Re: Somehow I feel Sad again

Hey Bob,

Great post. I feel for you because your night was similar to mine.

I was 19 and lived on Long Island. At the time, I was a huge Beatles fan for nearly 9 years
already. In the mid 70s, I was a major Lennon fan from the beginning but I liked them all. In the
early 70s, I got Imaging for Xmas, bought Sometime in NYC in a mall by me when I was 14 or so. I
remember getting Mind Games and #9 Dream when they were released as singles in '73 and '74. Then,
there seemed to be no more Lennon. I read an article in Newsday in the late 70s about how John
retired from the music business. Shortly after, I remember the huge McCartney hits on the radio
(Silly Love Songs, Let Him In, Wings Over America> Then later on "With A Little Luck adn Getting
Closer (at this point, I was getting embarrassed at liking McCartney).

Then, when Double Fantasy was released, I didnt buy it. I figured John was just some old man now and
probably softened up. I was sure the new record would stink. On December 8th 1980, I had an evening
class at college (I was majoring in Electrical Engineering but didnt have any desire to be one). I
stopped off at the local smoke shop because I heard the new Playboy (Xmas issue!) was out and their
was an interview with John and Yoko in it. I read a small piece of it and bought it. Of course, the
Playmate that month with the huge knockers didnt stop me from buying it either. I got out to my car
and started reading it and when I saw that he was actually talking about Bealtes songs, one by one,
I had to read it. I skipped class that night. I went home and did a few things and started reading
after 10pm. I was reading the interview and was so fascinated about his candid talk about who wrote
what and all, that I was liking him all over again. He "sounded" so happy that I wanted to buy the
record now. Then, my phone rang.

My good friend Al called me and said "did you hear?" I said, "no." He said his brother Paul told
him that John was shot. I told him that Paul is full of crap and tell him to stop f*cking around
like that. He told me to turn on the news. For some reason, I turned on the radio to WPLJ 95.5. I
heard the news. I was sick. For some reason, I stuck in a blank 8 track tape and taped the radio.
First, the news that a man believed to be John Lennon was shot. Then that he was taken to Roosevelt
Hospital. Then, "John Lennon has expired". EXPIRED!!??? What the hell does that mean?? I found out
right after. I stayed up all night that night and listed to the radio. It was complete sadness.
Fans, DJs, talking all night and crying. It was so horrible that I was crying. I wanted to go to the
Dakota but had no idea how to even get there at that point. I just knew that NYC was to the west of
me.

It was a long, miserable night. Hearing all of the Lennon songs and interviews alternating with the
cries and sadness of the people on the radio was really too much to bear. I still have that tape and
I cannot even listen to it without getting those feeling right back to that night. Every day that
entire week, John was the cover story of the NY Daily News. I bought a copy of Newsday and the Daily
News every day to see if I could learn something new about this *** MDC. That was it. It's all
history from that point on. The most tragic day in Beatle history. All for no good reason.

Just my story. Thought I would share with yours.

Tony
On Mon, 21 Nov 2005 00:44:35 -0500, "Bob" <fancy@xxxxxxx> wrote:

>You know something...
>
>with all the bashing and all the crap that goes on here, tonight I feel
>sad...
>
>I feel sad that John died. I feel sad that no one in this group is nice...
>
>I'm listening to Double Fantasy now, and it's late at night and I'm drunk.
>And I'm thinking about 25 years ago when I was 20 years old and it all
>happened. When we all got together on that fatefull night. When Francie was
>crying and May was crying and I was crying and we all were crying.
>
>The night when I was at the Dakota with everyone, not knowing what to do.
>Just standing there with tears in our hands. Standing with people, total
>strangers, hand in hand...
>
>I bought "Double Fantasy" in November. I loved the album. It was great to
>see John rocking again, at least to me. I even liked the Yoko songs. Nothing
>wrong with her songs, I thought. I dug it actually.
>
>Man, I was 20 years old and everything was the future.
>
>So this was my album. Paul came out with McCartney 2 that summer and I loved
>that as well.
>
>But this was John Lennon, haha! I had all of his albums. I grooved to Mind
>Games. I loved that album. Buying that album in the mall was a great thing
>to me.
>
>I loved when Rock and Roll came out in '75. I'll never forget my brother
>telling me about about that album, and me getting it. I dug that album.
>
>Walls and Bridges was my fave album. Geez, the way the album cover played
>was great. What an album! It was such a fun album cover to play with while I
>listened to such great music. John was great! He was a funny guy like me.
>
>I got Shaved Fish when I was 15 years old in 1975! Cold Turkey and Give
>Peace a Chance finally on an album!
>
>But here I was, a grown up 20 years old. And Double Fantasy! What a treat!
>I bought it at Rockaway Mall in NJ. Yea I had it first. I felt good, too.
>
>And I played it alot. And I made a painting out of the cover album also. I
>finished it on December 8, 1980. To this day, it hangs in my bedroom.
>
>I was playing my guitar one night, on a Monday, playing Beatles songs late
>at night. I was watching the Tonight Show on a little black and white tv
>while I played.
>
>The news came on -
>
>John Lennon shot
>
>I thought to myself, the *** got into a fight in a bar. Why I thought
>that I don't know why.
>
>Then the reality.
>
>He was dead.
>
>I started walking around my room in a weird out of control sorts. I will
>never be able to explain what I felt in my room that night.
>
>My friend Stu called me.
>
>His first words - "I don't fucking believe it."
>
>"I'll pick you up."
>
>As I was about to leave my mother came down the stairs yelling at me.
>
>"What are you doing?"
>
>"Some *** just shot John Lennon." I told her and left the house. Little
>did I know I would never return the same way.
>
>I picked up my friend Stu and we didn't know what to do. I had taken some
>beers from my house so we sat at the empty mall in Livingston and just sat
>there, drinking.
>
>Then the song came on...
>
>Bridge Over Troubled Water.
>
>Out of all the John and Beatle songs, all of a sudden this song came across
>the radio.
>
>And it destroyed me. I broke down. My head fell into Stu's lap. I cried and
>I cried.
>
>"Let's go," I said. So we went into NYC.
>
>We didn't know where the Dakota was. We drove around the Village but finally
>realised it was uptown and we made it there. We actually parked right nearby
>and walked there and there it was...
>
>the scene...
>
>If you were there that night then you know what it was like. If you weren't
>there you will never know what it was like.
>
>
>...Yea, it's been 25 years.
>
>And it's still a thorn in my heart no matter how old I grow.
>
>Bob
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

.

Loading