26 years ago today. I was a freshman in college sitting with friends in one of the few dorm rooms that had a TV... watching MNF and having a contest over how much jalapeno juice we could consume. After Cosell made the announcement, we all just sat there dumbstruck. People wandered down to the common room. A music major got on the piano and started playing "Imagine" and other Lennon tunes. A sax showed up and joined in. Chicks were crying, guys were sunk into chairs. There are places I remember all my life, Though some have changed, Some forever, not for better, Some have gone and some remain. All these places had their moments With lovers and friends I still can recall. Some are dead and some are living. In my life I've loved them all.
Rim, your story eerily parallels mine. I was a sophomore at UT, sitting in my apartment at 45th and Duval, watching MNF with four friends when Cosell made the announcement. We were dumbstruck. I was in Zilker Park the next day with thousands of other people. I brought my Alvarez twelve string with me and played every Beatles song I knew. It's unbelievable that it was 26 years ago today.
I also remember the moment. I was at home (only 13 at the time) watching MNF when Cosell made the announcement. Were the Oilers playing? Can't recall.
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This is an awesome story: Part 1 <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MwUcFUipQJY"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MwUcFUipQJY" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object> Part 2 <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JOWgNp2UWUk"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JOWgNp2UWUk" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
I went to a record label party for John Lennon last night (we are a day ahead) and heard a great primal scream version of "Well, Well, Well." John Lennon was awesome.
Love his music...I play it every once in awhile to mix things up...I was too young to remember the announcement, but know the story...
John Lennon and Chuck Berry- "Memphis" (1972) <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GzW7wzKR34k"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GzW7wzKR34k" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
good thing yoko was there to yell into that mike. i think denis leary put it best: "We live in a country where John Lennon takes six bullets in the chest, Yoko Ono standing right next to him, not one bullet. Explain that to me?" john lennon still amazes me everyday though.
That was an amazing story, BobFinn...I hadn't even heard of that guy. I'd seen the picture of John signing an autograph for his killer, but I didn't know it was taken by one of his friends. Much less a stalkerish-fan that John befriended. Lennon was such an incredible musician, lyricist, performer. And although he died 6 years before I was born, he's been a part of my life because I've grown up on the Beatles and his solo work. His music will always be a part of me. And in response to the OP...that's a really touching story. I can't even imagine the emotion in that room.
Here's my bootlegs tribute to John Lennon: Recorded at the Star Club in Hamburg in 1962: Twist&Shout From the Decca Records failed audition Demo: Money(That's What I want) 1963 Beatles Fan Club Christmas 45: Christmas Album Presented by KILT AM, The Beatles in Houston at Sam Houston Auditorium (with intro by KILT DJ Wierd Beard): Baby's In Black Electric Guitar Demo #8 of: Strawbery Fields Forever Peter Sellers Demo of Jeleous Guy... er, make that: Child of Nature Right after the Beatles broke up, John Lennon wasn't on such good terms with Paul McCartney: How Do You Sleep? My favorite post-Beatles Lennon song: Watching the Wheels Acoustic Demo of a post-Beatles song with some lyrics that would turn out to be very sad: Beautiful Boy Demo using a really crappy casio type drum machine, probably costing $500,000 at the time: Just Like Starting Over John makes fun of Bob Dylan Lord, Take This Makeup Off of Me One of his final songs, before the rest of the Beatles ****ed it up: Free as a Bird The other last Beatles song. Both of these are much sadder songs than how they ended up: Real Love finally The best Beatles Parrody ever, from Stig, Dirk, Nasty, etc.. Cheese and Onions
I was only 5 so I don't really remember the day. What I do know is that we were robbed of an amazing human being that day. When people like Lennon and Bob Marley die, you sit back and wonder what kind of difference they could have made today. With as screwed up a world that we live in right now, I'd like to think they would have had a huge influence. Very few have had the ability to spread a message of peace, through music or whatever, that Lennon and Marley were able to disseminate. The world became a darker place 26 years ago.
I was 7 when it happened. I was really too young to understand what a loss this was but I do remember feeling that this was a huge thing since it was discussed for the next week or so. I don't even like to acknowledge Lennon's death because that is only giving that idiot Chatman the attention he so desperately wanted.
That's exactly what I was going to post, except that my grandmother was talking about it, so I knew it was big.