His murderer, Mark David Chapman, who was described at the time as a “local screwball,” waited outside of Lennon’s home for the star to return from a recording studio session then shot him five times as his wife, Yoko Ono, looked on.
*****
I (barely) remember the night I heard the news. We were drinking in my barracks room and listening to AFN Radio and I was wondering why they were playing so many damned Beatles songs, then my buddy Roger walked in and asked if we'd heard the news about John Lennon being shot and killed.
Oh, okay - now we get it.
What was funny was nobody really gave a shit about Lennon being killed, but there was general outrage that Chapman hadn't shot Yoko Ono while he was at it.
What the fuck, did he run out of ammo or what?
I never cared a lot for the Beatles. They were ok until they started that octopus shit, yellow submarine and all those other silly songs. Yoko Oh No! is who Chapman should have shot for sure. I can't stand her.
ReplyDeleteThat was right about the time I got into them. Drugs figured heavily into it.
DeleteI've got Abbey Road in my truck CD player right now.
Had a wife that loved them. She went to Shea Stadium and saw them. So, their music was played a lot at the house. It wasn't that I hated them but I had a lot of other favorites. I think I was fourteen when I wanna hold your hand came out.
DeleteONE time... you only have to post your comment one time.
DeleteBut Ken, you have said that before?
DeleteLmao
DeleteIt's like....deja vu.....it's like....deja vu....
Deletenonncom, or as the oh-so-eloquent Mr. Berra phrased it: "It's deja vu all over again."
DeleteI've never been a big fan either. I always thought he was a pretentious ass.
ReplyDeleteLennon was executed by the PTB. He was preaching too much peace and harmony, and they wanted strife and war. Think about this: After 9/11, his song "Let It Be" was banned from every radio station in the country.
ReplyDeleteMcCartney wrote Let It Be. There is film of him working on it while the group was together for the Get Back sessions. It’s pretty cool. It’s all in the Get Back special currently available on Disney+.
DeleteI remember more than one blogger commenting that if Mark David Chapman had aimed two feet to the right, he'd be a hero today.
ReplyDeleteMy short answer to why I'm an atheist is "Five bullets into John, none into Yoko.
And I agree Bill Chunko, I thought him to be a pretentious ass too.
Thanks Rick!
DeleteLennon and Yoko were/are complete hypocrites. Protesting for the down trodden while making the hotel maids endure them while changing their bed sheets.
ReplyDeleteYoko is the type that would protest anyone being tossed in prison for entirely too long, but at the same time shows up every time that Mark David Chapman has a parole hearing and whines about how he needs to spend the rest of his life in prison and her life is miserable because of MDC.
Lennon wrote "Imagine" where he lauds having no possessions. Yet when he became a good commie, he had $200-800 million in the bank. I hate that song, makes me want to puke anytime I can't get the radio changed fast enough when it comes on.
DeleteDitto.
DeleteYou said it, Buckwheat!
DeleteChris, fully agree with your assessment. I consider "Imagine" to be evil, if you listen to the lyrics and take it to its' logical conclusion. The music is dull boring and depressing to listen to. It is shit song. In my opinion the bands last good song was "Hey Jude". I'll take Jim Croce or Al Stewart any day over John. There is one and ONLY one thing I want from Yoko: Silence.
Delete5 rounds, S&W Chief Special? That was a 5 round .38. Maybe he didn't have any spare ammo. Or his handlers didn't show him how to reload it. Don't all assassins have three names? And read Catcher in the Rye? I mean, I saw a documentary on that years ago called Conspiracy Theory....
ReplyDeleteA Charter Arms 38 Special. Looks to be either an Off Duty or an Undercover.
Deletehttps://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/columns/intelligencer/15265/
I remember what I was doing for sure. This gal had been staying at my house for a couple of weeks. Unbeknownst to me, she had run away from her husband and being the Horndog I was back then, had been sleeping with her. I was home alone with her and we were sound asleep when her husband and three of his buddies broke my door down and crowded into the bedroom. All of them had baseball bats and I got tangled up in the covers trying to jump out of bed.
ReplyDeleteThe husband had me throw the covers off as he was standing over me with the bat. Thankfully I had long johns on and wasn't naked or else I'm sure he would have used the bat. He grabbed his wife up and left with her and his buddies, not even grabbing her clothes.
After guzzling down a half a fifth of Jack and smoking a joint to calm my nerves, my friends who stopped by after a party, told me about Lennon getting shot.
So yeah, it was a "special" day for me.
Didn't care then and care even less now.
ReplyDeleteYep, feel the same way
DeleteJD
Chapman's asian old lady knew what he was up to and didn't lift a finger to try to stop him. And she was supposed to be a Christian? (same with Chapman)
ReplyDeleteWhat was Chapman thinking when he pulled the trigger?
ReplyDelete"Damn, the bitch moved."
What was Lennon thinking when he was shot?
"Damn, the bitch moved."
Are you trying to get blocked?
ReplyDeleteMadMarlin
Lowell George was willin', but I'm not sure lennon was.
ReplyDeleteI was on the Radio that night; news guys from our AM next door came over with the wire copy: "John Lennon shot dead" was all it said.
ReplyDeleteI broke into the tune what was on-air with the news, then started playing John's songs every other tune. People were calling up cursing me out because they thought I was goofin' with them. His death really had an impact on millions.
Meanwhile, The Rolling Stones are still actively touring.
ReplyDelete- And their 1960s songs hold up to this day
Sadly, this is true.
DeleteImagine no blood pressure
ReplyDeleteIt's easy if you die.
Greg, go put on your sailin’ shoes.
ReplyDeleteBuddha
I heard about it from Howard Cosell....seems I was watching Monday Night Football at the time....
ReplyDelete