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onehandle

(51,122 posts) Fri Oct 9, 2015, 10:12 PM Oct 2015

Imagining a World Where John Lennon Turned 75

A world where a gun was not legally purchased and traveled in an airliner along with his murderer to New York City.

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Imagining a World Where John Lennon Turned 75

John Lennon had big plans for 1981.

He intended to work with his good friend Ringo Starr on a comeback album for the Beatles drummer. Word was, Paul McCartney and George Harrison were game to chip in, too. We might have seen the first full Beatles collaboration since the making of Abbey Road in the summer of 1969.

Lennon also had a daring project in mind for himself. He wanted to go on tour—his first since The Beatles played the U.S. in the summer of 1966. The son of a sailor, who had just discovered the joys and challenges of sailing the previous summer, Lennon hoped to travel from port to port instead of slogging it out in the traditional rock star tour bus. A Beatle back on the road in 1981 was guaranteed to be a major event. John Lennon, a recluse from 1975 to 1980, going from town to town? A media circus.

Lennon was in a very good place when a deranged gunman took his life in front of the Dakota on Dec. 8, 1980. Earlier that year, he released Double Fantasy, a collaboration with his wife Yoko Ono. It marked John's first original music since Walls and Bridges, six years earlier. Ideas were flowing, like they had in the good old days. His fans were excited. He ended up recording so much stuff that another album of new songs, Milk and Honey, came out a few months after Double Fantasy.

http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a38603/john-lennon-at-75

6 replies

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Highlight:

Imagining a World Where John Lennon Turned 75 (Original Post) onehandle Oct 2015 OP

Give Peace A Chance. Kath1 Oct 2015 #1

I lived on CPW nine blocks north of the Dakota at the time. I was listening to WNEW..... George II Oct 2015 #6

Yoko remains an advocate for peace today. Kath1 Oct 2015 #2

Yoko remains an advocate for peace today. Kath1 Oct 2015 #3

Yoko has donated hundreds of millions to good charities over the years Omaha Steve Oct 2015 #4

In memoriam. Isn't that a great picture of Yoko Ono too? JDPriestly Oct 2015 #5

Kath1

(4,309 posts)

1. Give Peace A Chance.

Reply to onehandle (Original post)

Fri Oct 9, 2015, 10:52 PM

Oct 2015

That's what I would love.

I remember that horrible night. The only way I knew about it was that my dad was watching football as I was talking with my mom upstairs on a little visit. He yelled for me to come downstairs. That night is vivid in my memory and still horrible. I will never forget it.

George II

(67,782 posts)

6. I lived on CPW nine blocks north of the Dakota at the time. I was listening to WNEW.....

Reply to Kath1 (Reply #1)

Sat Oct 10, 2015, 01:14 AM

Oct 2015

....and they broke into the music with Scott Muni to announce that John Lennon had been shot outside his building. Shortly after that they announced that he had died.

There were all sorts of gatherings outside the building during the week, it was impossible for me to get home each night by car.

On Saturday there was a memorial vigil at the bandshell in Central Park. I found myself drawn to it, and there were thousands of people there, no one speaking. On the bandshell was a single chair with a boombox and a picture of John propped up on it. The boombox was playing "Imagine".

It was eerily quiet - just the sound of helicopters flying overhead and "Imagine". That was an experience I'll never forget.