As I watched the news this evening, I finally put a name to what's been bothering me for a while--PAJLMS: Pre-Anniversary of John Lennon's Murder Syndrone.
This time of year is hard for Beatles fans. George passed away on November 29, 2001, and of course John was murdered on December 8, 1980. This year, with it being a "special" anniversary (25 years), the media is flooded with news stories about him. I use the term "news" lightly, since many of stories are about things dedicated fans already know. For example, on World News Tonight, they played sound clips from an interview John gave in 1970, after the Beatles broke up and John had undergone primal scream therapy. True to himself, John disses everyone left and right--Paul, the Rolling Stones, even the fans. Well, maybe this may shock the casual fan, but I've had a transcript of that interview for years. Personally, I think a better choice would have been excerpts from the interviews John gave David Scheff of Playboy. John changed his mind as often as he changed his socks, but the Scheff interviews took place only a couple of months before he died. They would have given a better picture of his state of mind at the time, but since he was at peace with himself by then, his comments wouldn't be so contraversial. Humm, does the news go for truth or what sells? Why do I even ask?
Anyway, I apologize for the rant, but after seeing this story and reading countless articles about John and the murder on Beatlelinks, I'm feeling a bit numb but still sad. Yes, it's been 25 years, and I barely remember the actual day myself. I was only ten and knew very little about music or the current events of that era. Now that I'm older and more involved with John's music, his murder matters more, especially since I had to research it for Lennon's Line. Come Thursday, as I go throughout the day, I'll be able to think "John was getting his hair cut" or "John was posing for photos at this time" whenever I look at the clock. I don't even know if I'll be able to listen to his solo music that day; it's too intense. Maybe I'll start a Beatles marathon instead so I can absorb some energy from Please Please Me and With the Beatles. I'll be blogging more about what John means to me on Thursday as well. In the meantime, I think I'll cheer myself up with another dead celebrity's work: A Charlie Brown Christmas.
2 comments:
Sandra, by coincidence (?), there was an author on the radio this morning - I think his name was Bob Spitz, and he has a new biography of the Beatles out - they were raving about the book, and this radio show isn't one of those cheesy, cloying, type crews - I've heard them savage guests and their work before. This one they liked. Have you picked that one up already?
Actually, I have heard about this book on my Beatles forum, but many of the people there say the book has a lot of errors--problems with the captions and so forth. I should check it out for myself the next time I'm in a bookstore.
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