Jack Douglas was the producer behind John Lennon’s final albums: 1980’s Double Fantasy and 1984’s posthumously-released Milk and Honey.
Given his close relationship with Lennon and the musician’s tragic murder, Douglas initially didn’t make a big deal out of the money he was owed for the projects. But as the years went by, and royalty payments failed to come in, he approached Yoko Ono to settle up the finances.
What resulted was a bizarre court case that almost seems too strange to believe.
Jann Wenner’s Contradictory Testimony
“She was being advised by a really bad guy,” Douglas recalled during a recent podcast interview, noting that he was “the one guy” Ono should have trusted given the circumstances.
Though he tried to come to an agreement without a lawsuit, Douglas and Ono ended up in New York’s Superior Court battling their dispute.
One of the first witnesses Ono’s team called to the stand was Jann Wenner, founder of Rolling Stone magazine. According to Douglas, the media mogul was offered some exclusive content in exchange for his support.
“She promised Jann that he could have [Lennon’s] journal. If he came in and testified on her behalf,” the producer claimed. “Of course, she didn’t have the journal. Nobody had the journal.”
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“So Jan gets up there. And so her attorney is saying, ‘So who was this Jack Douglas, anyway?’” the music veteran continued. “And Jann is saying, ‘He was really a nobody…Kind of an engineer. That’s all. I mean, John liked him. And he gave him a job.”
In addition to his work with Lennon, Douglas’ resume included major albums with the Who and Aerosmith. The producer was far from a “nobody,” and Wenner’s words immediately came back to haunt him.
“So now my attorney, Peter Parcher, gets up,” Douglas recalled. “And he’s got a book in his hand. And it’s Jann’s book. And he said, ‘Jann, would you read this?’ And it’s a chapter in his book where he talks about me being this producer. He makes Jann read it to the jury. And of course, that was terrible.”
Phil Spector Takes the Stand ‘Totally F—ed Up’
If Wenner’s testimony was embarrassing, Phil Spector’s was downright comical. According to Douglas, the legendary ‘wall of sound’ producer appeared incapacitated in court.
“Phil is totally fucked up. He’s totally fucked up,” Douglas declared. “And he gets on the stand and they’re asking him questions. And he can’t make any sense out of even what they’re asking him.”
Things only got worse when Spector’s testimony was over.
Record producer Phil Spector in the ’80s. Frank Edwards/Fotos International, Getty Images
“So now no more questions. He gets up and he stumbles,” Douglas recalled. “And as he stumbles out of the witness box, his wig goes sideways. So now his sideburns are over his nose. And it was just a pathetic sight. And everybody was like, oh, my God.”
Yoko Hired a Witch?
Besides those who were testifying, the court room was filled with supporters on both sides of the lawsuit.
“The room was divided by an aisle in the middle,” Douglas remembered. “I was sitting up front. [Yoko] wouldn’t sit up front because of assassination attempts. So she was sitting crowded by her people.”
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Each day, Douglas made a point of thanking everyone who was sitting on his side showing their support.
“It would be the same people every day,” he recalled. “Same people. And I would come in. And I always [say], ‘Thanks. Thank you. Thanks for coming by.’”
“And there was one guy. He was sitting almost directly behind me,” the producer continued. “And I’d say, ‘Thank you so much for coming in.’ And he would just look at me. He wouldn’t even say anything. Just look at me.”
Douglas further recalled this mystery man staring at him throughout the legal proceedings. “I could see the guy’s eyes boring into the back of me… And then one day, he was gone.”
The producer soon discovered the man’s mystical backstory.
“So now, (acclaimed rock photographer) Bob Gruen, because he worked with Yoko, had to sit on Yoko’s side,” Douglas explained. “And Bob and I are very good friends. So Bob and I would meet in the men’s room, so we could talk. And Bob said to me, ‘Boy, you fucked that guy up.’ So I said, ‘What guy? He’s going, ‘That witch that Yoko hired to put a spell on you. He was sitting directly behind you. He went up to Yoko, and he said, I can’t get anywhere with this guy. Every day, he comes in and thanks me. He smiles. He pats me on the back.’”
Jack Douglas and Yoko Ono Mend Their Relationship
It didn’t take long for the jury to find in Douglas’ favor, awarding him over $2.5 million in royalties. Some years later, he and Ono were able to make peace at one of Sean Lennon’s concerts at the Bowery Ballroom.
“She was upstairs. I was sitting downstairs. (25:52) And somebody came downstairs and said, Yoko would like you to come up to the table,” Douglas recalled. And I came up, and I went upstairs, and she gave me a big hug. And she said, really, a lot of water has run onto the bridge. And then we started working on little things together.”
These days, the two remain close. Douglas has been a guest at Ono’s art exhibits and still receives a Christmas card from her every year. “We stay in touch,” the producer confirmed. “I love her.”
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Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
