John Lennon .. 35 years

[BlacknTan]

It was 35 years ago today that John Lennon was shot to death in front of The Dakota in NYC. He was 40 years old.
I was never a fan of his politics, or his later choice in women, but that's his business. Who can argue with a man devoted to Peace ... The older I get, the more I understand!
I grew up with The Beatles in the early Sixties... my cousin in the UK used to send me the records before they were known in the USA.
A very complicated man in almost every way, damaged early on by the death of his mother ... very much a dichotomy, and some would call him a hypocrite, but he gets a pass from me for being the original Beatle..

So, here's to John Lennon .. certainly no shrinking violet!

 

[Planetölogy]

Here's a link to a fascinating video on how the news was initially broken to the public.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-F3MJjcRkc

 

[CXS]

In light of current events 'Imagine' rings too true. Too bad he was killed so young.

 

[Bstrom]

A review of his life reveals both creative genius, a fatherless childhood, marital dysfunction (which he recovered from thankfully) and drug addiction. Typical for the more gifted subset of homo sapiens.

I am a huge fan of his musical accomplishments as co-bandleader of the Beatles. His and Paul's treatment of George and Ringo is not exactly admirable but they hung in there of their own volition. George Martin was critically responsible for the Beatles' success in my estimation. His production and arrangement skills were decades ahead of his day. Just compare the sound quality of the Beatles records to the Stones early work. No comparison...

Not so impressed with John's personal life, which I have strictly avoided imitating. His son Julian also suffered without a father figure for many years and also became an addict while inheriting much of his father musical skill. Sean seems to be the only one who benefited from John's 'better' years and Yoko is enjoying all the rewards.