On the final episode of this five-part interview series, Laurie Kaye takes us through a minute-by-minute account of the day leading up to her interview at the Dakota in New York City with John Lennon and Yoko Ono on December 8, 1980. Imagine being a twenty-something uber-talented and up and coming rock ‘n’ roll journalist getting the scoop of her young professional life – Lennon’s comeback with “Double Fantasy” created with his wife/muse/spiritual guide extraordinaire, Yoko Ono. Continue to imagine the interview not only going well, it was an authentic conversation with the quick-witted young journalist and John and Yoko ranging from child-rearing (Sean Ono Lennon), reflections on the Beatles, what inspired him to write music again (after the drunk-hazed so-called lost weekend in L.A.), to his excitement over the prolific outpouring of music he and Yoko were ready to release. Finally, now imagine this uber-talented and up and coming journalist heading home to transcribe the interview tapes of her wildest rock ‘n’ roll dreams only to hear the news that John Lennon had been murdered where she had only hours left and crossed paths with his murderer. Laurie details the magic of becoming friends with John and Yoko, and then recounts the anguish and pain of his murder. To this day, Laurie carries profound guilt that she could have done more. It is a powerful, poignant, and very personal recollection by an accomplished music journalist who has lived forty-plus years since that fateful day, and who is still coming to terms with what is probably the singular nightmare of her life.

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