29 years ago, we lost John Lennon.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

Thinking of him tonight (and lit a candle in his memory).

[elocs]

1. We didn't lose him, I think he was stolen. n/t

[Ken Burch]

2. I was too young to remember the '60's assassinations very well

The news of John Lennon's murder was the first "I'll always remember where I was" moment of my life.

It was a college dorm in Oregon. I'd been out at the library or something until late that night, and turned on the late news. Ted Koppel was adlibbing something about a killing. My first thought was that it might have been Reagan or some other politician. Then he said the name "Lennon", and I probably said "What the FUCK?" right out loud. It was the day when everything got a lot worse for a very long time to come.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

4. I was 10 years old. I agree; we were robbed of him by that murderer MDC (will not write out his

name).

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Part of me still can't believe it happened.

[AndyA]

5. I remember hearing about it for the first time.

I'd just moved into a new place, most of the furniture still wasn't there, and I was sitting on the floor doing something with the stereo on. The announcement that Lennon had been killed was made, and I just sat there sort of stunned.

Everything seemed so foreign to me, since it was a new place, so I found no comfort from a familiar surrounding.

That is one of the moments of my life where I will always remember where I was, and what I was doing at the time.

[timo]

6. yoko

yoko ruined the beatles!!
flame on thats just how I see it!!

[David Zephyr]

8. John was murdered in front of her on this day. You should retract your post.

See my post below.

[timo]

21. nope

I stand by what I said, she in my opinion ruined the beatles, I also have another opinion about hero worship, but I doubt you want to hear it!!

[David Zephyr]

7. Thanks for remembering John today.

He was my big brother in every way.

When he was taken from us, my companion and I went to Century City to gather in Memorial for him and there were so many people torn apart in disbelief and hurt.

I posted a thread here years ago commending Yoko for how faithful she has been guarding John's image and protecting his legacy all these many years. John loved her. And today, Yoko is grieving and I wish her love, peace and the knowledge that she's done a great job sticking up for John all these years. For that, I am very grateful. We should all have mates like that.

I miss John greatly. I think I will to the day I die.

He'll always be my working class hero.

Thanks for your OP, SCRUBDASHRUB.

[guitar man]

9. No John, you're not the only one

I'm a dreamer too...

The world is a better place for John having been in it...

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

10. no other "celebrity" death, and put celebrity in quotes

because he was so, so much more than that, has affected me as deeply as John's. it is hard to even talk about, all these years later.

[Odin2005]

11. Imagine...

:(

[Hannah Bell]

12. one of my lasting memories--going out to the bus stop in fremont (seattle) at

about 6 am on a freezing cold morning & seeing the headline in the newspaper rack. it was surreal.

[rollingrock]

13. NYC killed him

I can't help but think, John would still be alive today if he had made his home in his native England instead of one of the murder capitals of the world .

[BrklynLiberal]

18. Sorry..but Chapman was never in NYC, except when he came to NYC in Oct of 1980 to shoot John Lennon

It was not NYC that killed him, it was a deranged, born-again Christian who was born in Texas and grew up in Georgia.

Obviously John Lennon felt very differently about NYC than you do.

He bought the gun in Hawaii, and had to leave the city for a while in order to get the ammunition he used. He could not get any of that in NYC.

Chapman was born in Fort Worth, Texas, the first child of Kathryn Elizabeth Pease, a nurse, and David Curtis Chapman, a staff sergeant in the United States Air Force. His sister, Susan, was born seven years later. He said that he lived in fear of his father as a child, who was physically abusive towards his wife and son. He also fantasised about having god-like power over a group of imaginary "little people".<3>

He attended Columbia High School in Decatur, Georgia. By the time he was 14, he used drugs, sometimes skipped classes, and once ran away from home to live on the streets for two weeks. Chapman reported that he was bullied because he was not a good athlete. His favorite band was The Beatles.<3> He took marijuana, LSD, heroin, mescaline and barbiturates. When John Lennon was quoted in 1966 as saying "We're more popular than Jesus now",<4> Chapman laughed about it with his friends.<5>

At age 16, Chapman became a born-again Christian, and distributed Bible tracts. He met his first girlfriend, another born-again Christian named Jessica Blankenship. He began work as a YMCA summer camp counselor; he was very popular with the children, who nicknamed him "Nemo". He won an award for Outstanding Counselor and was made assistant director.<3><6> Those who knew him in the caretaking professions unanimously called him an outstanding worker.<7>

A friend recommended The Catcher in the Rye to Chapman, and the story eventually took on great personal significance for him, to the extent that he reportedly wished to model his life after its protagonist, Holden Caulfield.<3>

After graduating from Columbia High School, Chapman moved for a time to Chicago and played guitar in churches and Christian nightspots while his friend did impersonations.

[rollingrock]

22. The US killed John Lennon

I didn't mean to single out New York City, because the whole of the United States is a relatively dangerous place to be, and not just because of the high rate of street crime which is many times greater then the rest of the 'free' world. Political violence from the right-wing and Christian extremism was/is a common occurrence, and famous activists from the civil rights and peace movements were, and perhaps still are, one of their primary targets.

[d_r]

14. me too

I was 12. I certainly knew his music then, but I guess I got to know him better after he was gone, if that makes any sense.

[pearl]

17. Love John Lennon

I had gone to bed early that night, got up the next am and opened the door to get the paper. OMG, I cried all the way to work, they played Woman and Starting Over. I feel him.


"Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living" Mother Jones

[BrklynLiberal]

15. I was in a car driving from Yosemite to San Francisco.

When I first heard his name mentioned on the car radio, I thought he had been arrested for pot again.

When I found out what it truly was about..I just could not believe it. My only thought was,
"WHY WOULD ANYONE SHOOT JOHN LENNON???!!!

[onehandle]

16. Shot in the back five times with a handgun.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7179352

[EFerrari]

19. I;d stayed up to do some housework, my kids and husband were in bed.

A truly terrible night.

[wisteria]

20. I cried the entire day while putting up Christmas decorations.

My daughter was exactly six months old to the day and not a year since has gone by that I don't shed a least a couple of tears for John Lennon- who died senselessly and way too young.