It's been 30 years......

[The Owl]

I was not yet born the day John Lennon was shot, but I know many of you here can remember exactly where you were when you heard the news....

 

Tomorrow marks the 30th anniversary of John Lennon being shot to death in Manhattan.. post your reflections and memories of hearing the news, and how it affected you.

[ColdFireYYZ]

I also wan't born yet, but after watching a documentary on TV I can't imagine how I'd feel if I was alive when he died. Just watching that show makes me hate the man that shot him.

[BellaCheval]

I didn't hear about his death till the day after. I was on my way to school when the announcement came over the radio that he had been shot and died shortly afterwards. It upset me, but not as much as it has in the past several years. I can't put my finger on why, exactly, but every year I hope that Mark David Chapman is in jail for the rest of his miserable, useless life.

[ReRushed]

John Lennon is my absolute favorite songwriter and singer.

[Albone2112]

I was seven at the time, but I remember hearing about it on the news the next morning getting ready for school. I was already listening to top-40 radio, so I'd heard 'Starting Over' and 'Woman' on the radio, and I knew that he was a member of a band called 'The Beatles', which I had heard some of their music but was not fully introduced yet. Weird thing is I knew this was huge news, seeing all the people in the streets grieving. That inspired me to dig deeper into Lennon's body of work.

 

Another twist to the story was my paternal grandfather was on life support after suffering a massive heart attack a week before, and he died six days later. December of 1980 was not a good month.

[GeddyRulz]

I guess I was 12 when it happened. My mother woke my older brother in the middle of the night to tell him; it was his 21st birthday.

 

QUOTE (BellaCheval @ Dec 8 2010, 12:29 AM)

I can't put my finger on why, exactly, but every year I hope that Mark David Chapman is in jail for the rest of his miserable, useless life.

Chapman himself thinks he should be. He goes to his parole hearings and essentially says "DON'T let me out; because of the suffering I've caused Yoko and Sean, I don't deserve it." Truth is, he's much safer where he is. Somebody would kill him if he was free. And in prison, they've kept him in solitary confinement so another prisoner won't kill him.

 

I've done some reading about Chapman and I just recently saw "Chapter 27," which is about his weekend in Manhattan, stalking John. He was crazy; he thought he really WAS Holden Caulfield, and also thought there were miniature people who spoke to him.

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/78/Lennon_and_Chapman.jpg

Lennon signing Chapman's copy of Double Fantasy, about six hours before Chapman killed him.

[metaldad]

I was at Madison Square Garden with my dad and my best friend, watching WWWF Wrestling . We got home about 1130pm and my mom told us when we walked in the door. I will Never forget that

[TullSkull]

I was 27 at the time and remember the day well. I got home late that evening and when I walked in I knew something was wrong by the vibe in the house, my roomie was in the kitchen and she was a mess and my good friend Jeff was in the chair with his head in his hands..

 

I was like what is up guys?

They told me....

 

WHAT .... OMG NO..

 

That moment will never be forgotten

[ridertoo98]

Yep I remember it well, I was in the hospital, had just crashed a motorcycle 2 days before. Dang near lost my foot. My roomie at the time had no clue who John was!!! I was 18 at the time. Many things changed that year.

[Presto-digitation]

Let's also not forget both Dimebag Darrell and Razzle from Hanoi Rocks also lost their lives to the incompetence and/or cruelty of others on this very day.

[metaldad]

QUOTE (Presto-digitation @ Dec 8 2010, 10:00 AM)

Let's also not forget both Dimebag Darrell and Razzle from Hanoi Rocks also lost their lives to the incompetence and/or cruelty of others on this very day.

I did a thread on Dime last year and a whole 10 people gave a rats ass, lame . I remember Razzle but did not remember the day

[Mystic Slipperman]

I didn't hear about John (or Dimebag. come to think of it) until the following day, December 9th, which also happens to be my birthday.

 

 

In John's case, I awake, now 10 years old, a HUGE music nut by that age... I was stunned...grabbed all my parents' Beatles albums and start listening. I'd just bought the "Starting Over" single a week before.

 

I remember being really scared, especially after watching the news that night and all the special reports... at the time I was really naive... and since Reagan had been shot around the same time I wondered if this was normal behavior?

 

It was a sad day then.. and in many ways it's even sadder and poignant for me this year because I turn 40 tomorrow... same age that John was.

 

The guy who killed John would definitely not be safe on the outside.

[Silas Lang]

An unspeakable tragedy. It's strange to me that I really have no memories or even being aware of the news coverage or anything at the time. I was 10 years old and wasn't heavily into music yet, having only heard a handful of albums in their entirety at that point. So I really wasn't even aware of who the Beatles were yet (that wouldn't happen ironically until that Christmas when my dad let me have his entire record collection which included most of the Beatles' records). Which I'm actually kind of glad about. I couldn't imagine the horror of being a big fan or having grown up with them and hearing that awful news.

[tjtull]

I was a senior in high school and remember the MNF announcement. I was in total shock. A terrible tragic day.

[Fordgalaxy]

I was 19 and have no memory of it at all. Wasn't a Beatles fan then or now. Had it been Rob Halford, that I would remember. Luckily he's still with us.

[LeaveMyThingAlone]

I think it's best if we move on and bury this thread. We are living in the past and that can be scary

[GeddyLeeRoth]

I was in first grade in Omaha, NB with my family Christmas shopping. I remember seeing it on TV in our hotel room. I liked The Beatles and knew this was a huge loss, but when you get older then you realize the scope of such a tragedy.

 

I started a Dime thread before reading this one. I appreciate you guys who mentioned him here. That one still bugs me--his death affected me more than any other musician's to date. When Cliff Burton died I had only been a Metallica fan for six months, but Dime was a hero to me for 14 years until his untimely death.

 

RIP John, Dime & Razzle.

[Mystic Slipperman]

QUOTE (LeaveMyThingAlone @ Dec 8 2010, 11:21 AM)

I think it's best if we move on and bury this thread. We are living in the past and that can be scary

Remembering someone whom you think is important on the day of their death is hardly "living in the past".....

[Natch]

QUOTE (LeaveMyThingAlone @ Dec 8 2010, 01:21 PM)

I think it's best if we move on and bury this thread. We are living in the past and that can be scary

I don't think we're living in the past. I would say that we're remembering someone who touched our lives in some way.

 

I was 12 at the time, and a big Beatles fan. I had a bunch of Beatles records that my uncle gave to me, and it was pretty much the only music I played regularly. At the time, I was hoping The Beatles would get back together. I really thought it would happen one day.

 

I woke up on the morning of Tuesday, December 9, 1980, and walked into the living room. My mother, knowing how big a Beatles fan I was, broke the news to me. I began to cry. She pointed to the television, and I watched in horror as the news reporters told the story of what had happened. I was so confused. Why would someone want to kill John Lennon? He was a peaceful man who wrote beautiful music! I couldn't believe it. I began to feel angry and hurt. I just didn't understand. I still don't.

 

It still makes me sad to this day. Not that I need a reminder, but I saved the newspaper from that day.

 

RIP John.

 

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee47/kevinmcarney/10a64c24.jpg

[Mystic Slipperman]

John was far from perfect. He was a contradictory individual. I believe that a lot of what he wrote was how he wished he could be (and tried to be). Most of the time he seemed very tuned in on what it was to be human---having a temper and a very dark side while hoping for peace. By his own admission he was terrible to his first son Julian, and also felt much regret for that... it sounds like he was trying to patch things up with him before he died. That failing probably had a lot to do with how close he was with Sean-- didn't want to make the same mistake again.

 

A flawed human being, for sure... but aren't we all to some extent?

 

I miss him even though I never met him, and I wonder what he'd think of the world we currently inhabit.

[metaldad]

QUOTE (LeaveMyThingAlone @ Dec 8 2010, 01:21 PM)

I think it's best if we move on and bury this thread. We are living in the past and that can be scary

How thoughtful of you................

[MULTIPLIED REACTION]

 

I hope that low life Chapman is getting butt raped right now.

[GeddyRulz]

QUOTE (MULTIPLIED REACTION @ Dec 8 2010, 04:08 PM)

I hope that low life Chapman is getting butt raped right now.

He's been in solitary confinement, away from the general prison populatoin, from the start.

[Hatchetaxe&saw]

QUOTE (LeaveMyThingAlone @ Dec 8 2010, 06:21 PM)

I think it's best if we move on and bury this thread. We are living in the past and that can be scary

Great White sharks are scary.

Walking in a graveyard at night is scary.

Juggling knives while naked is scary, and dangerous.

Remembering one of the greatest musical icons of our, or any generation, isn't.

[treeduck]

Geddy is the new Lennon - He has the glasses!

 

Ozzy is the fake evil Lennon - He has blue evil glasses!