I don't have time on Monday to post this, so I'll post it now. This is 3 days early for my annual memorial to my hero that was taken. Violently. Without reason. Please rec this diary so everyone can light a candle in memory of John Lennon on Monday.
December 8th is a very dark day for me. I suspect it always will be. It was also on a Monday, 28 years ago, a generation lost a dear and sage voice for peace and a wonderful artist for humanity. Future generations were deprived of his genius. We'll never know what he would have produced, but we do know this: It would have been positive. We lost John Lennon to the senseless violence that permeates every corner of this society. We lost him for no reason at all.
The violence that visited him on December 8, 1980 is still impossible to understand and as each year passes we are reminded that John's message of peace is needed more now than ever.
He was timeless. He was a rarity in a world that rewards mediocrity and shallowness.
So, in memory of a man, an artist, an activist, a husband and a father I invite you to follow along for some music and a tribute to John Lennon.
Please take your time and watch all the vids below. And think of John.
John Lennon will forever be a part of me.
I can't shake him.
He had his flaws as we all do, but his music and message was flawless.
His devotion to peace was unending. He believed it possible. He demanded we dream it.
He imagined for an entire generation. And encouraged us to imagine it for ourselves.
I had to include this video first. It is our anthem. Indeed, it is humanity's anthem.
All of the Falwell's and Dobson's of this world can piss and moan all they want about the message conveyed.
They only do so because they have no interest in peace. They are bereft of love and good will. Married to their sick worldview, this song shatters their message. And rightfully so.
Did I mention he was prescient?
Yep. Imagine, folks. And work towards peace. If we all do the little things required to make it a reality; abandon intolerance, care for our neighbors, realize we all inhabit this small planet and teach our children to teach their children the same, it can be done.
Let's not forget John's humor. He got me thru many days that seemed dark and endless. 8 years of Reagan. 4 years of George H.W. Bush. And don't get me started with the 8 years of Bush Junior, 6 of them with regressive help from his congressional allies and lawless cronies. Pollution, war, lies, injustice, hate, division, millions of lives destroyed and millions of families forever scarred by death and destruction. Yet one song always seemed to cheer me up.
Perspective. That song gave it to me in spades.
Truth.
Another of John's traits. No one else could have written this song. It still stands. Sad commentary on our society, but the truth-seeker made sure we had an anthem to salve the wound.
He spoke of God. Did he believe? I don't know. I think he subscribed to the notion that he didn't know, and neither do we.
I remember that fateful night. Monday, December 8th, 1980. My roommates and I were engaged in a heated game of Risk™ , Our world and a roll of the dice was the only thing of concern to us at that moment. The television was on, tuned into Monday Night Football. To borrow a phrase: A splendid time was guaranteed for all.
Then, in one horrible unforgettable moment, an announcement was made by Howard Cossell that John Lennon had been shot and killed. The board game, the football, the evening filled with laughter and fun was over. Indeed, a goodly part of my identity and a bit of my innocence was forever shattered. Never to be restored.
It was if a family member was lost.
I was devastated. My generation's icon had been taken. Senselessly.
Just like that.
Gone.
No reason.
Just gone.
That week, the band I was in was booked to play in a local club. The gig began the very next night. We had just learned a few songs from John's last record, Double Fantasy. One song in particular: "Starting Over" was one of my favorites.
Playing that night was both difficult and cathartic. It was like a wake. The bar was full. Everyone crying, hugging, singing along. Choked up to the point of being unable to sing, I stopped in the middle of the first verse of Starting Over and asked if everyone would help by singing it with me. And sing they did. The entire bar. I pitched in where I could. Mustering the courage to swallow my aching heart and get the words out thru tears of sorrow and rage. But together we made it thru to the end. All in all, it was one of the most moving experiences of my life. A bittersweet memory, to be sure.
20 years old and I had lost my icon. My hero. In a sense, I too, was starting over.
Well, the years have passed far too quickly. 28 of them. 28 years! God, when you say it like that............
For those of you that are in your youth pay attention to the clock, children.
Time.
It's slipping away faster than you think. Use it wisely. Cherish the muses that inspire you. But most of all, help those in need. Work for peace. Work for justice. Demand more from the children that you may one day have. Demand that they work for these same principles.
Especially at this time of the year.
It wasn't as if he passed on after leading a long and full life. He was ripped from this world and from his wife and son. Instantly. All in the darkened entrance to his New York apartment building. Ironically where he felt most safe.
I miss John Lennon. There is still an empty place deep inside of me that can never be filled.
He's been gone for a long time now. But as long as I breathe I will remind people of a man that used his art and talent to the betterment of the world he graced. He advocated for the least of us. He advocated for justice. He advocated for peace. Please heed his timeless word: Imagine.
I lament the fact that my generation lost it's way. I'm sorry that my generation saw self-fulfillment and the accumulation of wealth as a more worthy goal than advancing the betterment of their fellow man. Most of all, I'm sorry we never gave Lennon's peace a chance.
Thankfully we have this community and many like it. Sometimes I like to think that had John Lennon lived, he would have been a member and diarist here. You think Olbermann's diaries get swamped? Heh. Imagine a Lennon diary. The servers would crash.
Now, some of you here have seen this video of mine. Many of you haven't. I wrote this song in about ten minutes on the 24th anniversary of his death. I put the video together when I bought the Mac. This version is a new edit. Please give it a view.
And to John: We Kossacks are trying. We really are.
Happy Christmas, everyone. I love this community. I truly do. We sometimes fight, snipe, bicker and bitch, but I love each and every one of you. This place will always be my home.
Be good to each other. Be good to people you don't even know. Do it everyday. Even after the holidays are past.