I heard the news that night, oh boy...

steve_hershberger · Post by **steve_hershberger** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 3:09 am

25 years ago, and it still seems like yesterday.

I was 26 years old. A friend and I had gotten really high and, having nothing better to do, went to see "Blazing Saddles" for the 5th (or 10th) time just for some good laughs. I got home about 12:30 a.m. and switched on Johnny Carson's show for some more laughs.

There was text running across the bottom of the screen said something like:

"A man, identified as John Lennon, shot in NYC."

No details - that's all it said.

I'm thinking "did I read that right?"

Within a few seconds, my girlfriend calls me.

GF: Did you hear the news?
Me: About John? Yeah, but he's OK, right?
GF: (slight pause) No, he's dead.
Me: (long silence - I'm in utter shock)
Me: I gotta go.

I'm crying now.

A minute later, my GF calls back:

GF: Are you OK?
Me: No.
(I hang up)

I stayed up all night crying, listening to records, sometimes playing guitar, sometimes trying to find news on TV or radio or looking at my books, etc. I was all over the place trying to occupy my time, but sleep wasn't an option. Obviously I was a wreck at work the next day - as was everyone else there.

There's a bit more to it that might come out later in this thread. But what's your story?

teeder · Post by **teeder** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 5:03 am

I was 14. My mom was crying as she woke me early that morning. I was in shock for days. My friends and I wore black arm-bands at school that week.

bbobb24 · Post by **bbobb24** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 5:05 am

I remember is well also, I was 12. My Mom told me the next morning, I stayed home from school that day and I've cryed every Dec 8th since.

Can you imagine what he would have done musically in the last 25 years? I can't help but thaink that we all lost some of the best music that will never be.

Ut's truely a sad sad day.

ken_swearingen · Post by **ken_swearingen** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 5:29 am

I remember my emotions at that time one half of me wanted kill the guy who shot him,one part of me said to myself all the good ones are gone,and the realization that the Beatles will never be again was a great shock, there was always hope until then.

Truly a sad day for us all and still."God Bless His Soul"What a kind, peace loving individual,he made this world a better place.

winston · Post by **winston** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 6:41 am

I was watching Monday Night Football when the announcer suddenly blurted out that they had breaking news from New York. I was devastated. You know the rest of the story.

admin · Post by **admin** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 6:52 am

All very emotional memories here. The announcer was Howard Cossel, born Howard Cowen. Perhaps one of his most famous announcements.

string_along · Post by **string_along** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 7:13 am

Skip here. I was in my early 20's when I heard the news about John Lennon. I was driving alone through a California desert when the news broke over the radio. In an instant I felt like I was being engulfed by the blackness of the desert night sky and I was never more aware of how alone I was traveling on that ribbon of highway. I was always a Beatle fan, and in particular of the chief Beatle. The Beatles and Lennon's music are part of the weave and fabric of my life. Through good times and bad, J.L. and the boys have been there with me. Well, on that lonely desert highway, my emotions ranged from deep sorrow to an incredible hatred. I had to pull off at the next off-ramp, park and get a grip. I just couldn't believe what I was hearing on the radio, although I knew it to be true. I spent the next few hours parked along a road by that off-ramp. I rolled a few numbers and sparked them up in memory of John. Beautiful stars on a very sad night. Quiet reflection and deep thoughts on a person, whom I never met, but who has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. By the time I resumed my drive I knew, without a doubt, that the "dream was over" but not forgotten.

chingnchime · Post by **chingnchime** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 7:15 am

I was at an intersection that night, driving home from my girlfriend's house, and flipped on the radio.That's how I heard. What was really weird was the fact that i had tickets for BEATLEMANIA the following night. The performance really was like a bad dream, and I remember searching the eyes of everyone i had eye contact with, hoping they'd somehow have the REAL news that it hadn't happened. It was like bad slow motion that night. I still wish they'd let the little runt out for 1 day. That's all it would take. Bitter? Yes, definitely...

steve_hershberger · Post by **steve_hershberger** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 8:56 am

I tried posting another one earlier, but it somehow got lost in transmission - or maybe not included because of non-allowed words I might've wrote, or (most likely because of user error here, I don't know). So here's another version.

In the couple weeks preceeding, I'd been engrossed by the Lennon interview published in that one "men's magazine", as well as constantly playing the single of "(Just Like) Starting Over" I'd bought. I don't know if I bought "Double Fantasy" before or after the murder, but suffice it to say I had tons of his solo albums (and Beatles stuff) to play that night.

And I was extremely glad to hear *any* new JL stuff at that time, and was enthused to know he'd gotten "back into the game" and was looking forward to hearing more.

The night I bought the "Starting Over" single, my girlfriend was looking for some Beatles album to get for her little brother as a Christmas present. He was maybe 16-17 at the time (at the most) and was just getting into the Beatles' music.

At that time I was big into buying the Parlophone import versions (already had all the Capitol stuff) and the only one the store had was "A Hard Days Night" - so I said that'd be a good start for him and she bought that for her brother that night. At that time, the import albums cost $5.99 or so - big money for a record back then.

I didn't think about it much at the time.

So, Christmas comes around and my girlfriend gives me a big box that doesn't weigh much. I opened it up and it's that AHDN album!

She tells me something like "Given recent circumstances, I thought you'd appreciate it the most."

Which I definitely did... I think she ended up getting her brother a shirt or something.

britye · Post by **britye** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 11:01 am

I had MNF on drinking some brews with some friends and while I was at the kitchen table hand block sanding bondo off my Sportster's gas tank. (I was filling in the weld areas of the mounting tabs) When Coselle broke the news. We were all just dumbfounded and stunned. Fubar

ken_swearingen · Post by **ken_swearingen** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 11:21 am

On a happier note the other day I walked into my gym and the guy behind the counter [a young twenty year old guitar player who's into green day and the goo goo dolls...]was reading a book-

I sad what you reading ,he said its a book about the Beatles,Lennon was my favorite ,he was a genies.
I said yes he was, as I walked to the locker room with a grin on my face ,thinking thank god they will live on.

rickfan63 · Post by **rickfan63** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 11:53 am

I was 16 years old in 1980, I hadn't watched MNF that December night. The next morning as school, a fellow musician buddy told me the news. I was (and still am) a huge Beatles fan. It stunned me to the bone, I then understood how people felt in 1963 when JFK was killed. I wasn't worth a **** for the rest of that day in school. I skipped most of my classes, and spent the rest of the day in the library reading the newspaper in a daze. When the day was over, I went to the house of the guitarist buddy of mine who really turned me on to the Beatles and we watched the coverage in stunned silence. Both of us wanting to rip apart the SOB that did this foul,obscene thing.

bigbajo60 · Post by **bigbajo60** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 12:01 pm

I too was watching Monday Night Football when Howard Cosell began mentioning J.L.'s name in a way that initially led me to believe that he was about to be a guest in the announcer's booth... I think he had visited with the MNF guys once before...

Anyway, that's what I was thinking was about to happen, when suddenly Howard's voice took on a tone of grave seriousness and made the announcement of the shooting. IIRC, a short time later, he made a follow-up statement confirming that John had died.

One of only a handful of times that something has truly blindsided me like that.

jwh · Post by **jwh** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 12:13 pm

I was starting to celebrate my 27th birthday (12/9) a little early, listening to the Imagine album and drinking a few beers, when my mom called on the phone saying she heard on the local 11:00 news that John Lennon had been shot. I immediately turned on the television to watch for any updates. It wasn't long before they announced he had died. Needless to say, It was the worst birthday of my life.

karl_teten · Post by **karl_teten** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 3:44 pm

It was the only time I can remember that my father was working late shifts. My mother was also in the hospital at the same time so my home environment was already stressed.

One of my mothers friends would come over and sit until my father got home from work. I was 13 and my brother was 10.

The sitter was watching football and I had just gone to bed around 9:30 PM Pacific. I heard the news come over the TV from out in the living room. I suddenly jumped out of bed and ran into the living room to hear that two sources said Lennon was dead and one source said he was still being resuscitated.

I sat there in disbelief waiting for more news that John was still alive.

A second broadcast came on not long afterwards and delivered the devastating final news.

I went back to my room and in the dark, stared at all The Beatles posters all over my bedroom walls and ceiling. All I could do is fixate on Lennon's face in each of the posters everywhere in my room. Somehow, I fell asleep that Monday night.

All my memories of the next day are in color snippets without any sound. I don't remember hearing anything the next day.

It's all still surreal just thinking about it.

As I rode my bike through Signal Hill the next morning, everywhere I looked seemed strange. Of course I was in a daze but I could see the faces of people in their cars in the same daze I was in. I also remember that there was not as many cars on the road that morning as usual.

When I got to school I could see the same dazed expressions on some students faces but mostly on the faces of my teachers. My English teacher cancelled her class that day and let everyone just sit and talk about whatever. I sat with her and we talked about Lennon and The Beatles.

I still have the morning newspapers from Dec. 9. One reads, BEATLES JOHN LENNON KILLED.

Only the unexpected death of my mother, 15 years later, has hit me that hard.