Cha-Chi and David welcome author Dean Thompson, who worked at John and Yoko’s Joko Films in 1972. Thompson discusses his novel Imagine Murder: A John Lennon Mystery (Tucker Press), created as historical fiction after declining to write a memoir. Legally blind, he dictated the book to friend Tom Moon with help from wife Victoria Hallerman. He recalls NYC’s turmoil, ongoing death threats, Lennon’s refusal of bodyguards, “end of the world” prank calls, and a real DNC/Watergate-related trip later used in the plot.

Get the book: https://a.co/d/036R5cO8

Topics

00:42 What’s Coming Up: Beatle Events + Introducing Author Dean Thompson

02:48 Imagine Murder: How the Lennon Mystery Novel Was Born

05:42 Inside Joko Films & 1970s New York: Setting the Scene

07:01 A Line to Cross? Writing Fiction Around a Real-Life Tragedy

07:46 The Dream That Haunted Him—and Why He Wrote the Book Anyway

10:10 Death Threats, No Bodyguards: John & Yoko Walking the Streets

12:06 One-to-One, Watergate, and Fighting Nixon: The Real History Behind the Plot

17:31 Beatles Fan to Lennon Insider: Dean’s First Reaction to the Job

18:00 From Yellow Submarine to Joko: the moment he ‘called it’

19:16 Working for John Lennon: fear, fame, and nothing else compares

19:55 Cultural heroes & Cincinnati roots: John Lennon vs. Johnny Bench

21:16 Yoko Ono at Joko: the quiet intimidation and ‘fired every six weeks’

22:52 Reassessing Yoko (and John stays John): writing the book changes perspective

24:40 Dan Richter the ‘ape’ & the wonderfully weird cast of characters

26:12 The ‘End of the World’ calendar: nonstop calls and apocalyptic requests

27:31 Beatles breakup era: meeting Ringo & George, never meeting Paul

28:33 Lost archives, Box of Smile, and rebuilding 1972 from memory

30:59 Wrapping up: Beatles professor talk, where to buy the book, and final thanks