FORMER JULIAN LENNON GUITARIST DELIVERS NEW SOLO LP AND HITS THE ROAD WITH SEBADOH

LIVERPOOL: A decade ago, Brit musician Justin Clayton never dreamed about making his own album, but with the relentless urging of his childhood friend Julian Lennon, it was written in the stars. Justin Clayton - the acclaimed guitarist and co-songwriter for Julian Lennon on many hits, including the Top 10 "Valotte" and "Cole's Song" for the movie Mr. Holland's Opus - delivers his heartbreaking solo LP, Limb on Ultimatum Music, and hits the road for a string of U.S. West Coast dates with Sebadoh beginning March 15 in San Diego, Calif. In a recent interview with teen magazine Jump, Justin quips "I'm not one of those people who writes when I'm happy or feeling good. It's the other side of things that makes me feel like doing music." A former art student, Justin Clayton is soft-spoken and spotlight shy. His personality is honestly reflected in his moody 11-track debut Limb. Produced by The Church's Marty Willson-Piper and rhythmically enhanced by a slew of Nordic musicians, Limb is a soulful exploration of creative growth, and accentuates Justin's distinctively British melodic sense with evocative chord changes and pensive, elliptical lyrics. CMJ visualizes that "If you could hear the slow, numbing, post-spike euphoria that overtakes a smack addict, it might just sound something like Limb." The vocals on Limb may be superficially reminiscent of Radiohead's Thom Yorke, but as the Philadelphia Weekly wryly commented: "Get over it." Justin's prolific song-writing career took off when a publishing deal with Warner-Chappell resulted in a highly coveted four-song demo recording. The ethereal poetry of his music piqued Ultimatum's interest. Limb's first single, "[Sometimes Life's a] Drag" expands to radio March 21.

Along with the Sebadoh dates, Justin will also be doing performance rounds at selected Borders' Books & Music. Please see below:

TUE, 3/14 Phoenix, AZ Borders Books 7 PM (in-store)
WED, 3/15 San Diego, CA Brick by Brick (with Sebadoh)
THU, 3/16 Phoenix, AZ Boston's (with Sebadoh)
SAT, 3/18 Austin, TX Babe's Noon ("SXSW" w/ Incredible Moses Leroy)
SAT, 3/18 Austin, TX Borders Books 5:30 PM (in-store)
SUN, 3/19 Dallas, TX Gypsy Tea Room (with Sebadoh)
TUE, 3/21 Oklahoma City, OK VZD (with Sebadoh)
WED, 3/22 Albuquerque, NM Launch Pad (with Sebadoh)
FRI, 3/24 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour (with Sebadoh)
SAT, 3/25 San Francisco, CA Bimbo's (with Sebadoh)
SUN, 3/26 Roseville, CA Big Shots (with Sebadoh)
SAT, 4/1 Seattle, WA Borders Books 6 PM (in-store)
SUN, 4/2 Portland, OR Music Millennium 3 PM (in-store)
WED, 4/5 San Francisco, CA Virgin Megastore 5:30 PM (in-store)
FRI, 4/7 Los Angeles, CA Virgin Megastore TBA

Sunday Mirror - Jan 23, 2000

Yoko in Family War Over Lennon Killer 

John Lennon's family is at war over whether his killer should be released from jail. Amazingly, Lennon's widow Yoko Ono is backing a bid for parole by crazed gunman Mark Chapman, now 44. But the move is bitterly opposed by the Beatle legend's two sons Sean and Julian. 

Yoko, who was devastated by Lennon's death, believes Chapman should be released if psychiatrists rule that he is now sane. A close friend of Yoko's said: "She is well aware of Sean and Julian's feelings but she's also a humanitarian - even towards people like Chapman. "Her beliefs haven't changed over the years and she practices what she preaches."

In contrast, Sean and Julian - Lennon's sons by Yoko and first wife Cynthia - will be contesting Chapman's release when the parole hearing comes up later this year.

Friends say they will never forgive him.
© 2000 Sunday Mirror

LONDON (Reuters) Jan 29, 2000 - Yoko One has admitted she lives in fear for herself and the two sons of her murdered husband John Lennon.

U.S. parole authorities are preparing to consider the possible release of Mark Chapman, the obsessed Beatle fan who gunned down Lennon in 1980 outside his New York apartment.

Fears for the other surviving Beatles have risen sharply since a knife-wielding intruder broke into the country home of George Harrison last month and stabbed him.

Yoko Ono, confessing her fears in a statement to the Independent on Sunday, said: "Unlike in the Sixties, when it was easier to live our idealism, our recent history shows how we live in very different times.

"Knowing that our close friend and his family have been subjected to a violent incident, I am naturally most concerned about the safety of Julian and Sean.

"I am of course concerned for my safety as well and the safety of many of our friends who are also in the limelight."

But she firmly quashed media speculation that she had fallen out with Lennon's sons over whether C------ should be released. Julian is the son of Lennon's first wife Cynthia, Sean the child he then had with Yoko.

"Contrary to what has been said in the British press, Julian, Sean and I have had no discussion yet about the possible parole of C------ and therefore there has been no feud among us regarding our views on the subject," she said.

"I am not being indecisive. I am thinking as to how I could best serve the outcome," Lennon's 67-year-old widow said.
© 2000 Rueters

Daily News Jan 10, 2000 - Lennon killer up for parole hearing John Lennon's assassin Mark Chapman will appear before a US state parole board later this year, which will decide whether he should be freed - and Lennon's widow Yoko Ono will help them decide. Chapman, who has served the minimum twenty years of his sentence, may be released in December this year if he is granted parole.

Ono has the right to request an audience with her husband's killer, but it's known that John's two sons Sean and Julian are strongly opposed to Chapman's release. Apparently, Yoko has refused to discuss her plans with her son and his half-brother

Chapman regularly gets death threats from distraught Beatles fans, but is protected inside the maximum security Attica Prison. A friend of Yoko's says, "The point we make to Yoko is that if he is allowed out, it will only be a matter of time before someone decides to get the man who got the Beatle. We're not trying to give her a cop out, but if John Lennon could speak from the grave I'm sure he would say that it would be wrong to subject Mark to a situation in which he would almost certainly be killed, perpetuating the circle of senseless violence." The date for the parole hearing has yet be decided.