Another time, BG was in a West Side bar in the afternoon. The place was nearly empty, but seated at a nearby booth were Lennon and Elton John. Elton John's famous cover of Lennon's "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" had recently come out, and BG recalls that the two played the song over and over on the jukebox and drunkenly sang along. BG, mindful of his status as a real New Yorker, never approached the two.
Though I never saw Lennon in the flesh, I remember a colleague of mine whose friend ran into Lennon and asked him the eternal, moronic question: "When are you getting back together with the Beatles?" Lennon replied, "When are you getting back together with your grammar school mates?" People who think of fame and fortune as the ultimate dream come true fail to realize that most celebrities have to put up with slavish sycophants who cannot relate to their idols as human beings, and actually think a star will be impressed with the revelation that a stranger "loves" their music/films/art.
In the fall of 1980, after spending a number of years in the role of "househusband" while raising his son Sean, Lennon went back into the studio with Yoko to record the album "Double Fantasy." The day of Lennon's death, Mark David Chapman approached him as he left his apartment in the Dakota building, requesting that he autograph his copy of the newly released album. Lennon obliged. When Lennon returned to the Dakota that night, Chapman, who had been lying in wait for him all day, fatally shot him.
When the news of Lennon's death was announced, hordes of fans began to gather in front of the Dakota. As I recall, this vigil went on for days and days. Although it was a touching tribute, I had no desire to join the people chanting and singing Beatles songs and lighting candles there and talking about "John" as if they'd known him personally. Certainly, it was a testament to how deeply Lennon had touched his generation. But somehow, the sight of the fans gathered there also brought to mind the darkly rabid devotion that led some disturbed individuals to obsess over a star to an unhealthy degree. After all, Lennon is far from the only celebrity who has been stalked and even killed by an off-kilter fan.
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