The Good, The Bad and the YOKO

She's probably the cutest woman on the planet, in the Over 70 division.

Chances are most who saw Yoko Ono's performance on Letterman's show were either disgusted or just mildly irked into changing the channel. In other words, she hasn't changed much.

This is good news. AND...bad

The good news? Yoko showed a tolerant sense of humor in participating in an opening sketch "sting," something Dave only does once in a while. Before the credits rolled, we see Letterman in his office, talking to Paul. He's complaining that after 30 years, their relationship isn't quite right. Something has happened. Paul tries to deflect all this, but in walks Yoko. As soon as she does, Paul tells Dave he's gotta go, and takes her arm. As they walk out, we get the joke: Yoko has broken up...Paul and Dave!

Yoko had no lines to screw up, or may have preferred to keep the joke subtle, but it was amusing.

Also amusing, was Yoko Ono at age 80 actually doing her oooh-oooh ah-ah-ah gurgle-scream thing, and as well as she ever did. Her singing-chanting voice also hasn't aged in 40 years.

Her backing band didn't sound like the 60's or 70's...it sounded very current as it punked and bashed along with her, setting a groove that didn't seem to include a lyric line for her to follow. (Sean Lennon is part of the band, looking like the Mighty Like A Rose era Elvis Costello. Nobody ever said he and Yoko were ever ahead of their time in fashion).

The bad? The song was caterwauling sound effects of anguish and the endlessly repeated chant "Stop the Violence! Stop all Wars!"

That's a demonstration, not a song.

Letterman wickedly said as he stood next to Yoko, "I tell ya, that was very nice. It's fun when you leave the theater humming the music from the show!"

Yoko, microphone in hand, wanted to add something, but there was no time. You really can't take control of a show hosted by big Dave.

Apologists and fans can say that SOMEBODY out there should be keeping the folkie-hippie-protest movement alive, but there was a melody to "Give Peace a Chance."

Yoko seems intent on pushing her album up from the usual core buyers (Beatles fans who need to own everything, and the smaller core of Yoko fans who need to own everything)...but so far the tracks she's posted on a cloud, and this one, aren't much.

It was good, it was bad, it was musically a bit ugly. It had thought behind it...which means it wasn't Miley Cyrus.