Hero's: John

A Word Sketch by Michael Easterling

10/27/20

John Winston Lennon

Musician   Poet   Artist   Peace Activist   Philosopher

It could be said that guardian angels 

were always watching over John.

He was born in Liverpool during an air-raid in 1940 

and the bombs didn’t hit his house.

His Irish father Alf, a merchant seaman, was rarely home

leaving John’s care to his very flawed but loving mother Julia.

Child Services recommended he be taken to live with his Aunt Mimi-

she and her sisters. 

years later he wrote of them “Those women were fantastic.”

Julia played the banjo, accordion and piano

and bought him a harmonica, banjo and guitar in 1956.

fanning the fire of his early musical interest and talent.

He loved Rock and Roll and idolized  Elvis and Fats Domino.

John’s world was shaken in1958- Julia was hit by a car and killed.

It traumatized John

sending him for years into drinking and fighting.

Of that time he later wrote “I was a trouble maker.”

“All the other boys parents including Paul’s father

would say”Keep away from him.”

He barely got through Quarry High School

and was expelled from the Liverpool College of Art.

But those angels were at work.

John along with Paul put together a musical group, The Quarrymen-

they practiced at Paul’s house

and started to play at dances, clubs, 

any place that would book them.

John played rhythm guitar, Paul played bass,

Pete Best played the drums,

and 14 year old George Harrison joined the group on lead guitar. 

John and Paul were the main singers and song-writers.

They were offered a good job in Hamburg. 

Pete Best quit, replaced by Ringo Starr

They changed their name- 

the Quarrymen became the BEATLES.

And who could have predicted what would happen

over the next eight years?

They were to become the most recognized musical group in the world. 

They captured the UK and the USA went nuts over them.

They appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show 

to the largest TV audience ever, 

performed at Shea Stadium 

in the largest outdoor concert ever.

The sight of them made teen-age girls hysterical.

Crazies were all over the place 

but the angels over them. 

From out of the BEATLES came songs 

that went to the top of the Hit Parade like: 

‘Love Me Do’ in 1962    ‘Please Please Me’ in 1963 

‘Twist And Shout’  1963    ‘A Hard Days Night’ in 1964

‘Help’ in 1965    ‘Strawberry Fields’ and ‘Sergeant Pepper’ in1967

‘All You Need Is Love’ in 1968    ‘Yellow Submarine’ in1969

and ‘Let It Be’ in 1970.

And their albums sold in the millions

The BEATLES were growing.

In the late 60’s there was a creative shift in their music, 

from love songs with simple words and melodies

to songs with more complex melodies and harmonies,

songs more dream-like and far-out,

songs blending in eastern melodies and harmonies.

.

At that point they abruptly stopped touring,

choosing to do only studio recordings.

The hysterical crowds had become too much for them.

When they did public concerts they could not hear themselves play or sing for the noise of the crowds.

And there was an ‘elephant in the room.’

John was becoming increasingly dependent on drugs.

All the Beatles tried LSD in the mid 60’s, John and George more than the others, then John moved on to heroin.

It was affecting his dependability and his music.

It took him a few years but he was finally able to kick it.

His angels were watching over him.

The boys, especially John and George became captivated by the Maharishi Yogi in 1968, going to his Ashram in India for a 3 month visit. 

They wore Hindu clothing and their experience there

influenced their music positively, but they cut their visit short.

Later John wrote:  “The Maharishi was too interested in fame, celebrity and money. We thought he was something other than he was.” 

John fell in love with Yoko Ono in 1968.

Yoko was a avant garde B level musician and artist.

He started to bring her to rehearsals—

no wives or girl friends were allowed up til then.

Other group members were not fond of her and vice verse

and felt she was too possessive.

John tried to include her in the songs and music

which did not work.

The Yoko factor,

their manager Brian Epstein’s death,

John’s heroin use,

having three song-writers (too many cooks in the kitchen),

money disputes and managerial problems

and their phenomenal fame

were too much for the Fab Four to bear.

Paul announced he was leaving the group in 1970—

the formal dissolution came in1974.

The BEATLES were never to perform together again.

There were hard feelings especially between John and Paul

but they softened as time went by.

Years later John wrote:

“I haven’t seen any of them in a long time. But I still love those guys. The BEATLES are over. But John, Paul, George and Ringo will go on forever.”

All four Beatles went on with successful solo careers.

Paul formed a new group ‘Wings’ which was very popular.

John’s wrote and sang ‘Imagine’ —thought by many to be 

one of the best pop songs ever written.

He made ten albums, three with Yoko.

They moved to the US and were pretty much inseparable.

In many ways she was arguably good for him,

helping him kick heroin, 

influencing him to become an activist

and generally settling him down

In 1969 they did a far-out anti-war demonstration

in their apartment entirely in their pajamas 

called ‘Beds-In For Peace.’ 

Richard Nixon began a concerted effort to get them deported  prompting Bob Dylan to write:

“Let them stay and live and breathe. The country has plenty of room and space. Let John and Yoko stay.”

Nixon finally gave up.

John’s guardian angels always watched over him

Almost always.

On December 8, 1980, he and Yoko were 

returning to their home at the Dakota after a busy day.

At the entrance John recognized a man he had seen earlier—

autographed an album and had a friendly exchange with him,

Mark David Chapman, a long-time BEATLE fan, pulled out a 38

firing it four times at John.

He fell to the ground. “Ive been shot.”

Surrounders were  stunned.

Chapman dropped the gun and turned himself in when the police arrived.

An ambulance rushed John to the hospital to no avail.

John Winston Lennon, 

the rowdy little boy from Liverpool was dead.

When he was a boy his mother and Aunt Mimi would take him 

on occasion to visit an orphanage on the outskirts of Liverpool

located in a beautifully wooded area.

It was called Strawberry Fields.

John often talked longingly with Yoko about his visits there to be quiet 

and roam in the woods or about fun times at children’s Fairs there.

To John, Strawberry Fields was about times of love and peace.

John loved to spend time being quiet and roaming in the woods in Central Park—sitting by the pond there.

After his death Yoko donated one million to the park to establish

a memorial area for John.

What to call it?

It seemed totally poetic and totally John.

‘STRAWBERRY FIELDS.’ 

His ashes are scattered there.

Central in the area is a sun-burst mosaic set in stone—

A mosaic with one word—

‘IMAGINE’

John is with his guardian angels now.

The writer likes to think that he watches over STRAWBERRY FIELDS 

and all the people who come there—                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

the people who play their guitars and sing,

the people who sit quietly and roam in the woods,

the people who seek love and peace.

STRAWBERRY FIELDS

“Let me take you down

Cause I’m going to Strawberry Fields

Nothing is real 

Nothing to get hung about

Strawberry Fields forever.”

IMAGINE

“Imagine there’s no country

It isn’t hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace

You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope someday you will join us

And the world will be as one.”