Hey, wanna meet me for lunch today on the Grassy Knoll? C'mon. It'll be fun. You know what today is, right? Right. Well, to commemorate the anniversary of John Kennedy's final trip to Dallas, George Michael and his partner, Goss Gallery owner Kenny Goss, are bringing the piano upon which John Lennon composed "Imagine" in 1971 to Dealey Plaza today at 12:30 p.m. to photograph it for a planned series of stills. According to the press release announcing the shoot--oh, c'mon, y'all--Michael and Goss "plan to have the piano photographed at significant sites to help spread the message of peace. The Dallas site is the first location in this project and the photo will be taken at 12:30 pm (CST) to commemorate President John Kennedy's legacy."
The photo's being taken by Chris Cuffaro. He shoots famous people, but not like Lee Harvey Oswald.
By now you probably know the piano, which Michael whammed down $2.1 million for at an October 2000 auction, is being shown at the Goss Gallery beginning December 5. It's part of an exhibition that will feature the work of three photographers (Don McCullin, Gabriele Basilico and Tomas Munita) who've done work in war zones; the exhibit will also feature the "Gimme Some Truth" video of John Lennon playing the song for the first time to wife Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band, according to an October 30 release announcing the event, which runs through January 17.
By the way, this marks the first time the piano's ever left the United Kingdom. Think the piano ever thought its first stop would be Dealey Plaza? --Robert Wilonsky