Inside this week | Imagine being a Beatle’s wife

Certainly, there’s been resentment in the case of some of the Beatles’ wives, but not all of them. Ringo Starr’s wife, Barbara Bach (the main Bond girl in The Spy Who Loved Me), and George Harrison’s first spouse, the model Patti Boyd, let their beauty do the talking – after all, finding a good looking partner is what we expect of the rich and famous, bar maybe Liza Minnelli. 

Linda McCartney and Yoko Ono − the widow of John Lennon whose new show opened at Louisiana last week  − on the other hand weren’t conventionally good looking. Women saw them cuddling up to the fab duo and genuinely thought they would have stood a chance. And even worse, the wives chose to stick their heads above the parapet.

We remember McCartney fondly now because she died quite young – people are hypocrites like that – but there was a time when her lack of musical ability was reviled. How many career musicians scoffed when they discovered she didn’t even know how to play the keyboards before hubby taught her? And yet within a few years she had shared an Oscar with him for best song for Live and Let Die. And she couldn’t sing in tune – she admitted to this herself, although the jury’s out on whether that infamous tape of her isolated microphone at a concert is actually genuine.

But at least she didn’t have to put up with the accusation that she’d split up the world’s biggest ever group. Ono, an artist in her own right before she met Lennon, endured attacks in the media unparalled in modern times – and that was without the internet. But despite it all, there she was last week at Louisiana, now an octogenarian, standing tall, still experimental. 

You can say what you like about her art − she’d be the first to say it’s not for everyone. But there’s no denying that sometimes she was right on the money. A seminal figure in performance art, her music, dismissed as screaming by many, was a forerunner of punk and new wave, or at least the arty versions.  

Talking of performance art, it’s a good week to visit Louisiana, which is putting on a performance in its sculpture park, and if it’s a nice day, maybe you’ll be tempted by a quality ice cream.

Aha, ice cream; now that’s when the resentment is fully warranted. 




  • Ryanair cancels all flights to and from Billund 

    Ryanair cancels all flights to and from Billund 

    Ryanair has increased its cuts from the Billund-Aalborg route to encompass its entire operation to and from Billund Airport. The airline’s scarce communication is leaving both the airport and passengers scrambling for answers.

  • What do Danes do for “Vinterferie”?

    What do Danes do for “Vinterferie”?

    As tradition has it, many Danes take a week off for Vinterferie next week. Or the week after. It’s a bit confusing, especially since Christmas and New Year’s Holiday are not far away. What’s going on?

  • The educational options for internationals in Denmark

    The educational options for internationals in Denmark

    Denmark offers free public education, but private schools and universities for non-EU students require tuition. Language is a barrier, with international schools available for children and limited English-taught university programs. In 2024, Denmark expanded university seats for internationals and introduced an HF-international program in Aarhus.

  • Aarhus Gymnasium is launching Denmark’s first HF program for internationals

    Aarhus Gymnasium is launching Denmark’s first HF program for internationals

    Aarhus Gymnasium is launching Denmark’s first HF-international program in August, offering young adult internationals an alternative to IB programs with a focus on career-oriented education and Danish language learning. Unlike IB, it reduces academic pressure while providing access to vocational schools and professional bachelor’s degrees

  • Top Danish companies report strong financial performance

    Top Danish companies report strong financial performance

    Some of Denmark’s leading companies reported solid financial results for 2024, with Lundbeck, Demant, and Vestas seeing growth, while Pandora tackled rising production costs with price increases and cost-saving measures.

  • Greenland restricts foreign property purchases and election donations

    Greenland restricts foreign property purchases and election donations

    These days, the Greenlandic institutions are approving two new norms to restrict, reduce, or ban the possibility for foreign citizens to buy real estate on the island, as well as for political parties to receive large amounts of money from foreign donors.