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All he was saying, was give peace a chance.

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."

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!

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."

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.

johnallg wrote: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.

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

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

epitreture wrote: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...

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.

cjj wrote:

epitreture wrote: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.