John Lennon stopped performing, writing, and recording professionally in 1975 to concentrate on raising his son, Sean. This hiatus from the music scene lasted until the summer of 1980, when he and wife Yoko Ono began writing and recording once again. This interview, conducted later in that year, took place as this comeback album, Double Fantasy, was being mixed in New York’s Hit Factory.

Due to these circumstances, Lisa Robinson focuses her questions on Lennon as a father and what it’s like to be back in the studio. But there are also more general discussions regarding his writing process and his need to express himself artistically.

We all know what happened outside his apartment building just over two months after this recording was made and, with that in mind, this interview is especially chilling. On the other hand, it’s comforting to hear how content he was, both as a musician and as an individual.

00:00 – Introduction 00:28 – Thoughts he had during his 5-year hiatus 01:02 – Why it was harder to stop than continue 01:40 – Life as a stay-at-home dad 02:25 – ‘The rewards of motherhood’ 03:10 – Learning how to cook 03:52 – Relationship with his son Sean / Sean’s thoughts on making Double Fantasy 06:30 – Pressures of the music business / not resting on his laurels 07:50 – Not wanting to see Elvis in Vegas 08:28 – How he became a professional musician / alternate outlets of expression 09:08 – Disinterest in acting / thoughts on How I Won the War 10:28 – Having the ability to walk away / writing music fun again 11:14 – Misery during his separation from Yoko 11:44 – Feeling lucky to be alive 13:08 – The song-writing process / the joy of being a medium 14:12 – The joy of creation / “Nowhere Man” as an example 15:29 – John’s reaction to the criticism he received for being absent from the music scene 17:17 – Family more important than rock n’ roll