Remembering John Lennon

Reminiscing about a geeky, smart-alecky, somewhat immature John Lennon can’t help but warp us to his ‘Beatles are more popular than Jesus’ comment or his admitted jealously of Paul McCartney or his nutsy, wtf affair with May Pang and, of course, let’s not forget his cringe-worthy, mid-performance mock of a developmentally delayed person; yet, the mention of John Lennon, for me anyway, brings memories of a man who tried to heal the world and touch humanity and bring us all together with lyrics and actions that were lessons in peace and love and harmony, and a man whose life was cut bitterly and tragically short by a religious fanatic who thought he was an honest-to-gawd, come-to-life version of the fictional protagonist in J.D. Salinger’s, The Catcher in the Rye. 

The murderer, whose wife knew he was going to murder John Lennon yet did nothing to stop him, was Mark David Chapman, and he still sits in a prison cell and applies for parole every two years as law allows with his requests for freedom being denied (so far) and Yoko Ono voicing her opposition each time. 

Photo: Annie Leibovitz

 

Right after firing five bullets into Lennon’s back, Chapman sat down on the curbstone, pulled out a copy of The Catcher in the Rye and started reading. The killer -- not running or hiding -- instead sat in plain view, listening to the panicked screams of onlookers, watching people administer aid to Lennon, watching Yoko watching her husband die before her eyes -- his apathy making the whole scene even more savage, more cruel, more raw.

John Lennon was shot on December 8, 1980, the same night that photographer Annie Liebovitz did a photo shoot with John and Yoko and created a beautiful photo that showed us a timid Yoko who didn't take her clothes off and a carefree John who bared all.

Howard Cosell was the first to publicly announce Lennon’s death, right in the middle of a New England Patriots football game broadcast. John Lennon was only 40. He left behind a wife and two children who loved him, fans who adored him, and a whole world who wanted to hear more of him.

Source: Wikipedia

YouTube Video Credit: Aviv Ben Israel