Did Peter Asher really break up the Beatles?
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That's one of the questions explored in the new documentary about the musician and record producer, titled Peter Asher: Everywhere Man. The film explains that Asher was the co-owner of the London art gallery where John Lennon and Yoko Ono first met.
Peter Asher Says He Isn't Responsible for Breaking Up the Beatles
As reported by Entertainment Weekly, Asher co-owned the Indica Gallery with John Dunbar and Barry Miles.
"John Dunbar was made aware of this Japanese American artist who was Yoko Ono," Miles said in the doc. "And he thought she sounded suitably interesting and wacky to be in our avant-garde gallery."
Lennon paid the gallery a visit while Ono was hanging up the show. As you may be aware, the two then fell in love. They would eventually get married in 1969. Their son, Sean, was born in 1975. Lennon and Ono would be together until Lennon's death in 1980.
Asher explained at a recent live event celebrating the documentary on his life that the reaction to his role in Lennon and Ono's relationship is often mixed.
"Sometimes it's a 'awww,' you know, like, what a great love story," he said. "But other times, it's a 'Grrr.'"
He added, "The most dramatic one, which has only happened once, but it was quite startling when it did, was as soon as the clip was over — John said, 'And that's when we met,' — some bloke in the audience jumped to his feet, pointed at me, and yelled at the top of his voice: 'It was you! You broke up the Beatles!'
"I reject soundly any implication that I was responsible for breaking up the Beatles."
Asher Has Another Connection to the Group
Of course, the myth that Ono broke up the Beatles has been dispelled numerous times by the band.
But Asher also shares another connection with the Beatles. The musician's sister, actress Jane Asher, dated Paul McCartney from 1963 through 1968. He even briefly lived in their home.
In fact, Lennon and McCartney are credited with writing "A World Without Love," a song by Asher's band, Peter & Gordon.
