A picturesque glimpse into 'The Lost Weekend'

The Beatles fans and Chapel Hill residents were in for a surprise at the Higgins & Myers Custom Framing and Fine Art Gallery.

From Nov. 8 to Nov. 10, attendees absorbed a range of interpersonal photographs of The Beatles singer John Lennon from the archive of his ex-girlfriend May Pang. The exhibit has traveled nationally, with its next dates in Asheville. 

At 19 years old, Pang began working for the band's record label Apple Records, and she met Lennon a year later in December of 1970, soon becoming his personal assistant. 

“Working for John, yes, it was amazing, but it became a job,” Pang said. “And people don't get that — it became a job. So you had to make sure everything you [did] was at the top of your game.” 

Lennon and Pang started dating in 1973, during a rift in his marriage with Yoko Ono; Lennon and Pang’s relationship lasted for 18 months, ending in 1975. Even after their relationship ended and Pang started working as a public relations manager, they remained good friends.

The photos showcased in the exhibit were taken by Pang herself. Some are of her alone; most depict Lennon in quintessential moments of life: eating hot-and-sour soup, smoking a cigarette and taking walks in New York. 

David Tuttle, a retired attorney and Chapel Hill resident who attended the exhibit on Friday, expressed his enjoyment of The Beatles' history and the photo he purchased from the exhibit of Lennon and his bandmate Ringo Starr. 

“They're just like ordinary guys,” Tuttle said. “Which is hard, to get that kind of perspective, because everything is usually them being in character or a costume.” 

Lennon called his and Pang's time together “The Lost Weekend,” which is also the title of the 2022 Amazon Prime documentary directed by Eve Brandstein, Richard Kaufman and Stuart Samuels. Fans consider their relationship the singer's most creative period. Pang shared that she didn't think of their relationship as such at the time because Lennon was constantly working, but now she recognizes how significant that period was. 

During their relationship, Pang said Lennon encouraged her to take as many photos as she liked. However, she wanted to capture moments that meant something to her.

Emily Myers, co-owner of the Higgins and Myers Gallery, shared her perspective on the displayed photos.

“May Pang's photographs, they're very intimate” Myers said. “And they tell a very familiar story — like familial, like of family — and we tried to give it a sort of heightened sense of artistry.”

Each photo contained a card with Pang's description of what was happening, bringing viewers into the special moments displayed. 

“Paying attention to those little cards and reading them is going to make visitors [feel] like they are part of the intimacy of the photos,” Myers said. “A part of the narrative.” 

Pang shared that the goal of the photo exhibit is to combat the versions of their stories others have put out in the world. She said people “hijacked” the truth of their relationship. 

“John and Yoko were going through their rough patch, they were going in different directions. And when he went back — when we split — it wasn't the end. It was a much more intricate relationship,” Pang said. “And people would love to say ‘Oh, we knew he was going back.’ No you didn't. You were not standing in my shoes.”

Considering the intriguing history, “The Lost Weekend” exhibit not only gives an intimate glimpse into John Lennon's happier moments, but it taps into Pang's artistry as a young woman — and even now as a grand storyteller. 

Myers could only describe the exhibit in four words.

“Exclusive, intimate, dynamic, exciting,” she said.

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