I feel old today - well, older than usual. Why? Because this morning I realized that many of you are too young to remember the day John Lennon was assassinated a little over 25 years ago - let alone the Beatlemania that, inadvertently, led up to it.
I won't try to be grandma Elvira here and attempt to describe the influence the Beatles had on modern music and culture. Suffice it to say that it was so profound that although Lennon, while still with the Beatles, made a controversial, albeit offhand remark about the group being bigger than Jesus, I happen to believe that this was, indeed, true. In other words, most teens and tweens were infinitely more galvanized by the Beatles in the 60s than by going to Sunday mass. The Beatles, in turn, were perpetually mobbed by rabid, screaming fans wherever they went. It was doubtless impossible to live any kind of normal life this way, and the Beatles eventually stopped touring and retired to the studio to produce some of their greatest albums.
In 1971, after the Beatles had broken up, Lennon, with his wife Yoko Ono, moved to New York City, where he would live until his death in 1980. He adored it here, and told his biographer Ray Coleman that "New York is what Rome used to be."
New Yorkers pride themselves on not going all ga-ga when they spot a celebrity on the street. Most residents have seen their share, particularly since films and TV shows are constantly being produced here. One of the things Lennon loved about New York was that he felt free to roam the streets without being constantly hassled. He eagerly explored the city, and after his son Sean was born, he could be seen wheeling his stroller down the paths of Central Park.
BG often talks reverently about the time he met and "touched" John Lennon. In the seventies, BG worked at a hardware store on the Upper East Side, where he did encounter a number of celebs, including Andy Warhol, who used to purchase art supplies there.
One day Lennon wandered in and asked BG for change of a dollar. BG handed him the four quarters (thus "touching" Lennon). Lennon then asked if he knew where the nearest health food store was, and BG's colleague told him there was one right across the street. As he left, BG put up his fingers in a peace sign and said, "Take care, John!" Lennon gave him a peculiar look and left.
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Article comments
1 - Greg
Imagine= Best song ever hands down!!!
2 - Elvira Black
Here's a cool pic of the Imagine memorial in Strawberry Fields.
3 - sr
Elvira. Best song ever. Dont agree with much of what you say Elvira, however Elivra the song was the best.
4 - sr
John Lennon sucked.
5 - Elvira Black
sr:
Thanks for the comments--wish you'd elaborate a bit on what you said though. In what way did Lennon suck? As a person? As a Beatle? As a solo performer? You've got my curiousity piqued!
6 - Scott Butki
Great piece. Just one question: Who is BG? Big Guy?
Barry Gibb?
7 - Elvira Black
Hey, thanks, Scott!
Yep, I forgot to clarify who BG is. BG is my comrade in arms/boyfriend/tormentor/fellow crazy person.
BG stands for Bowleg Guy. Bowleg is a word he and his kin devised to refer to two things:
a. Pot
b. Bowlegger=a bumpkin.
Though BG fancies himself a seasoned New Yorker, having been here for decades, he still retains some of the guilelessness of the "rube" in my opinion. Kind of a Joe Buck character who had his share of Ratso Rizzo hangers on back in the day.
8 - Scott Butki
Ah. thanks for the explanation.
9 - RH
>> As things stand, [The Loser Nobody Murderer] lives on. His identity will forevermore be merged with Lennon's--which, I suppose, is what Chapman ultimately dreamed of <<
And you played along, rewarding him with recognition, even though you realized it was his motive in the first place.
Nice going, Ms. Insightful. If everyone called him The Loser Nobody, the next guy who wanted instant fame might have second thoughts about killing someone to get it.
10 - Elvira Black
RH:
Um, I don't see any point in denying that Chapman did what he did. I'm not rewarding him--what I was doing was trying to point out that some of the "regular people" out there also seem a bit batty to me--just to a lesser degree.
Should we not mention Lee Harvey Oswald';s name in connectioni with JFK? etc etc? This is part of history, albeit an ugly part, and all we can do is try not to be doomed to repeat it. That may not be possible, but I think giving this guy a "special" name is also making him into more of a notable person, in a sense. At least I'm not giving him a nice nickname, like "Ted" for Theodore Bundy....
Many, if not most, celebs nowadays have stalker problems--as do many non-celebs. It's a serious issue that shouldn't be swept under the rug. Big celebs cannot just lead normal lives. A good example, perhaps, of the old "be careful what you wish for" caveat.
Profilers and other investigators often turn to convicted murderers to try to gain insight into what motivates people to stalk and kill. I think this info can be valuable in the long run. I don't think Chapman should make any money off interviews, books, etc--if any money is made, it should go to the victiim's families.
I think Chapman will forever be one of the most reviled individuals in our culture. That's fame of a sort, but not any kind I'd want to have.
Hope this clarifies my position a bit.
11 - Elvira Black
RH:
PS--Do you have an a URL that works? The one you provided didn't, at least for me.
12 - Scott Butki
RH - I don't understand or agree with RH's criticism