10.09.40 ~ 12.08.80

[rickenbrother]

All he was saying, was give peace a chance.

[kiramdear]

[miltric]

Excuse me while I testify . . . I was 12 years old when John died, just weeks removed from the unofficial onset of adolescence. I'm not exaggerating when I say that my teenage years and all the years since then were changed because of his death. I knew nothing about John Lennon as a 12 year old, though I had heard this song "Starting Over" on the radio a few times and kinda liked it. But when he was killed, I felt some mysterious connection to him I couldn't explain, and in the months afterward I had to, just had to, learn more about him. I sometimes wonder had he not died, if I would have found my way to him and the Beatles anyway. I'll never know. What I do know is that John and his music gave my adolescence a focus, a real sense of purpose. I'm an English professor now, and when my students ask me what got me interested in reading and writing, I tell them John Lennon and the Beatles. I devoured every book and magazine about them I could get my hands on as a teen, and reading them helped develop my sense of language, imagination, and my critical vocabulary. As happens to us all, I moved on to other influences literary and musical, but in a very real way, in the universe of my adulthood, John Lennon was what the philosophers call "the first mover."

[winston]

There are two original songs of mine dedicated to the memory of John Lennon on my myspace site. Dear John and Photographs. I wrote and recorded them shortly after his death. Like many, I can never forget that awful day. It is a day that is firmly etched in my mind and it is a day that invokes a sense of profound loss.

Peace John!

[johnallg]

I still remember the incredulous disbelief when I heard he was dead. All there was was a feeling of loss for a longtime mentor and hero.

"Johnny said it best when he said, "all you need is love."

[vker]

There is goodness, strength, and imagination w/in us all. So much sorrow where there could be joy- so much seriousness where there could be humor and happiness. I appreciate John and his compassion for others, his vision. He and the Beatles were a major influence on my brothers and I growing up- not just their music, but the way they chose to live their lives.

[longboard_ric]

I still remember the incredulous disbelief when I heard he was dead.
All there was was a feeling of loss for a longtime mentor and hero.

"Johnny said it best when he said, "all you need is love."

Same here, John.

[epitreture]

For some reason this same thread has been locked on the RIC website. I can't "Imagine" why.

[ricaddic]

I remember finding out about it while watching Monday Night Football when Howard Cosell made the announcement during the game.

[cjj]

For some reason this same thread has been locked on the RIC website. I can't "Imagine" why.

I'd guess it didn't have enough Rickenbacker content.

Lennon was truly a great influence on the whole Rock & Roll scene, that was a sad day indeed...

[Mossman]

I was in the same boat as miltric.. I was 11 years old (soon to be 12 on the 17th) when John Lennon was killed. I had a vague awareness of the Beatles from hearing them on the "oldies" station that my parents listened to, and I remember liking "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" and "Nowhere Man", but I had no idea who the individual Beatles were.. After witnessing the outpouring of emotion that ensued in the aftermath of his death, I had to find out what it was all about..

The day after my birthday I went down to a local record store intent on buying a Beatles, or John Lennon album, and was overwhelmed by the selection that was available. Having no idea which of the albums were "good" (I didn't know that they all were..) I decided on the White Album, because it was a double album, and it was on sale...

My life was never the same after that.

[goofyfoot]

For some reason this same thread has been locked on the RIC website. I can't "Imagine" why.

I'd guess it didn't have enough Rickenbacker content.....

Yep, CD (coach's decision). Can't blame him, though. Thought the thread would be open just a skosh longer because a discussion about John Lennon intrinsically touches upon Rickenbacker's storied past, IMHO. It's all copacetic --- no harm, no foul. Best regards.....Goofyfoot.