John Lennon

On this night, 36 years ago, John Lennon was pronounced dead to the world, during a Monday Night Football game. He was shot in the arch of the Dakota, along Central Park by Mark David Chapman. Chapman’s motive has been said to be “wanting to be somebody,” “Catcher in the Rye,” and insanity- and it’s possible all of the above are true.

I’m not a huge Beatles fan, I’m more of a Rolling Stones guy. I’m a John Lennon fan though. I find his solo music to have more of an edge than most of his work with the Beatles, and I just tend to like him more on his own. Like most of his fans, I love “Imagine,” but if I were really pinpointing my favorite Lennon works, I’d probably go with “God,” “Merry Christmas,” and “Instant Karma,” while probably adding “Revolution” from his Beatles days. I find his lyrics to be at least as powerful as his music, and a big reason for why I’m a fan.

There is a John Lennon song for just about all of my political values, the only such artist I could say that to. “Imagine” would define my early political beliefs and thoughts, when I became politicized by my opposition to the Iraq War. “God” would define his, and my, rejection of -isms and dogma, a great rejection of the ideologies of the 20th century. “Revolution” would define my disdain for false revolutionaries and people who want to be fake radicals. Lennon seems to have a song to speak to each of my thoughts.

The John Lennon I came to find was an acquired taste. My parents are big Lennon fans, but unlike their love of the Stones, I didn’t inherit it naturally. I didn’t really listen to the Beatles or Lennon as a kid, and only really got into Lennon’s work when I was in high school. In college I started reading about Lennon the man, and found him compelling. His message of peace was simple, yet compelling. I’d like to think I would be a supporter, but some days I don’t know. His activism put him in the cross-hairs of Richard Nixon and other “establishment” figures who found him dangerous. The break-up of the Beatles perplexed me. I wondered how anyone dealt with the constant attention he lived with for his entire adult life. His relationship to Yoko always seemed so much more complicated than most other relationships, at least when I was younger. Lennon just flat out fascinated me.

I’m now old enough to understand and analyze Lennon as a person, and the only conclusion I can come to is that I wish we had someone like him today. He was larger than life, and yet willing to engage his world for it’s betterment. He was a passionate activist, and yet far more realistic than most other passionate activists. He had downfalls and demons, and yet was able to be “good.” He was an actual person, and yet had the ability to do so much more than most of us.

I hope at some point in the coming days to go visit Strawberry Fields, one of my favorite places in the world. I’ll say a quiet prayer in his memory while I’m there.