Tuesday, April 12, 2011

A-Z: John Lennon

I've blogged before about what makes John Lennon a compelling person, but I don't think I've discussed why he's my favorite Beatle.

I think I first bonded with John when I learned he was a writer. He wrote poems and short stories which were gathered into collections (In His Own Write, A Spaniard in the Works, and the posthumous Skywriting By Word of Mouth.) He often illustrated them with his own doodles. I have to admit that sometimes the only way I can follow his surreal puns is by tilting my mind sideways. Still, even if I can't always understand what John said, the fact that he wanted to write his ideas down too gives me common ground with him.

While my own childhood wasn't anything like John's, he felt different from anyone else around him--something I felt too. As I discussed in the post linked above, John had a complex, at times contradictory personality, which makes him a fascinating character study. John was also quite outspoken; I don't agree with everything he says, but often his words inspire further thought on a subject.

One of the things I've noticed during my years as a Beatle fan is that fans who have the same favorite Beatle often have similar traits in common. While I have friends who admire Paul and George (my husband says Ringo is his favorite), many of my fellow Beatle friends are also John fans. You can actually find Beatles personality tests online like this one, though results can vary.

Of course, I must post a video. This is "Dear Prudence," one of John's most beautiful songs:

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

John Lennon had the most beautiful soul!
My favorite song from him is "Julia" from the White Album.

Catherine Stine said...

Yesss, John Lennon has always been my favorite by far. He was an artist, a writer, a cynic yet still in awe of the world, a lover, seeker, and very outspoken.
I relate!

N. R. Williams said...

Good post. John certainly was a complicated man. I have a love/hate feeling toward him. He was incredibly gifted. Yet an abusive husband and absent father.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, The Treasures of Carmelidrium.

Golden Eagle said...

I have to say I don't know much about the Beatles . . . interesting post.

Thanks for commenting on my blog!

KjM said...

Love that song!

I've always found the lines in another song perfect to illustrate the difference between Paul and John.

"...a little better all the time... (Paul)
- can't get no worse..." (John)

There's a wry humor that seems to underly John's view of life that resonates.

With your fondness for the Beatles, I trust you have seen the movie "Across the Universe".

Eric said...

One thing I can count on from you is that I will hear a new Beatles song that I've not heard before. And they're always great ones. Of all the Beatles though, I'm probably more a fan of John than the rest. I admired his thought-provoking way, much like the way I admire yours :)

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