John Lennon...

Nico · #1 11-26-2005, 01:08 AM

I thought I'd take a chance and start a post about John, since this would have been his 65th year of birth (October 9) and, sadly, the 25th anniversary of his death (December 8).

Basically, I just wanted to see what people here think of John and his music, his life, personality, beliefs, stances, etc. Any thoughts to share? Were you around on December 8, 1980 and do you remember it all? Hopefully, this thread will go somewhere...

John's music has a very special place in my heart. Aside form the fact I consider it stunningly beautiful and some of the greatest stuff ever created by anyone on the face of this planet, it has changed my life. It was like a gelling of the two sides of a coin...very hard to put into words. He was both personal and ambiguous, and he always said something truthful, even when he wasn't trying. There were many complexities to his persona that made him such a fascinating and compelling human being. He had convictions that I'm not sure many artists today have a clue about.

All these years later, I think John is still as important and influential. A lot of people will say, "He's dead, get over it." And I can understand their point, but it isn't something I want to do. You can't get over him, and I'm not going to try to anytime soon.

So, yeah...I started this out of curiosity...and appreciation. If you want to say anything about him, please do.

irishgrl · #2 11-26-2005, 03:20 AM

I remember John in his pre-Yoko days and after. I loved John anyway, but I couldnt appreciate Yoko the same way he did. I felt his son Julian got short shrift.........

xxxmx · #3 11-26-2005, 07:25 AM

i was a HUGE beatles fan and really got into his solo stuff in high school. when i moved to new york, the first place i went was Strawberry Fields. there's such a positive energy there.

also went for the 20th anniversary of his death. it was eerie. hundreds of people were packed in and several guitarists were playing his music. lots of candles. i brought daisies. at one point, all the guitarists synched up and played Imagine together, everyone was singing really softly. there were candles in the windows of their apartment in the Dakota. the whole evening was just really moving. i have pics somewhere, i'll try to find them and post.

#4 11-26-2005, 07:44 AM

Having grown up with the Beatles ,they have always held a very special place in my heart.I do remember when they landed in america and watching with amazement on tv the crowds of people crying hysterically and thinking this is something big.Watching them perform for the first time on Ed Sullivan sitting with my older brother and sister as they were glued to the Tv ,I fell in love with John and Paul immediately..I remember my friend and I collected all the trading cards we could and we used to play for house pretending we were married to John and even going as far as writing him letters..LOL..I was 6 or 7 at the time..His music touches something deep inside and you come away feeling not only soothed but a better person for it..
I do remember the day he was taken from us..I was at a bowling alley and the whole entire place when silent as the news was reported.I remember feeling so very sad and somehow vicitimized.I cried on the whole drive home, and that whole holiday season was one of reflection and a sorta sadness as we thought of what a great soul we had lost..

xxxmx · #5 11-26-2005, 07:52 AM

CrystalVisions · #6 11-26-2005, 08:30 AM

John Lennon was the most amazing, talented man in the world, to me...I still cannot believe he has been gone from us this long, and miss not just his music, but the man himself. John was such a unique and special person, and then such an incredible musician, in my view. Thank you for this thread honouring him, where we can all share what he and his music has been to all of us.

jannieC · #7 11-26-2005, 09:09 AM

I am 37 years old now- my parents were Beatles fanatics when I was growing up, therefore us kids became fanatics as well! Certain Beatles songs take me straight back to my childhood. I remember the day he was killed. We only had one TV in my house and it was in my parent's bedroom. My brother, sister, and I were sitting on my parent's bed watching TV when the news announced his shooting. We immediately started bawling and my mom came in and started crying, too. It was awful. My husband and I just watched a special on one of those 48 Hours type shows on Mark Chapman. At one point Chapman said he went to Hawaii to kill himself (before he shot and killed Lennon) and I thought, "God! If only he had!". One can't help but wonder how much more John Lennon had to offer us. As far as his relationship with Yoko goes, I always thought it was amazing how much they loved each other. Like her or not, he adored her.

Sometimes it seems amazing that his death happened 25 years ago.

Nico · #8 11-26-2005, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GateandGarden

I performed "Imagine" in high school while (one of my few "public" performances) my best friend played the piano. Considering where I was, some people were horrified that I was saying things like "Imagine there's no heaven" and no religion and so on, but others, those were older, just cried. I remember thinking I hope you can hear me, John, and I hope that somehow he did know it was for him and that I'm so grateful he gave us that beautiful song that I'm, thankfully, not too cynical to stop believing in.

That sounds absolutely incredible. I wish I had a singing voice, so I could sing Across the Universe or a stripped-down version of In My Life...something like that. I would have loved to see you, Hil!

As far as John's relationship with Yoko...I'm cool with it. Circumstances were what they were. I actually read John's ex-wife Cynthia's recent book. It was a nice book, but there was a point when I realized that Cynthia herself couldn't really handle John. She was somewhat prudish and conforming, and a little stiff in many ways- while he was always moving forward, checking out the newest thing, going far too fast for anyone around him. He needed someone who was on the same level as him, intellectually, and in other ways. I believe he got that with Yoko. Absolutely.

"I'd never met a woman I considered as intelligent as me. That sounds big-headed, but every woman I met was either a dolly-chick, or a sort of screwed-up intellectual chick. And of course, in the field I was in, I didn't meet many intellectual people anyway. I always had this dream of meeting an artist, an artist girl who would be like me. And I thought it was a myth, but then I met Yoko and that was it." - John Lennon

DavidMn · #9 11-26-2005, 11:51 AM

He's a musical giant. There's nothing more to say really for me.

Lala · #10 11-26-2005, 12:06 PM

I'm not a huge John Lennon buff as of yet but what I've heard and know I like. His death was a huge loss to the music world and a senseless tragedy. I'm only 17 so I wasn't around on Dec 8 1980. However, the people I live with are celebrating their 25th anniversary on Dec 6 and were on their honeymoon in Hawaii when they heard the news of John's death.

DavidMn · #11 11-26-2005, 12:12 PM

I remember when he died too cause December 8th was my grandma's birthday.

estranged4life · #12 11-26-2005, 01:47 PM

what I consider a "Once in a Lifetime" musician...There will never be another musician in my lifetime on the level that he was on.

gldstwmn · #13 11-26-2005, 01:50 PM

I do remember when Lennon died and where I was. I remember they interrupted Monday Night Football and I think Howard Cosell was still hosting then to say that he had been shot. Such a senseless tragedy.

johndoe · #14 11-26-2005, 06:34 PM

Theres not much I can say about him that hasn't already been said. I mean, just think what he could have accomplished if he was still alive. I love the Beatles more than I love Fleetwood Mac. Its insane.

On a related note: My friends's name is Marc Chapman, and he's a huge Beatles fan. Oh the irony...

Jyqm · #15 11-26-2005, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johndoe

Theres not much I can say about him that hasn't already been said.

Nothing you can sing that isn't sung?

Quote:

I mean, just think what he could have accomplished if he was still alive.

Well, I guess I'll be the guy who's a dick and says that he very well might not have accomplished terribly much, at least musically. John's solo career was always a hit-and-miss affair, and Double Fantasy is a good enough album, but it's far from great. John's death did far more to cement his legacy than any of his post-Beatles work ever did (with the possible exception of the song "Imagine").