A working class hero is
Something to be.
If you want to be a hero well
just follow me . . .
— "Working Class Hero," 1970
Criminal defense attorney Ron Yengich was watching Monday night football on Dec. 8, 1980, when Howard Cosell made the announcement: John Lennon had been shot in front of his New York apartment building.
"My father and brother were watching the game with me," said Yengich, who has been practicing law in Salt Lake City for more than 25 years. "We just sat there in silence."
"The murder of John Lennon is one of those events that I try to block out," said Utah Symphony music director Keith Lockhart during a phone interview from Sacramento, Calif. "No one benefited and nothing was gained by that dreadful act."
Sue Kelley, the program director and lunch DJ at Arrow 103.5 FM, learned about Lennon's assassination while at Churchill Junior High.
"I was in my homeroom ninth-grade English class," Kelley said. "My teacher, whom I looked up to with great admiration, came in and told us about the shooting. My teacher was devastated, and he was crying. I think it was his reaction that got me very interested in the Beatles. I had always loved their music, but I think from that day on, I wanted to learn more and more. And, to tell you the truth, that day had a big effect on what I decided to do for my career."
It's been 20 years since Mark David Chapman shot and killed John Lennon. But it didn't stop Lennon's music, his ideas or his message of peace, which span across classes, cultures and personalities.
Out the blue you came to me,
And blew away life's misery . . .
— "Out of the Blue," 1973
Locally based artist Claudia Ashton, a devoted, lifelong Beatles fan, found solace in the music and words of John Lennon.
"He was an edgier artist than the rest of the Beatles," said Ashton who began following Lennon just before the Fab Four appeared on the "Ed Sullivan Show" in 1964. "He was very outspoken and an interesting writer. I was into the creative-writing classes back then and just sort of felt a kinship between us, although I had never met him personally."
Ashton said she also related to Lennon on a personal level. "I was always an outsider. And I was drawn to John because everyone loved Paul; I mean, he was the cute one. So, I went against the grain and deemed John my favorite Beatle. I didn't want to be part of the giant crowd.
"But I also believe Lennon's ideas gave me optimism, and kept me from becoming a critical and cynical person that I could have become. I even became a peacenik in the '70s."
Lockhart, who also conducts the Boston Pops Orchestra, agrees with Ashton about the strength of Lennon's music and words.
"The power of John Lennon as a songwriter is very obvious. It even had an impact on one of my predecessors in the Boston Pops." He's referring to Arthur Fiedler, who took the reins of the pops orchestra in 1930, and, recognizing the popularity of the Beatles, conducted symphonic versions of songs like "Yesterday" and "I Wanna Hold Your Hand."
"I think," said Lockhart, "it showed what an impact the Beatles and John Lennon's music had on the world when an 80-year-old music conductor attempted to bring that music to a symphony. And when John did things by himself, he was dedicated to creating hymns of peace, like 'Imagine.' "
If you ever feel so sad,
And the whole world is driving you mad,
Remember, remember today . . .
— "Remember," 1970
The world can't seem to get enough of John Lennon and the Beatles. During the past year, there has been yet another resurgence of Beatles and Lennon paraphernalia.
Not only was the "Beatles Anthology" book recently published, but the new greatest-hits album "1" has topped the Billboard charts.
A few weeks ago, Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame erected a John Lennon museum display that covers three floors. Ono also renewed and republished Lennon's first book, "In His Own Write," which was originally seen in 1964.
And during the past year, there have been six newly published books about John Lennon, including Rolling Stone Magazine founder Jann S. Wenner's "Lennon Remembers: The Full Rolling Stone Interviews from the 1970s" and Robert Rosen's "Nowhere Man: the Final Days of John Lennon," Jack Jones' sensationalistic "Let Me Take You Down: Inside the Mind of Mark David Chapman, the Man who Killed John Lennon" and Perry Kane's tabloidish "Gimme Some Truth: the Story of the John Lennon Deportation Case."
In addition, there are at least two other books to be published in early 2001: Geoffrey Giuliano's "Two of Us: The Passionate Partnership of Lennon & McCartney" and Terry Burrows' "John Lennon (Icons of Rock)."
Restless Spirits depart,
Still we're deep in each other's hearts . . .
— "Bless You," 1974
Lennon is as popular today as when he was with the Beatles — if not more popular.
But why?
"I think the word 'classical' has been narrowed to mean only dead people in white, powdered wigs," said Lockhart. "But listen to Jerome Kern or Cole Porter. And listen to John Lennon. The word 'classical' really means something that survives a generation of listeners and has an effect on the following generation of listeners, and generations after that."
Yengich, who has two posters of Lennon hanging in his home office, compared Lennon to the Bard. "I have no problem saying Lennon had an impact on my generation just as Shakespeare had on his generation or Alexander Pope had on his, or even Walt Whitman on his. Lennon was always outspoken about his beliefs. While he had his dark side — he knew he was a contradiction — he tried to continually find the essence of positive life.
"If people would have been prepared to follow his call for world peace when he was alive, I do believe the world would be a better place today."
Mike Nelson, manager of Edge of the Cedars State Park, who was 13 when Lennon died, liked the way the musician's philosophy raised controversy. "He was always telling people to give peace a chance," Nelson said. "That's not a bad thing, is it? Yet, some people had a hard time with him. Yes, he was outspoken, and was almost militant about his views, but he was never a violent demonstrator. He was just passionate about his causes."
Yengich added that John Lennon was an interesting, complex man from an era that will forever live in our culture. "When John was killed, the world lost a unique spirit. John epitomized a spirit of freedom. It was a freedom that existed at a time that will never happen again."
Ashton added, "Since the world lost John, I do believe people have become more cynical. Look at the younger generations. They are a lot more critical about life and are very dark."
You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one,
I hope some day you'll join us, and the world will live as one . . .
— "Imagine," (1971)
E-MAIL: scott@desnews.com