An Anniversary Remembered
Today is the anniversary of John Lennon's assassination. Twenty five years ago, he was gunned down by a crazed fan in NYC's Central Park. It is always sad to remember these type of events. I still think they are worth the time and energy to commorate. Lennon was a memeber of one of the greatest bands of all time, The Beatles. You don't need me to tell you that. Nor do you need me to remind you of his campaign for world peace. The former mostly taking place with his second wife, Yoko Ono. What I would like to speak about is a new biography of the entire band, The Beatles: The Biography written by Bob Spitz.
This morning on WRNR, Alex interviewed Bob Spitz. He spoke about tirelessly preparing the book for over eight years. He felt that myth had surrounded the band's history. This was their own doing by shadowing the truth with stories to protect friends and family. Plus, sensationalism crowded their existence as the biggest band in the world. As the interview continued, he spoke about the relationship between John and Paul. Both were very different characters. The first a rebel free spirit, and the second a charismatic leader. They loved each other deeply, but their jealousy broke the friendship. They were jealous of each other's strenghts. Obviously, Yoko didn't help, but Spitz explained her control over John won over Paul's. This was because of marriage, but a deep seeded love between the friends more than likely still remained. These types of details were derived from extensive research of almost anyone involved with every facet of The Beatles existence. He was even able to use Brian Epstein's, The Beatles manager, journal as a reference point for the book. Many reviews tout the book as the best Beatles biography to date. I'm scared by the 900 plus page lenght, but I still think it will be worth the attempted read. The interview was very interesting and enlightening
If you can't make the Strawberry Fields Vigil, maybe take a listen to The White Album or Imagine. I say don't feel sad on a day like this, but try to celebrate all an individual like John Lennon provided for our society. Thanks for Bob Spitz, it now appears you could take the time to discover the truth about his life. Enjoy the day however you can.
