As you’ve doubtlessly gleaned by now given the dependable media saturation, tomorrow marks the 30th anniversary of John Lennon’s death. I actually remember the whole episode pretty vividly. Double Fantasy had been released and was all over the radio at the time (specifically “Starting Over”). I was in 8th grade, living on the Upper East Side and otherwise obsessed with Pink Floyd’s The Wall, AC/DC's Back in Black, Devo and Adam & the Ants. But after being pretty much raised on an audio diet of Beatles music as a child, the sudden slaying of John Lennon definitely made an impact on me. Why on earth would anyone shoot him?
I’m not sure, but I want to say it was a Monday morning. I remember life coming to something of a standstill. I don’t believe classes at school were cancelled, but I remember every teacher abandoning the script and addressing the event in some detail (especially the younger guys). I remember a heated debate being waged over whether or not “assassination” was the right term to apply, given that Lennon wasn’t a titled political leader. I remember thinking then as now that said debate was pretty damn pointless. He was clearly a leader to many. I also remember watching footage of the vigil that went down outside of The Dakota and how a certain teacher of mine commented on how people seemed to burst into tears right when the cameras hit them.
That point struck me as pretty cynical at the time even then, but the whole bursting-into-tears thing over the death of someone you'd never met always did seem a bit strange to me. That said, John Lennon’s music and message clearly touched innumerable lives (and continues to). I certainly don't remember crying, although it did strike me as an incredibly senseless, unnerving loss. In retrospect, though, it seems easier to believe. When you consider how vast Lennon's influence was and, once again, continues to be, it's easy to understand how some could be moved to absolute tears. Hell, about two decades later (well, 2002), I remember getting genuinely misty upon learning of Joe Strummer's death, and I'd certainly never met him.
Just weeks after Lennon's death, my mother actually gave me a copy of Double Fantasy for Christmas. It was probably the first solo album by a former Beatle I owned (although I picked up a copy of Band on the Run by Paul/Wings sometime soon after and continue to cherish it ... step off, haterz). I still play Double Fantasy too, although it immediately conjures to mind images of the grave, depressing December of 1980. Again, it made for a strange Christmas.
By this point, we’ve all heard and read about what an avid, transplanted New Yorker John Lennon was (a point eloquently solidified by Bob Gruen’s iconic photo). But I’ve always been more curious about that. Sure, we know John dug living in the Dakota (ummm… who wouldn’t?...apart from, maybe, Mia Farrow ) and walking around Central Park, but what else?
I gather John and Yoko were largely sequestered away in that historic apartment for most of their time, rearing little Sean, but what about Manhattan did John really dig when he did step out the door (especially given his cited affinity for “steppin’ out”)? Did John ever catch Television or the Ramones at CBGB? What did he think about New York’s burgeoning punk rock scene? Did he hang out at Max’s Kansas City? Were there any record stores he liked browsing in? Did he have a favorite restaurant? Did he ride the subway? Did he have a favorite pizza place? What would he have thought about the bike lanes? Apart from a pharmacy on Columbus Avenue that used to keep a framed picture of him in its window, I’ve rarely see indicators of his time here (y’know, beyond those videos and the back cover of Double Fantasy). What were John Lennon’s favorite things about New York?
Anyone know?
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