My father woke me up to get ready for school and the first thing he said to me was "Get up & get ready for school. Oh, and John Lennon was shot and killed last night." Fuck.
I had band practice first thing in the morning. Before we started, our band teacher took a moment to tell the class what had happened and how much dude meant to him. I remember looking around the room and getting the feeling that most of the kids didn't really give a shit one way or the other about it. I could tell that our band teacher caught that vibe from the kids too and I could tell that it bothered him.
Not wishing to stir up shit or anything but........
If John Lennon hadn't died would he still be celebrated in the same way? His output before he died was not of a continuous high quality in my opinion. While I have no doubts that some artists (for example Hendrix) would have maintained a decent quality control if they had lived longer I have my doubts about Lennon.
It was 20 years ago today sgt pepper told the band to play! I read in the paper this week there was a contract on the table for the beatles to reform. Who knows how this would have been....either really good or really bad....i say good. Lennons a legend & it makes me sad that chapman has probabaly got a shit load of cash for doing a tv show thats being shown 2nite & to make matters worse he'll probably be out in a few years.
Pretty sure that Chapman is not allowed to make any money from that stuff while he's on the inside but just giving him the airtime to feed his fucked-up ego is pretty abhorrent. I wonder if they'll ever let him out...
Not wishing to stir up shit or anything but........
If John Lennon hadn't died would he still be celebrated in the same way? His output before he died was not of a continuous high quality in my opinion. While I have no doubts that some artists (for example Hendrix) would have maintained a decent quality control if they had lived longer I have my doubts about Lennon.
That question could be applied to most artists who die unexpectedly. I'm no Lennon superfan, but give the MAN himself some props.
Imagine is one of the greatest songs ever written IMO.
Not wishing to stir up shit or anything but........
If John Lennon hadn't died would he still be celebrated in the same way? His output before he died was not of a continuous high quality in my opinion. While I have no doubts that some artists (for example Hendrix) would have maintained a decent quality control if they had lived longer I have my doubts about Lennon.
That question could be applied to most artists who die unexpectedly. I'm no Lennon superfan, but give the MAN himself some props.
Yeah don't get me wrong, I believe his work in the Beatles is beyond argument and appreciate some of his solo work (how can you sleep at night has to be one of the best beef songs ever) and don't want to put down the man on the anniversary of his death.
Guess what I'm trying to say is that it's always struck me as strange that a lot of the time people build up Lennon while dismissing McCartney at the same time. Lennon was a musical genius and by all accounts a very funny guy but I just don't buy into the whole "give peace a chance" thing as being revolutionary or particularly brilliant.
Like I say, not wishing to stir up shit, just voicing my thoughts.
Not wishing to stir up shit or anything but........
If John Lennon hadn't died would he still be celebrated in the same way? His output before he died was not of a continuous high quality in my opinion. While I have no doubts that some artists (for example Hendrix) would have maintained a decent quality control if they had lived longer I have my doubts about Lennon.
That question could be applied to most artists who die unexpectedly. I'm no Lennon superfan, but give the MAN himself some props.
Yeah don't get me wrong, I believe his work in the Beatles is beyond argument and appreciate some of his solo work (how can you sleep at night has to be one of the best beef songs ever) and don't want to put down the man on the anniversary of his death.
Guess what I'm trying to say is that it's always struck me as strange that a lot of the time people build up Lennon while dismissing McCartney at the same time. Lennon was a musical genius and by all accounts a very funny guy but I just don't buy into the whole "give peace a chance" thing as being revolutionary or particularly brilliant.
Like I say, not wishing to stir up shit, just voicing my thoughts.
Not wishing to stir up shit or anything but........
If John Lennon hadn't died would he still be celebrated in the same way? His output before he died was not of a continuous high quality in my opinion. While I have no doubts that some artists (for example Hendrix) would have maintained a decent quality control if they had lived longer I have my doubts about Lennon.
That question could be applied to most artists who die unexpectedly.
I'm no Lennon superfan, but give the MAN himself some props.
Yeah don't get me wrong, I believe his work in the Beatles is beyond argument and appreciate some of his solo work (how can you sleep at night has to be one of the best beef songs ever) and don't want to put down the man on the anniversary of his death.
Guess what I'm trying to say is that it's always struck me as strange that a lot of the time people build up Lennon while dismissing McCartney at the same time. Lennon was a musical genius and by all accounts a very funny guy but I just don't buy into the whole "give peace a chance" thing as being revolutionary or particularly brilliant.
Like I say, not wishing to stir up shit, just voicing my thoughts.
re: whether john's death preserved some sort of 'aura'
yeah, sure. but that's sort of what makes lennon lennon. two ways of looking at this question: 1. what if lennon hadn't been killed? 2. what if a different beatle had been killed.
answers 1. lennon might have become old and boring. this is basically the stones bad dream we are currently finding ourselves alongside. 2. lennon's reach was the kind that inspired fanaticism. I mean Wings wasn't that bad, but was a crazed fan really going to find himself obsessed with Paul and then destroy him? That's such a "John" thing. I mean, Ringo wasn't going to inspire the kind of (depraved, psychotic) love that leads to asassination. (or even Rasassination.)
extra credit had lennon lived, he never would have become as institutionalized as paul. the dude is royalty. he's as clean as you can be. he lends his image to financial planning commercials. john probably would have gone crazy or become a total recluse, only to pop up every now and then at a Signal to Noise or Wire event.
25 years ago -- the last time I remember my parents settling on McDonald's take-out for dinner.
Not wishing to stir up shit or anything but........
If John Lennon hadn't died would he still be celebrated in the same way? His output before he died was not of a continuous high quality in my opinion. While I have no doubts that some artists (for example Hendrix) would have maintained a decent quality control if they had lived longer I have my doubts about Lennon.
That question could be applied to most artists who die unexpectedly.
I'm no Lennon superfan, but give the MAN himself some props.
Yeah don't get me wrong, I believe his work in the Beatles is beyond argument and appreciate some of his solo work (how can you sleep at night has to be one of the best beef songs ever) and don't want to put down the man on the anniversary of his death.
Guess what I'm trying to say is that it's always struck me as strange that a lot of the time people build up Lennon while dismissing McCartney at the same time. Lennon was a musical genius and by all accounts a very funny guy but I just don't buy into the whole "give peace a chance" thing as being revolutionary or particularly brilliant.
Like I say, not wishing to stir up shit, just voicing my thoughts.
McCartney gets the gas face.
I never get the hating on McCartney thing. The Beatles would not have been who they were without him and nor would Lennon. Although Lennon was 'cooler', he was also a dick and his post-Beatles output was easily as patchy as Paul's. In fact, John put out some real crap in his time although most of that is obscured by the fact that people think of Imagine as representing the general level of his post-Beatles output. They are both worthy of celebration.
extra credit
had lennon lived, he never would have become as institutionalized as paul. the dude is royalty. he's as clean as you can be. he lends his image to financial planning commercials. john probably would have gone crazy or become a total recluse, only to pop up every now and then at a Signal to Noise or Wire event.
No, he's a toker, he's pretty independent minded and he was seriously pissed when Michael Jackson used his Northern Songs purchase to sell tunes for Pepsi ads. He's made some godawful records but actually he has a certain integrity that people think of as only John having. Lennon would stil be the hilarious but hypocritical old curmudgeon he had become.
well the fact that lennon was on an upswing in creativity when he died is what makes the event even more tragic.. i mean him and yoko had just laced "walking on thin ice".
i think he'd have probably just kept doin his relatively unpredictable thing and would most likely have had a career arc similar to bowie or dylan.. ie some serious WTF records and some critical reconnections.
I was gonna make this exact same post with the exact same title today. RIP to one of the greatest. I listened to Yellow Submarine while hanging up laundry this morning. M
I should call my mom today... she was and always will be an obsessed Lennon fan as a piano player and songwriter. She was exactly my age 25 years ago when this happened. Whoa.
his post-Beatles output was easily as patchy as Paul's
In my opinion, John had at least 2 solo albums that are as good as anything he did with Beatles, whereas Paul never did anything that matched up to Beatles-era stuff. Maybe a song here or there but certainly not a complete album (sorry in advance for the argument this might start)
Pedro_Norte
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Comments
1980 "Bravo" network premieres on cable TV
My father woke me up to get ready for school and the first thing he said to me was "Get up & get ready for school. Oh, and John Lennon was shot and killed last night."
Fuck.
I had band practice first thing in the morning. Before we started, our band teacher took a moment to tell the class what had happened and how much dude meant to him.
I remember looking around the room and getting the feeling that most of the kids didn't really give a shit one way or the other about it. I could tell that our band teacher caught that vibe from the kids too and I could tell that it bothered him.
25 fucking years ago. Damn.
That's how I remember it. My stepdad threw a glass against the wall.
If John Lennon hadn't died would he still be celebrated in the same way? His output before he died was not of a continuous high quality in my opinion. While I have no doubts that some artists (for example Hendrix) would have maintained a decent quality control if they had lived longer I have my doubts about Lennon.
I read in the paper this week there was a contract on the table for the beatles to reform. Who knows how this would have been....either really good or really bad....i say good.
Lennons a legend & it makes me sad that chapman has probabaly got a shit load of cash for doing a tv show thats being shown 2nite & to make matters worse he'll probably be out in a few years.
Me too. I had just gotten home from college (2 hour commute by bus) and right after I walked in the door I heard it. Bummer.
That question could be applied to most artists who die unexpectedly.
I'm no Lennon superfan, but give the MAN himself some props.
Imagine is one of the greatest songs ever written IMO.
Yeah don't get me wrong, I believe his work in the Beatles is beyond argument and appreciate some of his solo work (how can you sleep at night has to be one of the best beef songs ever) and don't want to put down the man on the anniversary of his death.
Guess what I'm trying to say is that it's always struck me as strange that a lot of the time people build up Lennon while dismissing McCartney at the same time. Lennon was a musical genius and by all accounts a very funny guy but I just don't buy into the whole "give peace a chance" thing as being revolutionary or particularly brilliant.
Like I say, not wishing to stir up shit, just voicing my thoughts.
McCartney gets the gas face.
yeah, sure.
but that's sort of what makes lennon lennon. two ways of looking at this question:
1. what if lennon hadn't been killed?
2. what if a different beatle had been killed.
answers
1. lennon might have become old and boring. this is basically the stones bad dream we are currently finding ourselves alongside.
2. lennon's reach was the kind that inspired fanaticism. I mean Wings wasn't that bad, but was a crazed fan really going to find himself obsessed with Paul and then destroy him? That's such a "John" thing. I mean, Ringo wasn't going to inspire the kind of (depraved, psychotic) love that leads to asassination. (or even Rasassination.)
extra credit
had lennon lived, he never would have become as institutionalized as paul. the dude is royalty. he's as clean as you can be. he lends his image to financial planning commercials. john probably would have gone crazy or become a total recluse, only to pop up every now and then at a Signal to Noise or Wire event.
25 years ago -- the last time I remember my parents settling on McDonald's take-out for dinner.
I never get the hating on McCartney thing. The Beatles would not have been who they were without him and nor would Lennon. Although Lennon was 'cooler', he was also a dick and his post-Beatles output was easily as patchy as Paul's. In fact, John put out some real crap in his time although most of that is obscured by the fact that people think of Imagine as representing the general level of his post-Beatles output. They are both worthy of celebration.
No, he's a toker, he's pretty independent minded and he was seriously pissed when Michael Jackson used his Northern Songs purchase to sell tunes for Pepsi ads. He's made some godawful records but actually he has a certain integrity that people think of as only John having. Lennon would stil be the hilarious but hypocritical old curmudgeon he had become.
i think he'd have probably just kept doin his relatively unpredictable thing and would most likely have had a career arc similar to bowie or dylan.. ie some serious WTF records and some critical reconnections.
He would probably love the rap movement.- Sinead O'Connor
RIP to one of the greatest.
I listened to Yellow Submarine while hanging up laundry this morning.
M
well the fact that they were in NYC durring a very very creative era it seems highly likely that they woulda been gettin on the funky train.
I should call my mom today... she was and always will be an obsessed Lennon fan as a piano player and songwriter. She was exactly my age 25 years ago when this happened. Whoa.
DJ Ferrari
In my opinion, John had at least 2 solo albums that are as good as anything he did with Beatles, whereas Paul never did anything that matched up to Beatles-era stuff. Maybe a song here or there but certainly not a complete album (sorry in advance for the argument this might start)