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Twenty-eight years ago today John Lennon was shot in the back on his way into his apartment building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Returning from a recording studio where he was putting the final touches on his first album in five or so years, an album aptly and as it would turn out ironically entitled, Starting Over.
Many of you weren't even born, many were too young to know much about John Lennon or the Beatles, though no doubt all of you have heard of Lennon and the immortal group that, it may sound funny now, changed the course of the music industry and some say at least for a time, the world. I was a few days shy of my sixteenth birthday and a big Beatle and John Lennon fan. I had most of the Beatle albums as well as some of his and McCartney's solo efforts.
If you were around and old enough to be aware of this tragedy, what were you doing when you got the news? How did it effect you then and what has John Lennon, the Beatles, his and their music as well as this event come to mean to you, to pop/rock music? Are there any larger issues that you can see, as far as what it may say about us as a culture, as a race?
Address my issues or your own, I may have overstated or missed something that will turn out to be more important. This thread is meant to be totally inclusive, and open, and to everyone that gets the same ache in your belly every December 8th, you are not alone.
Twenty-eight years ago today John Lennon was shot in the back on his way into his apartment building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Returning from a recording studio where he was putting the final touches on his first album in five or so years, an album aptly and as it would turn out ironically entitled, Starting Over.
Many of you weren't even born, many were too young to know much about John Lennon or the Beatles, though no doubt all of you have heard of Lennon and the immortal group that, it may sound funny now, changed the course of the music industry and some say at least for a time, the world. I was a few days shy of my sixteenth birthday and a big Beatle and John Lennon fan. I had most of the Beatle albums as well as some of his and McCartney's solo efforts.
If you were around and old enough to be aware of this tragedy, what were you doing when you got the news? How did it effect you then and what has John Lennon, the Beatles, his and their music as well as this event come to mean to you, to pop/rock music? Are there any larger issues that you can see, as far as what it may say about us as a culture, as a race?
Address my issues or your own, I may have overstated or missed something that will turn out to be more important. This thread is meant to be totally inclusive, and open, and to everyone that gets the same ache in your belly every December 8th, you are not alone.
The Beatles have been my #1 group since I was a tadpole. Not many of their tunes I don't have stored in my memory banks. Used to stack their records high and listen for hours (while doing other things of course!). Brilliant lyrics and chords to match!
Last edited by CrouchTigerHiddenDog; 12-08-2008 at 07:02 PM..
I came to appreciate John Lennon after he died after seeing two different documentaries about him. One was the "bed-in", and the other was more in-depth. I felt horrible knowing that such a giving man who simply sincerely wanted peace in the world lost his life so young and denied all of us his wonderful gifts. He was such a tenderhearted man and very talented songwriter.
Wow, 28 years?! I was in a Greek diner at Columbus Circle getting coffee when a girl ran in crying, and just yelled to everybody that John Lennon been shot at the Dakota and was dead. I ran home to get my husband and we ran to the Dakota - hundreds of people were already there - streams of people were wandering in from the Park and every direction, people coming from Amsterdam Ave up from the hospital saying it was true, he was dead. No one could believe it. I remember my husband saying to me, "The eighties have begun!" We were both shivering uncontrollably the way you do when you're in shock.
I was watching Monday Night Football that night; New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins. It was in the fourth quarter, fairly close to the 2 minute warning. Suddenly, commentator Howard Cosell said,"We have just received a newswire from ABC News that John Lennon has just been shot". There was silence in the booth and maybe 30 seconds later Cosell said, "Again we have had a report from our news department that John Lennon has been shot, is in critical condition, as this has happened in front of his residence. I hate to give you news like this, people, but it is our job."
Frank Gifford finished calling the game in a hushed but professional manner. Co-commentator Don Meredith, if memory serves did not say anything. As the game drew to an end, Cosell repeated the news and gave a great tribute to Lennon and the Beatles. He said what he felt.
Four, maybe five years earlier, John Lennon popped into the ABC halftime booth and chatted with the three and the camera also focused on some others in the booth as well. Lennon said he really enjoys football, and thanked ABC for having him on. After exchanging pleasentries and a few minutes of small talk, Cosell asked him that ultimate question-"Will the Beatles get back together"? Lennon smiled and replied, "You never know. You just never know"!
I remember both of these broadcasts like they were yesterday. I'll post a little later on this.
Last edited by DOUBLE H; 12-08-2008 at 07:32 PM..
Reason: spelling
Here was a guy who was a poet for peace, for love and fnaairness, and this is how he goes out? I'm still angry, all these years later. Don't really know with whom, as Mark David Chapman his killer, is a pathetic figure who has been in some kind of hospital/prison/asylum ever since. A guy that "loved" Lennon so much, felt he had the right to take his life when what? he was disappointed with him for some deluded reason or another, for some perceived selling out? The thing I love about Lennon more over the years is his sense of giving, of selflessness, and many may disagree with his politics, though it's hard for me to figure what was so off; Give Peace A Chance, his bed-in for peace though possibly naive, I think it would be hard to argue that the guy didn't have his heart in the right place. He didn't have to do sh*t, had more money than he could spend in a dozen lifetimes, was haunted by the Nixon administration, had his phones tapped and was tailed around the clock, nearly deported if not cleared in federal court, and for what? He thought his adopted home shouldn't be involved in Vietnam?
The song "Beautiful Boy" still breaks my heart a little.
Yeah, he could be soft, especially at that time in his life when he had finally settled into domesticity and parenthood, was gonna be the father to Sean he couldn't be or just wasn't to Julian.
I heard the next day inthe car when my friend's mom picked us up at school. I was shocked. I couldn't believe someone would just walk up to someone and kill them like that.
John is my favorite Beatle, always will be. He was the deepest and most talented one imo.
The day after there were all the tributes on the radio stations, playing Lennon's music. AM radio giant KOA's Gary Tessler handled all the calls as almost everyone who called was just enraged by what had happened. For me it was a tough week as I had been furloughed from my job. Suddenly I just jumped in my Plymouth with a suitcase of clothes, and just drove. Didn't play any music for the first day. Spent some time in southern New Mexico until the Visa card got full and pockets got empty.
These days when I get in a Lennon mood, I'll play 2, maybe 3 of his lp's at a time. What's sad is after taking close to five years off from recording so he could be a Dad to Sean and husband again to Yoko, his 1980 lp Starting Over wasn't on the charts for a month and it was proving to be his best lp ever. And shortly afterwards he was murdered.
Last edited by DOUBLE H; 12-08-2008 at 09:19 PM..
Reason: addition
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