John Lennon
A Belated eulogy

John, my man.

I grew up in a very repressive environment. When the Beatles made it, it became the most divisive element in my household. I left home at 15, like John I didn't "grow up" with my parents. To me, John was the embodiment of what someone who grew up "weird", could do with themselves. I loved him my whole life.

I went to the Dakota to pay tribute two days before he died after working in NYC on the Leonard/Duran fight. After getting paid, I took my then six-year-old son to go to Disneyland and stayed at the Tropicana Motel (Tom Waits' "home"). The morning of the killing, all the mothers gathered in the cafe. Can you imagine how many of us gathered there had had our children because John conceived Sean despite his cynicism with the world? We all cried together. Then went to Century City, as no one really knew what else to DO. People just sang his songs and kept the beat with stomping. It was spiritual, it was POWERFUL.


I have always been upset with people criticising Yoko Ono. I won't listen to the criticism -- musical, personal, or political ... Those two were meant to be together. He recognized her true value, and said so in his Rolling Stone interviews.


To my mind, John found the God within, the true Gnostic. He was an enlightened, funny, irreverant and talented man. We should all have such courage and be so full of heart. I feel sorry I didn't get my words down October 8th in the blog. Because there isn't an October 8th I don't remember the man. Songwriter, musician (and he was good, a GREAT guitarist, have a real listen), singer/performer, actor, writer, artist, activist, enemy of the state, lover, husband, father, inspired inspirer, entertainer Extra-nonordinary.

The saddest day of my life -- I owned a coffeehouse/tearoom in a tourist town here in Ontario. I had only one photo up. It was of John. Someone came in and actually asked me who it was.

So as you can Imagine, I have to shine on, without him.


Lennon Remembers: The Full Rolling Stone Interviews from 1970 (Hardcover)by John Lennon, Jann S. Wenner (Editor)
John Lennon - Imagine by John Lennon
Postcards From The Boys by Ringo Starr
Acoustic ~ John Lennon
Lennon : Definitive Biography, The by Ray Coleman
All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono by David Sheff
Skywriting by Word of Mouth : And Other Writings, Including "The Ballad of John and Yoko" by John Lennon
John's Secret Dreams : The Life of John Lennon by Doreen Rappaport
Lennon Legend by James Henke
Life: Remembering John Lennon : 25 Years Later by LIFE MAGAZINE EDITORS
Memories of John Lennon by Yoko Ono