[image]

Cora Dela Cruz and her wonderful family have always been there for me with loving friendship and support. Cora helped my ill mother place the call to a live phone-in TV talk show I was on to jokingly ask, "Why didn't you tell your mother you weren't going to school?"

Greig Dymond, my true friend and fellow Beatle aficionado, gave me constant advice and support with his unparalleled knowledge of pop culture and all things related to the Fab Four. He too saw me through Oscar's wild ride and gave me repeated, constructive guidance in the writing of Walrus Walrus. Most importantly, he was with me at my darkest times, with my great friends David Lepofsky, who laughed when I told him I feared a life of mediocrity, Karen Cohl, and Mel Crystal. It was there, with their support, that I hatched the idea of telling my story.

My son, Daniel, has spent twenty-eight years hearing me and others talk about the Beatles and my meeting with John Lennon when I was fourteen. Through it all we shared our love of music and exposed each other to new sounds and recordings. It was he who walked me out of the hospital and into my new life. My sweet daughter Rebecca embraced my love for the Beatles probably before she was born and even forgave me for setting up a birthday lunch with a Ringo imposter. To this day she joyously tells me what songs she has rediscovered and is as proud as a child could be of her father. I am so thankful to my daughter Joanna, who understood my worship of John, for keeping me on my toes for so many years by asking me existential questions like, "Dad, if you could be a member of the Beatles but John still had to be dead, what would you choose?" Needless to say, I always chose not to be a member of the Beatles. It was my seven-year-old, Jaime, who was with me when I heard the news of the Academy Award nomination. Her understanding of the gravity and glory of the news was immediate and visceral. Through her eyes I see the wonder of it all and the wonder of things to come.

My love Anisa Tejpar has seen me through such wildly wonderful and turbulent events, all in the last few years, which would have been so lonely and unbearable without her by my side. Bold, beautiful, and loving, what caring and engaged witnesses we have been to each other's lives.

Yoko Ono is inseparable from the Beatles story. She was John's loving wife, collaborator, and partner, and infused dramatically intelligent and courageous creativity into his pursuits. The peace campaign was as much her inspiration as it was his. She in so many ways and in so many things, as John said to me, was a visionary. The generosity of her spirit in my film and in this book has been a blessing to me.

The focus of my story is on one Beatle, but oh Lord, how I loved them all. Paul McCartney is fundamental to what has driven me all these years. Had he been at the King Edward, I most certainly would have wanted to find him. John without Paul and Paul without John would not have made the Beatles. I simply cannot imagine this world without what those four special souls gave us.

And John. After all these years, with all your accomplishments and the magnitude of your impact, look at how you affected just one fellow from Toronto. You surpa.s.sed my wildest expectations. I met my hero and he was better than I imagined. Thank you, eternally.

About the Author and Ill.u.s.trator

JERRY LEVITAN is a musician, actor, filmmaker, writer, and lawyer living in Toronto. Under the persona Sir Jerry (www.sir-jerry.com), he has been described as "one of Canada's most innovative children's performers" and has produced two critically acclaimed children's alb.u.ms, is a musician, actor, filmmaker, writer, and lawyer living in Toronto. Under the persona Sir Jerry (www.sir-jerry.com), he has been described as "one of Canada's most innovative children's performers" and has produced two critically acclaimed children's alb.u.ms, Bees, b.u.t.terflies & Bugs Bees, b.u.t.terflies & Bugs and and Sir Jerry's World Sir Jerry's World. As a litigation lawyer, he has set precedents in the fields of const.i.tutional, human rights, and administrative law. And as an actor, he has appeared in film and television including an appearance on The West Wing The West Wing. He produced and starred in the 2007 Academy Awardnominated film I Met The Walrus I Met The Walrus, winning acclaim and festival awards from around the world.

JAMES BRAITHWAITE is an ill.u.s.trator and animator based out of Montreal, Canada. After studying at Concordia University, James immediately forgot everything he learned and began working on the deadly arts of drawing and animation. Since then, his work has been featured in numerous magazines and newspapers, including is an ill.u.s.trator and animator based out of Montreal, Canada. After studying at Concordia University, James immediately forgot everything he learned and began working on the deadly arts of drawing and animation. Since then, his work has been featured in numerous magazines and newspapers, including Dose, Warrior Magazine, Maisonneuve Dose, Warrior Magazine, Maisonneuve, and thefanzine.com. In collaboration with Josh Raskin and Alex Kurina, James ill.u.s.trated the Academy Awardnominated short animation I Met The Walrus I Met The Walrus. His cutting edge art can be seen on his website, www.thebathwater.com.

Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.