A play about legendary union leader Jimmy Reid will reveal Yoko Ono's affection for Clydeside.
The widow of John Lennon sent a personal message of support when she discovered Brian McGeachan was writing about Jimmy Reid.The Govan-born writer knew John and Yoko were supporters of Reid's Upper Clyde Shipbuilders' 1970s work-in.
John even sent a cheque for £5000 attached to a wheel of roses to Jimmy and the UCS workforce.
When Mr McGeachan was researching another play in New York, he met journalist Carl Bernstein, who is best known for the Watergate investigation.
After hearing of Mr McGeachan's Jimmy Reid project and the Lennon and Ono connection, Mr Bernstein offered to contact her.
Brian said, "Carl said he was friends with Yoko and would put me in touch with her. I did not hold out much hope, but the meeting triggered an idea.
I handed a copy of the Jimmy Reid play to her doorman at the Dakota Building, before
flying back to Scotland.
A few months later I got an e-mail from Yoko with her words of praise for the play and congratulating Jimmy on reaching his 75th birthday.
I have since incorporated these words into the play."The play Jimmy Reid: from Glasgow to Gettysburg, takes its title from Jimmy's address as Glasgow University rector in 1972.
He delivered his famous 'the rat race is for the rats' speech, which was published in full by the New York Times.
The
paper praised it as the greatest speech since President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address'.
Mr McGeachan added "It's theme of alienation in society was widely regarded as ahead of its time. The man had such an impact on so many people and it is a story that had to be told."
He is in talks with actor John Cairney about starring as Jimmy Reid and also with West End venue Oran Mor about staging the show.
But the play has taken many years to complete.
He said "I worked on Jimmy Reid's magazine, Seven Days Scotland back in the mid-90's. Jimmy would tell me lots of stories, from growing up in the Depression of the 30's to appearing on the Parkinson Show several times after UCS made him a house-hold name in Britain.
Most people know him from the work-in, but his fights for social justice are in danger of being forgotten. As a young trade unionist in the 1950's he initiated the push for higher pensions, a campaign that spread Scotland-wide.
It led directly to the pensioners' movement that was headed by Jack Jones"
Taken from an article by Brian Beacom
Take me back
