency and the FBI, the federal police, were behind the assassination of Lennon, considered a dangerous political influence.
The theory turned into a book Who Killed John Lennon (“Who Killed John Lennon”, unpublished in Brazil), written by British journalist Fenton Bresler, but has never been proven.
That same day, the body was cremated at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.
In Central Park, the widow Yoko asked the crowd to maintain ten minutes of silence. “When they played Imagine, I couldn’t resist. That’s when I burst into tears. I’ve never cried so much in my life,” he says.
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