(The Observer) Why Lennon lives on

[norml]

Why Lennon lives on

John Lennon was the voice of a generation, yet now many young people cannot identify a picture of him. A quarter of a century after his death, Sean O'Hagan reassesses the legacy of the world's first modern pop star

Sunday August 14, 2005
The Observer

On the western edge of New York's Central Park, a sun-dappled mosaic circle on the ground contains the single word 'Imagine'. This is the still, calm centre of Strawberry Fields, a rechristened corner of the park that has become a mecca for the curious and the faithful who come daily in a constant stream of murmuring devotion to remember John Lennon, the city's most famous adopted son.

Today, like every day for the last 14 years, the 'Imagine' site is tended by a native New Yorker called Gary, a 41-year-old self-appointed keeper of the Lennon flame in ragged ponytail, baggy shorts and faded Led Zeppelin T-shirt. 'John came to me in my sleep and told me to do it,' he says, when I ask why he has covered the circle with petals. 'I do it every day, man. I've done it with rose petals and leaves. I've done it with pumpkin seeds and pine kernels. One time, when I couldn't get no flowers in the winter, I covered it with bagels and green bananas. I think,' he says, without irony, 'that John would have liked that.'

Gary bids me sit on a nearby park bench beside his wife, who shares his devotion to the late Beatle. 'I'm a hippy, man,' he says, as if that explains everything, even the bagels. 'I used to be a regular guy, watching the Monday night football game, until Howard Cossell came on and told the world John Lennon was dead. It was too much to take in. Then, years later, John visited me in a dream and I've been here every day since.'


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http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,11710,1548687,00.html

[Reverend_Smitty]

1. As a member of the 16-24 age range

I apologize on behalf of the 56% of the dumb-asses who could not recognize a picture of John Lennon, really we are not all that stupid.

[norml]

2. To help in recognition I added some photos to my original post.

All you need is love.

[misanthrope]

3. Good article...

...that brings back a lot of memories, sadness and happiness.

[crispini]

4. I went to see the musical "Lennon" in New York last week.

It was wonderful -- very powerful and chilling. 100% John's music and lots of his artwork and poems. Very pertinent anti-war message which the audience really got into. At the end I had tears running down my cheeks. I highly recommend it.

[no_hypocrisy]

5. I really respect John Lennon for his spiritual growth.

He started out with a good mind, a sharp tongue, and attitude. He was also the product of his culture at the time. In the early Beatle years, he appeared to be concerned about going after the dollar, fame, and seeing women as disposable commodities.

Even though Yoko took the brunt of criticism for "brainwashing" Lennon and "breaking up the Beatles", she freed Lennon from his restrictive way of approaching life. He eventually lessened his dependence from drugs, embraced Yoko has his partner and lover, and became a father with 150% devotion to his family. And he wanted not much else after that. It almost seems like karma that he reached his pinnacle and then left the Earth.

BTW, I'm not convinced that his murder wasn't an assassination in the tradition of other "inconvenient" cultural leaders. George Bush was VP in December 1980.