John Lennon (1980 - 2020)

 

I was 26-years old when John Lennon was murdered. I remember I was half-asleep when I heard the news over my little black and white TV set with the rabbit ears. The reception was bad, and the news came on at 11, and my first thought was 'Dead, like dead, dead?" I thought for sure he would be wounded, and kind of near-death, but would recover, due that he was Beatle. A Beatle dying was unthinkable to me at the time.

I was a mega-Beatles fan during the 1960s, but once they broke up, the spell was broken. When Lennon sang, "I don't believe in the Beatles," I thought that was it. The point-of-no-return. As a teenager, it was like your parents were splitting up, or they were arguing in the next room. You don't want to hear it first, but then once announced to the world, life goes on. I was devoted to all four of them for the first year of their solo albums, but afterward, I became obsessed with glam and punk, and the Fab Four, although extremely well respected for their work and personalities, I moved on to other music. When Lennon retired from the public's view for five-years to raise his son, I thought that was a good move. It also gave room for others to come out and make meaningful music. I was, of course, curious about what he was up to. I think at the time, I even respected and liked Yoko more than Lennon.

The great thing about Lennon is that he was changing, and that was part of his character. He evolved in one way or another. Nothing was set with him. If he lived, I think he would have made music that I would be passionate about. Their last record, "Walking on Thin Ice" (Yoko), was and is incredible. I was happy that he didn't forget to make noise in the perfectly thought out pop songs of his later years.

It's strange to read people criticizing him from another generation. Lennon was candid with his struggles and successes. I have always felt from day one, songs like "All You Need is Love" "Give Peace a Chance" was directed toward himself first and then to his audience. He was a Liverpool lad, with all the goodness and horror that goes with growing up in a shakey world. His mom's death was horrific, yet he went onward as an artist and accepted the new world and all it had for offer. Nothing hesitant for our John. He either went full-throttle for it or ignored it. A remarkable 20th-century figure. Much love to his family, friends, and fans. -Tosh Berman