LOSING JOHN: Gone 40 Years - Quick Thoughts |
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- John Lennon has been gone for more years than he was here. It's hard to believe how much time has passed but his assassination altered the course of pop culture and the cemented the Beatles legend as the Toppermost of the Poppermost. This also included John Lennon interviews with Elliot Mintz, Bob Harris, and Dennis Elsas.
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In his final interviews, John seemed healthy and at peace with himself and his Beatles brothers. There's comfort in that thought.
He was on bad terms with George unfortunately but likely would have patched it up had he lived just a little longer
The saddest thought in my mind about John's death is...with all his immigration problems behind him, he was planning to visit England to see Aunt Mimi and his family again
That was a real shame. Several relatives were interviewed (they are here on TH-cam) and they were excited to see him again. Thanks for the comment.
I thought the saddest part was that he was killed in New York. He fought so hard to stay in this country and was very involved in the protest of the Vietnam War.
With his obnoxious, homewrecker and money grubbing mum Yoko Ono in tow!
She wouldn't let Lennon go the damned bathroom alone!
The saddest thing in my mind is that John Winston Lennon couldn't control his mouth!
He, to a certain extent, suffered from delusions of grandeur!
I mean, comparing The Beatles to Jesus Christ was very big headed and very irresponsible!
It's really a miracle he wasn't killed in '66!
Lennon's killer is a born again Christian and has admitted that he partly killed John because of his '66 statement on Jesus Christ.
After the mid 70s John could have visited his relatives, he traveled around the world during those year's, he visited Yoko's family in Japan.
It’s a hard word to say but John was murdered and that should be remembered. I’m as guilty as anyone for saying he died, passed etc but this was an appalling crime without any excuses.
Lack of security checks for the mentally ill accessing firearms.
@@arricammarques1955 And people still say there should be no psychological examination in order to possess firearms. I agree with you 100%.
And the creepy stalker who did it should have been executed 40 years ago. It was premeditated murder and he shot Lennon in the back 5 times.
Sadly, NY liberals don’t like the death penalty because it punishes killers. And killers need to be protected from harm.
Charles Manson lived another 40 years into old age even though he directed the brutal murders of 6 people. He was all set to go to death row and be executed but California liberals got rid of the death penalty which saved his rotten existence. Another brilliant move by liberals protecting murderers.
@@Onio_ never met or heard anybody who said that.
@@blackwolf4653 I have.
I was 12 when John was taken from us. I remember that next morning getting ready for school and my mother had left a note at the table telling me about John Lennon. I had just discovered John as my newest hero not a year before when my father gave me some albums from his collection and I moved toward John's music, even though I was a "fan" of Paul's up until that time. John's death was literally the first time I ever dealt with that kind of loss.
I was 12 too. I'm glad there wasn't social media at that time. The natural flow of information suited the situation better. Thanks for the comment!
I was also 12 and watching the Monday night football game(Dolphins-Patriots). Howard Cosell made the 1st announcement that John was shot while the game was playing. About 15-20min later, one of the teams called a timeout and after commercials and the teams start playing again, Cosell made the announcement John was dead. I'll never forget. I was shocked.
@@popgoesthe60s52 Interesting, being 12. I was 12 when they broke up. Wow, I was so into them at the very moment they had disintegrated.
I was 15 and he was my hero.
I was 9. I remember my older brother, who was 20, in total shock. He came to the house in tears. He's the reason I'm a big Beatles fan to this day.
Whats so heartbreaking and pisses me off to No end is the fact that just as John Lennon gets all his personal matters in order and comesback to recording again after a 5 year hiatus and this Jerk Off of a Parsite tragically kills him! And it will always make me wonder All that was lost and what would have been of this Brilliant talented man.
I must be weird. The death of John Lennon was the only death of a celebrity that ever affected me like the loss of a family member. But I was no kid at the time, though I only learned to appreciate his music after the Beatles broke up.
I was born decades after his murder but I can see why and man, out of all the ways he could have died, drugs, suicide or illness, out of nowhere that crazy mf kills him and that such a high profile celebrity dies in such way is not seen everyday.
His and MJ's passing are imo the most shocking celebrities death.
Not weird at all, Kermit. These bands that we all grew up with, or grew into adulthood with, become a part of who we are, I think. I feel the exact same way. To have someone/something so tragically and suddenly taken away - in cold blood - is bound to have a huge impact, much as the death of a family member does.
I feel the same way Kermit. It feels as painful as the losses of my big brother's very young and tragic death and then my dad. Its so painful, I always breakdown and I cry particularly watching just John Lennon's videos. They are my "go to" music to lift my spirits when I am down. Just pure unconditional love.
I was 9 when John died. My mother told me about it the next morning. Being a huge Beatles fan my parents got me a puppy that evening .
You can tell by John's tone they definitely would have worked again together.
Wow, in Heaven I guess we will all be jammin' to their next album.
I was a 21 year old Beatles fanatic when John died. Somebody once explained it like this. John was the cool older brother who went out on adventures in the world, and came back and told us all about it.
JEEEEEEZZZ I've never seen these clips. What a valuable reward for my clicking here.
And I had no idea how much John had come to mellow on the idea. No idea!
I'm just floored at how welcoming he was to the idea - you know, that dream, the public's greatest dream in musical history ... since 1970.
There will never be another group like The Beatles. 😢
I really think there is little doubt they would have all done more albums. John especially seemed open to it on many occasions. I read Paul had it written in to his record contract he could work with them anytime. George would have been persuaded and Ringo was all in anyway. So many of their solo songs would have made even better Beatles songs.
There are certain solo songs where I've long felt, like, whoa, that would be good performed by the Beatles as a group: Mind Games, Let Me Roll It, Cold Turkey...
I was 17 when he died. I remember That cold, dark December morning here in the UK. I had just got in to work at around 6.45am and my foreman walked in and shouted "Some nutter has shot John Lennon!" All day I refused to believe it and thought my work colleagues were winding me up. Gradually it all just seemed to be in the air- the music, the stunned look on people's faces-then I saw the newspaper stands with the headlines. One of the saddest, weirdest days of my life. I'm the same age age John's son Julian. I'm enjoying your videos. Thank you.
This robbed the Beatles from getting back together and dominating the 80's. They would've reunited no doubt in '81/82 and they would've taken over the world again and saved music. They would've saved Rock n Roll.
I think Freddie Mercury said it best in one of his songs....
"Lennon is a genius"
Could you imagine them headlining Live Aid at Wembley stadium ? It would've been epic...
They would not have had the same effect on a younger generation musically they would be a nostalgia band if they returned nothing wrong with that .
They were still really good solo, but it would have been amazing if they would have reformed. Even if it was for one more album in the 80’s or 90’s. I think if John had lived, they would have certainly have done a charity concert and perhaps one more album. I think that Lennon and McCartney would have done a project akin to Page/Plant if the Beatles could not pull it together. I would have loved if they “turned each other on again” one more time, for one one album. That would have been outstanding. Maybe in a parallel world 🌎 that may have happened - could you imagine? One more album, as a team effort, would have been mind blowing.
My two favourite bands at that time were The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. Damn those final few months in 1980.
That must have been really shocking, I’m sorry
I know…right?! Love both bands as well, and it was a brutal last couple of months of the year.
My favorites also, to this day (along with Dylan). Don't forget Bob Marley played his very last show in September of 1980 also, on the 23rd at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh. Bob Marley was another HUGE loss. He was practically already quite literally dead on his feet at that time already, so yeah, I agree: damn those final months of 1980.
Lennon died 3 years before I was born so I never felt that pain of loss. When I discovered The Beatles I knew he was dead. I don’t think they would have gotten together to make new music, but it would have been awesome to see them reunite for one night at the Grammys, or Tonight Show, or SNL. What saddens me is it felt like John was finally getting his life together. His life was so full of death and sadness and he made bad decisions with drugs. But right before he died he was spending time with his son Sean, his marriage seemed to be stronger with Yoko, he didn’t seem so angry, he was getting along with Paul, and I don’t think he was messing himself up with drugs anymore. It would have been nice to see John enjoy some peace in his life.
I think resuming his music career was the most important thing at this time. Especially "Starting Over," which was even more timely than "All You Need Is Love" or "Give Peace A Chance."
The day John Lennon died I said to a friend, "I don't feel old. But the day John Lennon dies, I'll be old. I'll move to a cabin in the woods and rock my life away because I'll be old." Three hours later he was gunned down.
I was twenty-one , I got up and couldn't believe what I heard on the news. I went to buy a newspaper,then went down and bought a copy of every John Lennon lp they had, knowing there would be a run on them. I grieved a long time, American Pie, bc the song, took on new meaning that day. I believe they would have made a record, Paul and Ringo still enjoy touring. I miss John and George. God bless their families. Keep on rocking Beatles brothers and sisters ✌️🤘
BrotherGary
Another gem, Matt. I can see quite clearly how John’s music and the Beatles affected you. I think we all feel the same way. I remember vividly, the night of December 8, Howard Cosell reported that John Lennon was shot. Nobody could believe it. It was another day the music died. Being in the record business in the seventies, I had the honor of meeting all four Beatles at different times. Talk about a dream come true.
It’s funny, when you spoke about the Beatles music always being a constant, that is so true. Just yesterday, I emailed my friend at Abbey Road Studios in London to extend Christmas greetings, as we do each holiday season. Two of the topics was the new Peter Jackson Let It Be film and the remix of the album. Talk about constant...the original Let It Be release was over 50 years ago! I think the Beatles “passed the audition” in so many ways. Keep up the good work, Matt. I always look forward to your posts. Be well......Philip C.
Thank you for the kind words, Philip. You were very fortunate to meet all 4! I'm a little concerned about their relevancy continuing past the baby boomer generation, but that's a topic for another video!
That's a great follow up video, Matt! I can tell you that my children and grandchildren listen and sing to their songs all the time. Perhaps there is hope after the baby boomers! Be well......Philip C.
@@popgoesthe60s52 For what it's worth, as a member of Gen Z who is a fan of the Beatles, I've noticed many people my age are HUGE fans of the Beatles as well. I mean look at Instagram and search the comments on any Beatles post, you will find hundreds of thousands of accounts dedicated to them.
Speaking from my own perspective, I think part of my generations love for their music is the positivity. I mean, we all grew up seeing things like 9/11, the wars in the middle east, the fast rise of mental illness issues, and pretty much everything else that's happened in the past 10 years (look at the events from the early summer in 2020 for just one example or heck even yesterday on Jan 6th) and I think that all in some way makes us look back to the "golden" days of the 1960s, forgetting the problems of that era and instead focusing on the music of this band who spread positivity to the baby boomer generation going through similar (if somewhat different) things that we now deal with.
@@enclavehere6495 I'm glad to hear that people your age are delving into the old stuff. I find it endlessly joyful. I'm a Gen X guy so I came around just after the 60s and although I was out of step at the time, I stuck with it. Thanks for the comment, Alex.
john would have been great in the 80's, great songs on milk and honey, lots of great home demos recorded. would love to hear Street of Dreams his last song/demo......
Always a "John guy" it was stunning and a shock to the core when he passed. Interestingly to me was how George Harrison's death actually was a more emotional experience for me. I cried. Maybe his spiritualism had subliminally effected me more than I could have imagined. That said the Beatles will never die as long as the music and the interviews like the awesome ones included here are available and accessible to future generations.
The Beatles had broken up almost 10 years before I got into music, and Lennon was absent from the music scene for five years. However, Paul was huge with Wings, and George had just had a hit with "Blow Away." These four men were forever linked to each other. They came to represent some sort of Nirvana or Camelot--an ideal place where young men (and women) could grow up, find themselves, find art and music, and transcend the ordinary life of school and jobs. They were a "family by choice" as one journalist put it. When Lennon released "(Just Like) Starting Over" in October 1980, it was like they were indeed starting over. The king had come back and was reclaiming his throne. (It had been three years since Elvis had died, but he was more the king of my mother's generation. Lennon and the Beatles were kings I could relate to.)
To have discovered all that in a short period of time and then "lose" it through Lennon's murder was hard to take. It was like being granted a vision of something wondrous and good only to have it snatched away. I remember being numb for a few weeks after. And then "(Just Like) Starting Over rose to No. 1 on Billboard, becoming John's biggest post-Beatles hit. It was an ironic testimony to how people are deified after their deaths. I bought into the whole nostalgia craze that followed and joined the international period of mourning. It was a cruel reminder that life is impermanent and that you can never go back to the way things were.
Oddly, Lennon had spent the last 10 years of his life saying basically the same thing. It's interesting that, in the interviews, he seems open to the possibility of a reunion--but only if they have something to say, if they "turn each other on." The personal relationships of the Beatles continued, as he notes. It was only the public persona of the "group" that was lost--and it was really only the public who missed out. As individuals, they came to appreciate each other and other aspects of life when they were no longer bound to each other. In hindsight, that's what I've come to appreciate the most about the Beatles and Lennon in particular. Their friendships did not end despite what they'd been through; they evolved.
Lennon - of any musician would have had at least one classic album - I think his output (sorry awful word) would have been at least as prolific as McCartney's has been. He would be great to be inn the world - pissing other people off - especially politicians. He would definitely have done Live Aid
He's now been dead for longer than he lived, which, for someone who was a fan from the beginning, is just weird.
Blessed are those who were alive to witness the John Lennon experience. My poor father to this day can’t talk about him without tears filling his eyes. As long as I’ve known him my father NEVER spoke highly about any other man except for John.
I heard a compilation of radio broadcasts announcing his death as it happened. 40 years has passed, but hearing the radio program abruptly cut to the breaking news announcing "John Lennon is dead" is chilling.
Gawd, I loved John. He was smart, real and down to earth, and he sang about what it meant to be human. Forty years later, he still inhabits my thoughts and I feel robbed that I didn’t get a chance to grow old with him. I was watching MNF when Cosell announced it and I was just hoping against hope they were superficial injuries. He died at the beginning of the Reagan era and I know he would’ve had a lot to say about the rise of conservatism and our coarsening culture. In fact, losses of people like Lennon are why society becomes less civil-cheapens-because we don’t have his voice anymore. He had a big impact on McCartney. Lennon kept Paul sharp, and when he died I think Paul lost some motivation. What I loved about the Beatles as individuals is that they had a humility that was borne from growing up as working class kids in the shadow of WWII. They weren’t marketing creations. Just listening to John in those interviews showed that he was a regular guy who happened to be a genius. He wasn’t full of himself. Anyway, thanks for the remembrance and keeping John’s memory alive.
It's beyond reason that we've witnessed the brightest light getting dowsed &
leaving the world dimmer & dumber. Negativity has been lurking & needs
us to shoo it away. 🕯️💡🕯️🎇
We must be grateful for Paul being here & always willing to talk to us.😍
And glory be for Ringo surviving all he did & speaking the words of a great man. 💞
The statements of John at the end make me sad again, what all could have been...
PS: Your videos are already something special here on TH-cam, thanks for that!
I think John Lennon was a Christ-like figure... he acknowledged it.
It's not because he was so great or so perfect.
He was just mouthy.
You can't be that mouthy and not expect to spark a fire in someone.
I think that all the Beatles added something amazing to the group.
Paul McCartney is obviously a musical genius.
George is one of the best guitarists of all time and Ringo is one of the best rock drummers of all time and he's also a pretty good and charismatic frontman.
John was something else entirely.
I never existed at the same time as he did.
But I've always had the sense that he was something bigger than a pop star.
I don't think that he was a god or anything... but he spoke for the fringe of a generation, and that fringe still seems like truth
Live Aid would have been the perfect reason to reunite the Beatles
When JL was murdered the first thought from everybody was "Shit! Now they really won't get back together"...It was my first thought.
Danny
John looked way better in short hair..
Her rocked many different looks, but I thought he was obviously channeling Elton with the short hair cut.
Nah, '68-'69.
I've always felt that if John had not been killed....I could see him doing the Wilbury thing with George...or the Ringo All-Star thing. Perhaps during the 80s, when Live Aid/Farm Aid etc was the thing....John might have re-united with Paul (and perhaps the others) for one of those events.
I was 15 in 1980. Heard it that night from Howard Cosell. The next day at school the kids were whispering about it and the teachers were crying.
I was 31 when John died, I didn't know him but the loss feels personal. I was 13 in 1964 when the Beatles first came to America and I remember how different, I Want To Hold Your Hand was from everything else that came before it. I grew up listening to NYC AM radio, R&R, do-wop and early Motown but there seemed to be a bit of a lull in popular music for a short while in 1964. There was Sinatra in the 40's and Elvis in the 50's, both hugely popular in their time, lesser lights like Fabian, Bobby Rydell and Rick Nelson were well liked in the early 60's but there wasn't anyone who would galvanize 20 million American teenagers until The Beatles. For young teenage girls, John, Paul, George and Ringo were their first love and with a Beatle haircut, Beatle boots and a guitar even an awkward, shy boy could catch the eye of the girl next door!
As time passed, each Beatle took their place in people's hearts for different reasons but for those of us in the counterculture it was John who was most revered for his commitment to peace. John Lennon was one of us, he lived among us, he talked to us, his voice was our voice, his dreams were our dreams, he believed in what we believe. His courage strengthened our courage, he spoke out and he took risks. John Lennon was a brother and the loss feels personal!
They were still really good solo, but it would have been amazing if they would have reformed. Even if it was for one more album in the 80’s or 90’s. I think if John had lived, they would have certainly have done a charity concert and perhaps one more album. After viewing the “Understanding Lennon-McCartney” documentary on TH-cam, I certainly think Paul would have been game and I think John too if the gate keeper would allow it. Perhaps Lennon and McCartney would have done a project akin to Page/Plant if the Beatles (all four) could not pull it together. I would have loved if they “turned each other on again” one more time, for one more album. That would have been outstanding. Maybe in a parallel world 🌎 that may have happened - could you imagine?
I was 14 and found out the next morning from our sitter(in a bit of irony she was Japanese) who'd help me and my siblings get off to school in the morning. It's hard to compare a before and after as far as the influence of his death on pop culture as I was just at the age where still absorbing it for the first time. I had maybe a Beatles record or two and maybe a McCartney or Lennon one. The event certainly solidified my admiration of the group. It pretty much grew from that.
Why it was an irony
I think as the 80's rolled along the Beatles would have got back together. We will never know because some psychopath shot John.
there's that sense of humor at the end there that they each had. especially JL ,who made a joke out of everything.
He had that lightning fast Irish wit.
The Beatles were Irish?! Since when?
@@scottandrewbrass1931 Their ancestry is Irish, not sure about Starkey?
@@scottandrewbrass1931 since birth. Irish blood, British upbringing. except for Ringo, to my knowledge. Paul & John have obviously Irish names. John named his 2nd kid w/ the Irish spelling of Sean.
More and more it seems to be dribbling out that John and Paul WERE planning on at least getting together to possibly try writing again. Both were to make contributions to Ringo's '81 album which became "Stop and Smell the Roses".
the fact that there are only 7 albums of his original material behind you says it all. his death is a devastating occurrence even now.
Imagine there's no John Lennon, I wonder if you can, he's no longer with us, his shit hit by a fan.
0:56 'From that day forward'... before that In the late seventies it was not fashionable in the UK to like the Beatles. The death of Lennon 'sanctified' their music in a way.
The world was not the same after John was taken from us. Yes he was flawed but so is everyone else. He gave so much and inspired so many
For awhile after john's murder, poor Paul was reduced to little more than the "cute" one in John's band.
This is true Tim. In hindsight I really feel bad for Paul.
I feel worse for John.
I have been a Beatles fan since they appeared on Ed Sullivan in 1964 and I remember the night John was killed, like it was yesterday. I don't know who you think you're speaking for, but no Beatles fans that I know, myself included, ever viewed Paul as "little more than the "cute" one in John's band," before or after John was killed. 😏
@@sassyt1545, exactly. Like you, I was actually around when they were in their heyday, and Paul was never JUST the cute one. Hell, he wrote almost half of all their songs and was probably the guiding force behind Sgt Pepper's and Abbey Road (even the other Beatles say this). Sad when John died, but by that time his musical output had been tiny compared to almost all the other ex Beatles. Double Fantasy was only half an album.
@@fredpearson5204 Agree 💯. Paul wrote melodies, which have stood the test of time. Something missing in today’s music.
Damn. Those interviews of John make me sad of what could've been.
First and foremost I love their music. But as I've gotten older and I think a little wiser I don't fall for "all we need is love" stuff they say in their songs. Remember I love all their stuff but they kept telling the world, money isn't important, stop the war, can't we all just get along etc. But look what lead to their breaking up, instead of showing up for work (recording or rehearsal) like real men who go to work everyday to jobs they don't really like. They would throw a fit and stay home. Or Paul not wanting to sign a contract with Alan Kline because Kline wants 20% and Paul said 15% was enough...Now I think Kline turned out to very shady. But the Beatles were like TV preachers, "do as I say not as I do."
You see, I can separate the 4 guys who were the Beatles who I don't think much of, from the absolutely beautiful music they made. I even went to the Hollywood Bowl in 2013 to see Paul perform. Almost 3 hours of great music. But in the middle of it He had to introduce politics into his song for M. Obama. I wanted to yell as loud as I could "shut up and play", But I had my son with me and it was more important that he has a good time..
I know not many people are going to read all this but I will end it the way I started it, I love their "music", not necessarily them.
Yeah, they were guys with flaws like all of us - not always likable. The price of their great fame is having their dirty laundry done in public and it's plain to see that it certainly wasn't all "peace & love." I find myself despising many beatlemaniac fans who insist on canonizing and myth building. Where's the peace and love in that? Thanks for the comment, Greg.
Thanks for your analysis and the insight you bring to this whole era. I was 22 when John died, drumming in my own band. No celebrity death (or the death of anyone outside my family/close friends) had or has affected me like the loss of John. For SO many reasons that people have mentioned here. As I look back now, I see it probably changed my course. For better or worse, who knows? But we were all blessed that those 4 lads came together for awhile and have stayed with us ever since. ✌🏼
It was hard to listen to John’s albums for awhile for me
Thanks for posting this. I'd almost forgotten December 8th is the 40th anniversary of his tragic death. I was 22 then. Still living at home. Was listening to my records in my room and went out just before 8:00 pm Pacific time to ask my Mom if supper was ready. She said "It just came on the tv that John Lennon was shot". I was in disbelief, but watched the breaking news on the TV that he had been pronounced dead.
40 years later it still seems hard to believe that a man who gave so much to the world died in such a senseless way. His assassin (I will not say his name, as it deserves to be forgotten) may still be breathing, but he is deader to me than John. As far as The Beatles getting back together goes I agree. I'm glad it never happened as their legacy is perfect the way it is. One final observation. Is it not a great irony that his final album released in his lifetime "Double Fantasy" starts with the track "Starting Over"? John had so much hope for a better future, it's sad that his killer did not.
Yes, "Starting Over" was ironic and a perfect song for the time. Thank you for the comment.
Matt..
In regards mind games cube
I must give u this laugh..
Think of the biggest beatard online..
This person had the choice
Fix the breaks on their car or get the mind games cube..
They. Chose. The. Mind. Games. Cube. 😂 true story.
What a world we live in!
As gathered by the interviews you put in, it seems like Lennon wanted to reunite the Beatles, but didn't want to say it outright loool. big shame that he got killed before he could finally give in to what he wanted to do :(
I'm old enough to remember the day I heard the Beatles had broken up. I was 6. I was gutted. It made zero sense to me, because to me they seemed like the greatest possible gang of friends it was possible to be a part of, making great music every day, laughing and joking and feeding off of each other all the time, 4 against the world. I went into a shock that I haven't really recovered from when John died. It was like the core of my childhood died. Their's was the music that I judged all other music against. Style as well. Still is really. I think you're onto something there, the moment John died is when the Beatles became nostalgia. Paul and George (particularly IMO) continued to make culturally relevant music, but the Beatles were now permanently in the rearview mirror. It's precisely because the other 3 remained that this was so disorienting. They were both present and absent at the same time.
I had missed this video of yours until now. Certainly I remember the night it happened. I was 21 and in college and studying at the kitchen table when I heard it over the radio. I immediately called my older sister who introduced me to the Beatles to tell her. I remember staying up late that night. I remember the next morning. I remember listening to the radio the day of the memorial at the end of the week when they played all Beatles music and then ended with A Day in the Life, then a full minute of silence on the radio, and then Imagine. I remember it all vividly. Watching this video now after having just seen Get Back is that much more emotional for me because as much as I missed John then, I didn’t feel for him as much because his “angry” phase in the early to mid 70s was still with me. But seeing his humanity in Get Back has made me mourn his loss more than I ever had before… sorry this is so long… tough topic. To your question, as much as I REVERE the Beatles, I don’t think that if John had lived it would have changed the course or rock / pop music. His Double Fantasy album was beautiful, but I think pop music had moved to other spheres. And as beautiful as it was, I don’t think it broke any ground. This might sound strange to say, but I think John was too happy by 1980 to create raw groundbreaking music anymore. Beautiful music yes, but not revolutionary music. My thoughts anyway.
Thanks for the comments of this day we'll never forget.
In that final interview on the beach, John is clearly saying somebody ( Paul , George or Ringo) please organise this but he doesn’t want to be the one to do it himself.
I was 21 when it happened and it took me a long time to get over it. For people of my generation and those a few years older we had grown up with the Beatles. They were and still are the soundtrack of our lives. Everyone who was around then will have different memories of that day and some of us remember the devastation we felt. Sorry, but for some of us it was far more than the loss of music/pop icon. I would take the opposite position and say that because I knew his music I did know a big part of the man, because John in particular made a habit of sharing his thoughts and his soul through his music. It was a real loss and it was close to the bone for many people.
I see your point about knowing his music. Without growing up with the Beatles in real time, I was spared some grief I suppose, but you got to live with the Beatles in real time! For me, that's the real loss I have.
great interviews with John at the end. I never realized that he was on good terms with Paul in the end
John was the consciousness of a generation. When we lost John, the generation lost it's soul. John was also an abitur of cool. For most of the Beatles, it was John's filter that tempered Paul's 'granny music'. Later, John was supportive of the Punk rock movement and then the emerging New Wave in New York.
If John had lived, he would have continued to write and produce hit material. He was in the middle of completing his follow up LP to Double Fantasy.
John and Paul were seeing more each other. Paul was subtly relentless in maintaining his friendship with John, and I they had discussions of recording in 1981-82 Los Angeles for a new Ringo Starr LP.
I must say I truly appreciate the way you break down the topic you are speaking about. You have become my current favorite.
Great selection of interviews! Thanks so much for the thought provoking work and dedication to this channel
Thank you, tell midd!
I was 16 when John was killed. I remember my alarm going off for school and my mum walking into my bedroom before I'd even got up to tell me the news. I lay in bed for ages not feeling like getting up! A few years ago I saw an interview with a British radio DJ who said that he was with John in the UK in November 1980 and he stated that John tried to book a studio to get together with Paul for sometime in December but the studio was booked and wouldn't cancel the booking. So John returned to the US. He was adamant that John wouldn't have returned if he'd been able to book the studio. Cant remember who the DJ was and have never seen the interview since or been able to corroborate the story. So it's a case of what if.
I don’t think John ever came back to the U.K. after he emigrated. There was a rumour that he was planning on coming but nothing concrete ever happened as far as I am aware.
I have heard the story that they may have been about to book a studio which may have been in the U.K. or US but nothing to say that John was physically present in the U.K. at the time.
@@arnesaknussemm2427 He was in the UK late November giving interviews on the radio.
@@brianalmeida1964 source?
@@arnesaknussemm2427 Can't find the original interview or remember who the DJ that said he was looking for a studio to meet with Paul was. Do remember that he said that the studio was in the UK so either John was already in the UK or he would have flown into the UK before 8th December. I heard the interview about 15 years ago and have never been able to rediscover it. Sorry. I know he gave an interview to Andy Peebles for BBC Radio 1 on 6th Dec 1980 but not sure if that was conducted in UK or US.
I was 18 when John was taken from us. I too went to bed early that Monday night because I wasn’t interested in the football game.
And I received a phone call from a friend the next morning myself and like you were stunned and didn’t know how to react. So I also got on with my day and went to work.
Excellent segment, Matt. We must be roughly the same age, my experience was kind of similar. I too watched MNF but didn't stay up to hear Cosell's sad announcement. My Mom woke me up before school, and told me the horrible news. She was a Beatle fan herself. All the kids at school were talking about it, but I didn't join the conversation. It was too personal for me, and I figured it was just a distraction for them. Maybe that was snobby of me.
I like how in the interview with Elliot Mintz, John mentions Brian Epstein's death as being a low point. Brian did so much to make it happen for them, the fact that he wasn't able to enjoy their success for very long is tragic. The band didn't last more than 3 years without him.
SUGGESTION three great WORKS ARTISTS 1) John Lennon and his BEST SOLO-ONO BAND
2)Jerry Garcia and his pedal steel moments or high electrics / acoustic bluegrass and Old and in the Way Grisman session play recordings
3) SAINT STEPHEN STILLS MANASSAS Pieces Sessions nd BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD / stills young DOUBLE ALBUM history
4) The Star Rock legend concert to save the world..featuring Jimi Hendrocks Mick Jagged John Lean-on and Paul Mcrcockney Stevie Kicks Linda Rockstand and Pets Tonofsound performing at the GRAND ROCK CANYON concert album of SPECIAL SONGS YOU NEVER HEARD...Just a dramatization of the real story of the Orange Stoned Rock People story by myself HEY PANEAGLESONG...our real purpose to be in the real music of Life in the Real UniversIS... thanks MATT for all you do
'Life is What Happens To You While You’re Busy Making Other Plans' - John Lennon. Yes. Today is 9/10/22 (in English format) and it is John Lennons 82nd birthday. In 2 months it will be the 42nd anniversary of his death. I was just 17, on that morning, and a big fan of John. I went to school as miserable as anything. The tragedy is still a tragedy. John lost many years ahead, so did Yoko, and Julian and Sean. So did the other Beatles. We will never know what else John would have done. Fortunately he did more in his 40 years than most do in 80. He was a nice guy and a genius.
I was born in 1952, so I grew up with the Beatles and they had a big affect on my life as a kid, I can remember hearing Love Me Do for the first time in 1962 on Radio Luxembourg, my growing up years was heavily influenced by them and the music in general. The day he died I was traveling from the UK to Colombia with my new Colombian wife, will never forget that I was sad but my life was full of excitement going to a new country, so I guess that helped. If there’s one thing that John had was his natural honesty!
I was in the US Air Force in England when this happened. You know, it's funny about the nostalgia thing. I think John's death was a catalyst for the nostalgia and had he lived I don't think the level of nostalgia we see today would have been written in stone. An example. I was a HUGE Beatles fan and when I got my orders to go to England I was ELATED. So I found myself there in May of 1980. I had a car 4 weeks after I got there. On my days off I'd drive down to London. I went to the zebra crossing at Abbey Road. I got chased away from the entrance at Abbey Road studios. There were no fans there at the time. I parked the car and walked to 7 Cavendish Avenue. There were no fans at the gate. I went to 3 Savile Row, no fans. The first time I went there the front door was wide open, I walked along the sidewalk and went up and peaked in. There was no one there.
I found out about the studios in Oxford Circus where Paul recorded. I went there a lot. And aside from a few girls now and again, no one was ever there.
When new guys would come to our base and were Beatles fans, we'd drive down to Abbey Road to do the picture. Rarely was there anyone there doing pictures. It was hard to do because what you don't see on the Album cover is that there are two roads feeding into the one road at the zebra crossing and it can be busy traffic there.
I drove to some of the other Beatle houses and I never saw anyone looking about to take pictures.
Nowadays there are tours and heaps of people at the sights.
And I think after John was murdered in December 1980 it started the snowball of nostalgia.
His new record "Double Fantasy wasn't even doing "great" till his death. Fans loved it but it wasn't getting airplay on the BBC aside from "Starting Over" which would get played with no real hype.
After he was murdered then the inevitable hype happened and his music hit the airwaves in force.
By the time I left England in June of 1982, you'd see a few more people at the zebra crossing at Abbey Road. Not crowds, mind you, but people standing around at the wall.
A friend of mine went over in 1985 and took pictures at Abbey Road and there were crowds there.
So I think, had John not been killed, his record would have continued to please his real fans, any subsequent records would have been okay, I just don't think it would have been a big deal.
I fantasize that they'd of gotten together when they reached there 50's and even 60's like old band people do.
I was/am a HUGE Beatle fan, I had the records, we didn't have internet then so anything we got was from reading what few books were out and magazines like Rolling Stone. The Hunter Davies book was my Beatle Bible, I had the hard back, black cover edition that I stole from my school library. I probably read it through 50 times.
Time and the course of events in our lives can be set on so many different courses by tiny things. When a HUGE thing like John's murder happened it created a whole new course. And I think it was likely a lot different than had he lived.
Love your channel.
They probably would done something together if he wasn't murdered. I think actually think he would be the most eager to try it again. The real obstacle would probably be George. But tbh what matters to me would have been a serious collaboration between Paul and John.
I was sixteen and I went to bed after the halftime highlights. When I woke up, I went to the kitchen where I found a note from my Dad written on graph paper.
The thing I hated was the sanctification of John Lennon. The Beatle biographers tended to elevate John’s talent at the expense of especially Paul. George and Ringo were afterthoughts.
I honestly think there wasn’t much effect on pop culture during the 80s or music for that matter. The 80s were carved up by Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, and Prince. It was the era of hair metal, nu wave, and power ballads. Those who were clearly inspired by the Beatles musically such as Marshall Crenshaw (who portrayed John in Beatlemania) and the Smithereens had more niche appeal. Also I don’t remember a sixties revival like the fifties revival of the mid 70s around the Happy Days television show.
As for a reunion, it has always been my understanding that the Anthology project was in response to George Harrison’s financial problems. I know the “Long and Winding Road” project had been in limbo for years.
My fantasy would have been a reunion on MTV’s Unplugged.
Very insightful comments, Brian. I agree that a lionization of John Lennon occupied too much space - at the expense of the others. I like the idea of a stripped down show too. You are correct about the Anthology - if not for the problems with Hand Made Films, we may have never even got the Anthology!
I think the Beatles had an effect, some believe large effect, for some of the big acts of the 90’s like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Oasis etc. GnR is an 80”s early 90’s band that was also influenced by the Beatles, as well as some other hair bands of that era. Their shadow draws long over rock music, well a 1/2 century now, and future generations in centuries to come will know and appreciate the music of the Beatles like we know and appreciate the musical legends from the 18th and 19th century such as Johan Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus, and Ludwig Van Beethoven etc. BTW, I have been loving this channel. Thank you. With the well thought out content and good production I think this channel will be big in a year or so.
It's so sad and "if only" keeps happening to me. If only he had security____ if only he was upstairs___ if only mark Chapman was told to leave get away from the building.______ what if john lived in England. I mean who is to say Chapman wouldn't have done it. Chapman could have gone to England to murder john no matter where john was. I guess it's just meant to be. I really hate that "it's meant to be" tagline______ smh
I like how you refer to your notes to keep your thoughts on track well done
Without my notes, I would run amok! Thanks for watching, Chris.
I like billions of other kids was totally broken when I heard about John Lennon‘s death prior to that like many I believe there would have been a full Beatles for men reunion, possibly only to do a benefit record for charity of some sort or a worldwide, global television, one time event Looking back on it now I just feel that was not Destin to be real as a matter of fact as you always say the Beatles were musical pioneers and cultural leaders in the 60s but by the 70s there was great progressive rock, jazz fusion giving way to Funk disco And the inevitable punk rock so I don’t know how predominantly influential a Beatles reunion would have been musically anymore just my music on this very belatedly, but I like you will always love and cherish the fab for amen
Hearing the positives about working together makes me wonder if The Beatles would have been persuaded to perform on Live Aid?
Now that would have been awesome. What a finale that would have been!
Wow ! What a great interview ! I am moved !
You picked a good tape of John's reflection to consider what might have been.
I've seen these videos & others, & seen John, as you say, nostalgic & open.
I believe they would have gradually, gently, got together, tested their product,
& if it had a good vibe & message for the time, they would have loved to
put it out.
They all loved film, mixed media, & I learned, at least two, loved sailing. ⛵🎞️🎥
Lots of other causes & interests were eternally held in common.
Their comical outlooks alone might have lured them to go for a lark.🎭
They would have been perfect talk show hosts. Many roles.
We lost a lot this day 21 years ago. As George said, Someone so small could take
down someone so great. That's a real hard truth.
With their passions & intelligence & connections & maturity, (though they were always
old), they may have been well positioned to take on some project. 👨❤️💋👨👥🌎🎇
They were always yearning for the right soundboard to make records with. 📀
Maybe 🍎 Apple's growth & maturing would raise pride & excitement in them. 🕺😻
Would John accept a knighthood, is what I'd like to know. 🗡️ 🤴🦄
Anyway, you ask for comments ....but maybe not a book. 😳📗🤐
Thanx for your video.💝✌️🖥️🌲🌺
John probably wouldn't have needed to have done Anthology. He always believed against making a product and just argue about making another album. John would probably look forward not back however we wouldn't know for sure how washed up a middle aged John Lennon would have been? Personally, i think being a Beatle is a young man's game.
13:47 Oh, man...I think so, too John...I picture u guys reunited for 1985's Live Aid and most likely eclipsing everyone else (except maybe Queen..Freddie's just a one-in-a-million show stopper).
But, yeah...if only u got real security at the Dakota..we woulda had that ultimate reunion in 85, at Live Aid..and the whole world and its problems would've all been set right.
I'd never seen the two videos you posted. Thought provoking. Thank you for that.
Imagine if the Beatles could've headlined Live Aid at Wembley Stadium... That would've been epic.
They would've taken over MTV as well.
Well re-hey Matt and Happy New Year from here.
I happen to be slightly older than you and was a Fab-fan from the very beginning (started young).
Have to say I believe you overlook some nuances.
Being 11 when they split, I was old to enough to be very aware of The Beatles' position in society the following decade, and the truth is they faded year by year by year. It actually began as soon as the late 60s where the group - though still a huge cultural phenomenon - fell back as counter-cultural figureheads. So many wilder things saw light of day and B now kind of belonged to the establishment. This tendency went on as the 70s rolled out. Yes, they were remembered and respected, but as something from the past, , , or for entire family. McCartney, commercial as he was, didn't enjoy much credit from the hip scenes - the other 3 kind of faded into irrelevant oblivion. The Beatles had become something like the Eiffel Tower or the Godfather movie or the Grand Canyon. Surely the old songs were cherished and still rotated here, there and everywhere, , , just not where the hip fest was raging.
Don't forget how much new stuff we received during those years : Glam, prog, folk, singersong, synth, symph, heavy, fusion, reggae etc. Then came came punk and new wave, which intentionally buried The Fabs under poisoned piles of black cold coal. .
Not until the 90s did this begin to change. The new gentler decade seemed to re-rhyme with the JPGR-vibe and the internet revealed how much the world loved, missed, , , and needed them. The Anthology embraced'n'underlined this and from then on it (as we know) went berserk, , , like into orbit for the second time. .
Yea, , that's my 5 Yen. Do go ahead and ask people who where there and you probably already have. They will confirm what I just and wrote - and the hipper they were the stronger they will recall. .
CU and keep the wheels runnin' ~ All together now
Matt, thanks so much for this tribute to John. On the night he was murdered, I was in utter shock when I saw the news. It took a few days for me to sob my heart out. I cried for him, being killed so young, and those who loved him, but also for my youth. I was two months away from having my first child, and the hormones were definitely a factor, as I was ultra-sensitive to everything. Even though I never knew John he was a symbol of artistic growth and exploration, and the transformative power of music.
I appreciate the comment, Penny. It's a day we all remember.
@@popgoesthe60s52 Thanks, Matt. I am learning so much from your research and interviews. Many thanks!
@@popgoesthe60s52 Wanted to add that I lived in Manhattan when John and Yoko lived there, raising Sean at the Dakota (where I once spent the night at a friend's friend's apartment in 1969). There were numerous reasons for them to live in NYC, but I remember reading that John loved that he could walk around the city without fear of being assaulted, which now, of course, is utterly ironic and sad.
Hi.
I was 18 when John was killed. Heard it on the radio in the early hours of December 9.
Over here in The Netherlands it already was Decemder 9. That day I took a day off. Went upstairs to my bedroom and listened to tributes on the radio and played some John vinyls, especially his last album Double Fantasy. I felt upset that day, it was like losing family.
But I never believed in a reunion, no live gigs and no collaboration in the studio.
Wow, so you already had that album... Those radio tributes were some of my most memorable times listening to radio. It's great to hear from the Netherlands! More to come.
Isn’t it interesting how time makes us nostalgic. You hear that with these clips. For me, hearing Lennon was killed brought me back to the 60s. JFK was assassinated and in 1969 MLKing and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated, and Charlie Manson had had Sharon Tate killed. Add to that the nightly news showing the endless stream of coffins containing killed soldiers coming off military cargo planes from Vietnam. For me, that day in December 1980 when Lennon was killed brought all that back. It brought back the feeling that there was evil and mental illness that could change history. Think of George and Olivia Harrison having to fight a crazed fan that broke in their house one night. That guy with a knife may not have killed George, but lessened his life by puncturing his lung where he would have to fight off cancer. It shows the fragility of life, and we hold these amazing people up in our hearts and minds as if they are immortal. I hope the music proves immortal.☮️❤️
My heart was broken when He was taken from us. But he was humen..Not a GOD! I hate when they put THAT one's picture in BEATLE books! They are keeping HIM famous! like he wanted!
Well they DID get back together - via the two songs and video which was a "part" of the Anthology. And THAT was ahead of its time (although others were doing things like this - singing with a deceased person - but nothing NEW). You have to believe with the Live Aid concept that they wouldn't "get back" for this! Kind of what Queen did - blow everyone away. Your interviews here all give a perspective of his having that door open. That really was the NIGHT that music died.
Thank you for the nice video. What you do is quite the labor of love. Me, I was walking into a college campus to give a lecture the morning of 12/09/1980. On the way in, someone handed me a newspaper. When I got to the podium, I had to say to the students "I just found out John Lennon died last night. Please give me a moment." The students were very kind, and when we got into the lecture, they and I embraced as a group who all had something very strong, very personal in common. They helped me get through a very, very bad day.
In your header caption you state....."His assassination altered the course of pop culture" which I totally agree with but....
Then you state "and cemented the Beatles legend as the Toppermost of the Poppermost" which....I do not agree with..
They (the Beatles) were already cemented as the "Toppermost of the Poppermost" prior to John's assassination....
many years prior to that fateful day. Nobody even came close........
IMHO, this was a very solid response from Lennon. "We may not have even been aware we had enough" ...& there was plenty before that for me was a solid and honest explanation for the breakup (including citing Epstein loss).
Had not history played this horrible trick of unspeakable fate, The Beatles regrouping again would have happened. It was only a matter of time and they were not permitted the luxury of time. Whether a "one of performance" or a new recording is up for conjecture, but I believe it would have happened. Paul and John were communicating and getting on from the past by 1980 quite well. George had proved himself as a highly competent and successful composer and film producer and Ringo just needed a reason to stay sober. Take into consideration the trend of the late 80's and early 90's of the reunion genre, it leads me to believe, The Beatles would in one form or the other rocked the world once again.
May I recommend "Life After Death (for Beginners)" by Michael Gerber. It's a fun and funny bit of wishful thinking that I think you'd enjoy.
I was born in September 1981, so John's death never "affected" me, though of course I wish he was still here! I became a fan of the Beatles when I was around 4 or 5 and my obsession still continues to grow.
I remember being devastated when I heard that George had passed and I'll be devastated when Paul and Ringo leave us as well.
But to your point, I've never met them, I can't pretend I know them, though as fans we feel like we know them. I've seen Paul and Ringo in concert and that is most likely the closest I will ever get to them.
As for a reunion, I would have liked a one off show or tour and I wish John had been involved in the 'Anthology' project, but a new album?
They would have to do something better that what they did, and what they did was perfect, so how do you top that?
In some ways I'm not even sure they should have even done 'Free As A Bird' or 'Real Love'...
Sadly, John Lennon’s assassination signalled the end of an era, just as 17 years before, the era of Beatlemania began shortly after another tragedy, the assassination of JFK.
Great vid Matt, John was a Beatles fan but I don’t think they’d have re united..and John would have had the final say. They were never even in the same room….
They had a chance to meet up and decided not to..at mick jaggers wedding (I think)✌️
One of the funniest bits ever was in 1976 Lorne Michaels offering The Beatles $3000 to come on Saturday Night Live.
Before he died I heard Lennon say the 4 of them would get together if they felt thet had something to do. And if they felt like doing it, it would be good... I am paraphrasing a little,
i was born in 1984 never walked the same earth as John but I could cry every time I think about what happened to him. I remember his 20th Anniversary in 2000, and I guess I first became aware of who John was in Forrest Gump and that he was murdered. It's really shit. I'll be honest I wish someone would find that piece of shit chapmans wife. She knew he planned to do it and said nothing. I'm sure she actually admires what he done.
I think that John’s death cemented the idea of a celebrity death as an event. Yes, Elvis had died a few years earlier, but I don’t think people were quoting his lyrics or making him out to be a real pioneer.
Since then, when someone of that kind of celebrity dies-especially in music-there are tons of magazines, they cobble together their last album/movie/whatever, etc. Then come the conspiracy theories.
Interesting note: Dimebag Darrell of the band Pantera was killed on the 24th anniversary of John’s death.
I think they would have gotten together for a performance of some sort or another, but not a full concert. I also think they would have worked together in pairs here and there on each other's records, even John and Paul would have eventually done something together as well.
There are certain things that will forever be embedded in your memory. I remember the day John F. Kennedy was killed. I remember the day Martin Luther King was killed. I remember the day Robert F Kennedy was killed. And I won't ever forget the day John Lennon was killed.
The sadness of John Lennon's death is the story. He was coming back out with new music, he had a more optimistic outlook than he did right after the Beatles broke up. That story narrative is what could make a person weep. I did not know him, but the Beatles music was/is a big part of my childhood. David Bowie was a lot more of an influence on me, not personally, but his music seemed to point me towards different kind of art, and literature.
Paul deserves a lot of credit & honour for how he endured the hits with poise,
faith & grace. A real scholar, gentleman & knight of the realm, that Paul ❗🏅🏆🎩💎
Nobody talks about his great voice that much. It was so versatile & lovely. 🗣️🎶