On Tuesday, it will mark the 29th anniversary of John Lennon’s murder. Twenty nine years man. That’s a long time in life, but I guess in death that’s really just a drop in the bucket. But murder is murder, and two of the other three Beatles that didn’t get shot that December day in 1980, are still alive. So it’s not really a stretch to think that Lennon would still be alive and still be vital in the world today, had he not been killed that night. I grew up listening to the Beatles and to Lennon and McCartney solo music. My sister Amy had gotten into their music before I did and she turned me and my younger sister Abby on to it. And I so loved it and continue to love it today. The Beatles were such a simple plan…they had great words and perfect harmonies. They had mass appeal and everyone loved them in their time. And people love them to this day. It’s not surprising that the Beatles broke up, I mean, people change, people grow, bands breakup. But the most surprising thing about the Beatles is how all their music seems timeless and relevant to any era. Who would’ve thought that something as simple as I Wanna Hold Your Hand would be known to teenagers of 2009? It’s really remarkable the longevity. And even more remarkable is the idea that the Beatle’s music has made yet another comeback with the Beatles Guitar Hero stuff. Personally, I don’t get those games at all, but I do get that kids love that stuff. I loved Frogger and Ms Pac Man. So I believe that the Beatle’s will be relevant for a long time to come, possibly forever.
The past few times I’ve been to New York City, I made sure to go past the Dakota where Lennon lived with Yoko Ono. Lennon was shot outside that building on that December night in 1980. The building is right next to Central Park, right off of Central Park West where W 72nd Street collides with it. Great neighborhood, excellent surroundings, great building. Just across the street from the Dakota, is the part of Central Park called Strawberry Fields, where you’ll find a stone and tile mosaic laid into the ground with the word IMAGINE set into the middle of it. This is where New York memorialized Lennon forever. The first time I can remember coming upon it, I was walking up through the park, and I was actually surprised when we got there. And so we stuck around for a little while, not sure why. It’s sort of like being in a cemetery, where you know lot’s of emotions have poured through the air over the years. There’ve been countless tears cried there, and songs sung and hummed and millions of strangers left that little area of the park thinking about the Beatles and about Lennon, trying to remember all the things that they can about Lennon’s assassination. After a few minutes standing there, it got to me too. I remember my breathe feeling heavy and my eyelids feeling like they were having a tough time holding in what they were supposed to be holding in. And I started to think about the assassination itself. And I kept thinking of those Newsreels that we saw where everyone was congregating outside the building, holding candles, singing and crying for John Lennon. People held signs that night and the next night, and burned more candles and held up pictures of John. Standing there, maybe ten years later, in Strawberry Fields, looking down at one of my favorite words in the world, IMAGINE became etched in my brain forever. I mean, I really don’t remember my wedding or my wedding reception, but I remember Strawberry Fields.
John Lennon was a singer, songwriter, visual artist, peace activist, a father and a son. On that dark day in December of 1980, he was shot in the back, four times, by some crazy dude for whatever reason. Lennon was known to be a darkly funny man, with and imagination that is rivaled by only the great poets and philosophers. He was a true Renaissance Man with an insight into his own life that was as original and refreshing as can be imagined, far more than most men of his time. He was part of one of the greatest Rock & Roll groups of all time and was a trailblazer for musicians and artists everywhere across the globe for decades and decades and decades. His words have been memorized and immortalized by children and adults on every continent of this world and will continue to be important to pop culture and to humanity forever. This was a man who stood for peace, love and original thought. He was a man that believed that his words, his thoughts, his actions were important, and that those things could be the catalyst for imagination and serenity for all those that listened to his music, read his words, experienced his art. His children are gifted artists, who will never have the chance to grow old with their father because that dumbass shot him as he was walking into his home.
I never met John Lennon, hell I was ten when he died. I’ve watched countless movies and interviews and back stage type videos of him with or without the Beatles, and I’ve decided that if ever I were to have met him, I probably wouldn’t have liked him, as a guy. He kind of grates on me. But as an artist, as a musician, as a free-thinker, I love the guy. I will always love his music, always love his art, always love his world citizenry. He lived the life that he wanted and I’d bet that if he been given the chance, he wouldn’t change too many things about his shortened life.
Strawberry Fields recognizes and memorializes his life’s work and accomplishments. He was a peaceful man, who in a time of great change and shifting morality saw his way through life, and followed his inner compass to a level of achievement that most of us cannot even begin to conceptualize. He was a star of unequaled greatness and now, twenty-nine years after his death, he is still missed greatly by millions upon millions across the world. Standing at the Imagine mosaic, in the midst of Strawberry Fields, in sight of where Lennon lived and also where he died violently, the emotions that you have about him, the Beatles and about the songs that have been part of your life, come to the surface, and it’s a very powerful moment. Music does that to me in general, but that day, there in the park, was a very powerful, moving, spiritual moment. A moment, that at the time, I didn’t fully comprehend and couldn’t really express in words. I’ve been there three times at least, I think a few more times than that. I’m going back the next time I’m in New York for sure. It’s really a must see, and an experience that should be had by all. We lost John Lennon 29 years ago, but he’ll never be forgotten. Live Big and Imagine.
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