Watching the Wheels

It is getting closer to the anniversary of John Lennon’s death, December 8th 1980, I clearly remember the morning. I was a senior in high school, I got up like every morning came upstairs to eat breakfast prior to catching the bus when the news come on the radio that John had been assassinated, my world was totally knock off it’s axis. At 17 I didn’t understand as much as I would later in life how important John was but he was still a hero of mine because of the music and his personality. He had also just released Double Fantasy after a 5 year hiatus from recording. Every year since his death as December draws closer I think a lot about him, some people start thinking about Christmas in November but I start reflecting about John. John is really never too far away since I have a picture of him on the door to my coat closet. Today my mind has turned to John again, in part because I am a bit bored I suppose but also because of some of the readings and talks of late and maybe because I am coming up on a sobriety anniversary and I get reflect when it comes around, shit why try and figure out why it is happening, I am writing about it so let it be it in the moment.
I have to admit I am not a huge fan of John as a solo artist, I like him better than solo Paul, George or Ringo but he ranks in the teens when it comes to favorite artist. But I am a huge fan of the man himself blemishes and all. I love Dylan who in my opinion was the greatest poet of the 20th century and the most important figure in contemporary music but Dylan has always been elusive, hiding behind lyrics, intelligence and many crafted faces. Lennon was open, he literally stood naked in front of the world, we saw his anger, fears, compassion, eccentric thinking and his love. There is a great scene in the authorized documentary “Imagine” where a dirty stoned hippie kid shows up at John’s house in Tittenhurst, he starts tell John that he thinks some of John’s songs were written about him, like John had some psychic connection to him, John tells the kid his songs are about him (John) about his life, what is going on in his life, what he had to eat or if he took a healthy shit that day and the people involved in his life, John kindly argues with the kid and then ask the kid if he is hungry and has the kid come in and eat something, the film shows John and the young man eating together, now if that isn’t compassion from a man who at the time was one of the top celebrities in the world. I don’t know what is. There are plenty of other moments in John’s life were he was just as open and honest. Check out Imagine if you get the chance the whole movie plus bonus info is great!!
You can’t write about John without Yoko. One of the fascinating things about John his is love for Yoko and her love for him. Yeah in the beginning it was obsessively weird, Yoko in the studio while the Beatles were recording, the 2 constantly together, the recording of 2 Virgins and Unfinished Music Part 2 where John recorded the last heart beats of baby dying in Yoko’s womb maybe even baghism. Their love for each was extremely strong. You think of all celebrity males out there and how most of them like their “arm candy” old farts like Clapton, Jagger, Rod Stewart and even McCartney still trade in women once they start showing a bit of age for some young hottie. Part of the reason a lot of people disliked Yoko was because she wasn’t gorgeous and yet she got John Lennon. Theirs was a true love not based vanity but attraction that was more than skin deep. They went through their ups and downs like other couples, John’s lost weekend proved to be both a failure and a success. I think that by the time Sean was born John was just burned out from being a music figure head and the whole music/celebrity scene so staying home with Sean while Yoko took care of busy was a joy to John. John hadn’t had a normal life since he was in his early teens so he welcomed the chance to stay home and do what needed being done. The muse called back to him but by then he was refreshed and revitalized and Double Fantasy is proof of that.
Now a bit about some of his songs that have meaning to me. Two years ago on December 8th I was in treatment for alcoholism, like most mornings I was up an hour before the rest of the group, it gave me some quiet time, I started writing a poem about John and while writing “Help” came to mind, “when I was younger, so much younger than today, I never needed any ones help in anyway, but now these days are gone, I not so self assured, now I find I’ve changed my mind, I’ve opened up the doors.” Yeah that is where I was at that moment finally willing to ask for, “help me if you can I’m feeling down, and I do appreciate you being around, help me get my feet back on the ground, won’t you please please help me”, thanks John for the tears back on that day I needed them. “Imagine” is the greatest of all Utopian songs but there is nothing wrong with being Dreamers and striving for a better world. When I think of beautiful ballads “In My Life”, “Norwegian Wood”, “Love” “Nowhere Man”, “A Day in the Life”, “Watching the Wheels” “Woman” “Mother” Beautiful Boy” come to mind. I love “Cold Turkey” for the rawness of the lyrics, I have watched someone go through cold turkey and John nailed his experience and everyone else’s down. “Woman is the Nigger of the World” is one of those songs that seems to get left out of great Lennon songs because John uses the word nigger, the song is a brutal essay on women being the slave of slaves, if you have never heard the song Goggle the lyrics and see what I mean. “Working Class Hero” is another song I love for his honest observation in lyrical form, yeah so what that he wrote it while living a good life, but spoke openly about the social ties that were holding working people down. As for the socially conscience songs, “Give Me Some Truth” tops my list, followed by “Revolution”, Merry Christmas (War is Over), “All You Need is Love”. Here a few more that I just like for no reason other than they are great songs, “I am the Walrus”, “Don’t Bring me Down”, “Strawberry Fields Forever”, “Instant Karma”, “Isolation” “Whatever Gets You Through the Night”, “Come Together” “Oh My Love”, “Ticket to Ride” “Nobody Told Me”, “Tomorrow Never Knows”, “Across the Universe”.
So here is a bit of a ranting ramble on John Lennon, written on a slow afternoon sitting at my desk. Like many other greats who have gone on before I am glad the world got to know his spirit, I am glad he touched mine in a positive way, the world and I are both better because of John.