So there was this four or five year period where John was basically off the radar. How did he approach you about wanting to record again?
JACK DOUGLAS: Listen, the way he approached the whole thing was so strange. I got a phone call one day and it was so mysterious. [He said] if I’m interested in doing something extra special, show up at 30th Street. There was a pier where sea planes used to land and I showed up and met a sea plane at noon. Now, how could you resist that? [I had] no idea what it was for.
So I went there, and a sea plane landed, and I got in it, and we flew over to Cold Spring Harbor and pulled up to this mansion, the boat pulled right up to the beach. [Yoko's ex-husband Ichiyanagi] Toshi came out and said, “Come this way, Yoko is waiting for you.” And I said, “Yoko?” I walked up there, Yoko was there, “Oh Jack, it’s so great to see you. What I tell you right now, you can’t ever tell anyone.” “Okay. Fine. My lips are sealed. What is it?” “John wants to do a record, he wants you to produce it. But you can’t tell anyone about it, he’s in Bermuda right now. He’s going to call and talk to you in a few minutes.”
He loved them as much as everyone loved them. Did he ever discuss why they never reunited, or why they had those near-misses?
JACK DOUGLAS: Well you know he and Paul were already in the process. This Ringo album I think was going to be big.
