John Lennon 10/9/40 - 12/8/80

I reckon like everyone else I'm sitting round listening to Beatles songs today, in particular John Lennon who was, as you know unless you live in a cave, or Kansas, shot to death 25 years ago today. Surprisingly (to myself, anyways) I don't remember the day he was shot. I remember Elvis dying, I remember many things before December 1980, but I don't remember this day. Probably because my parents weren't into the Beatles, they were a little after their time. It wasn't like when Elvis kicked, and my dad told my brother and I to "be nice to your mother today." I guess every other day my brother and I were mean to her. Hmm. Mostly, I've always been pissed at how because he got shot, he became a martyr, while Paul became the "pussy Beatle", a "lightweight fop." In a lot of people's eyes. John IS the Beatles, which is totally ridiculous. Paul could have a tendency to get a bit mawkish at times (one song about your sheepdog is one too many, Paul), but he also CRANKED plenty - witness his bone-shivering cover of "Long Tall Sally", or his heavy metal "Helter Skelter." On the very same day he recorded "Yesterday", Paul also ran through his Little Richardesque number "I'm Down", so don't tell me he's a pussy (and he ALSO recorded "I've Just Seen a Face" - quite a fucking day. jesus.) John and Paul were both great because of each other. Yes, John probably helped Paul steer from his sentimental show tune side sometimes, but Paul also kept John from completely going off the deep end too eary with his "artsy primal scream feeling songs" - or, as I call them, "crap." So everyone, drop the Lennon is the Jesus Beatle and Paul sucked nonsense. Open your ears, listen to the albums and love them both. As for memories of 12/8/80, like I said I don't have any. But I've always thought how he affected the lives of people was summed up perfectly by Bruce Springsteen in Philadelphia the night after the shooting.

The next day Miami Steve called the tour manager to see if the second night was supposed to be postponed. The answer was no. Steve was so upset he went to Springsteen shortly before the show saying that, "I felt really weird about going onstage, that I couldn't put it together. And he really just reminded of why we do what we do, and how important it was to go out that night in particular. I wish I could remember exactly what he said, like 'This is what John Lennon inspired us to do and now it's our job to do the same thing for these other people, that today it was Lennon and tomorrow it might be me, and if it is . . .' That's how he does his show, like it was his last. He lives every minute like it was his last. That's the way to live. It's really lucky to be close to him at moments like that." The band took the stage, most of them wearing black. Springsteen went to the mike. "If it wasn't for John Lennon," he said, "a lot of us would be in some place much different tonight. It's a hard world that makes you live with a lot of things that are unlivable. And it's hard to come out here and play tonight, but there's nothing else to do." I've seen people digging firebreaks to save their homes, and I've seen some desperate fist fights, and God knows, I've seen hundreds of rock & roll shows, but I have never seen a human being exert himself the way Springsteen did that night in Philly.

Moving people when you're alive is hard enough; moving them people after you die, that transcends even death, and that's why we're all taking a moment to think about John Lennon today and what he means to all of us.