It was 25 Years ago in a couple of weeks...

Anniversary of John Lennon's death. I remember lying in bed when my roommate stepped in and told me what happened. I reflexively responded "You're lying." My roommate was offended and stormed off. He was always sensitive.

The rest of the week was spent listening to hastily produced radio programs that ran for hours on end on the local Phoenix rock stations. I still have some cassettes from those days that I recorded. I was always a Beatles fan and at that time considered John my favorite. The Lennon and Beatles posters on my walls were suddenly viewed suspiciously by visitors, as if I was another one of those instant John Lennon fans. I got so tired of explaining that they had been there before that I finally took them down.

Time has changed my opinion of the individual members of the band if for no other reason that I no longer value anger and vindictiveness and no longer cringe from happiness and joy like I evidently used to. I've never been a fan of Paul McCartney's post Beatles music but he seems like a decent enough guy who never picked a public fight with the other guys.

And I'm not one to call for Yoko's head, the Beatles were probably destined to split even without her arrival and probably for the best. It would be embarrassing to see them at 65 on yet another world tour like the Rolling Stones. The Beatles seemed to get the lifespan of a rock band about right. It is heartbreaking to suddenly realize that one of your favorite bands has put out crap for their last 5 albums. I know because I've seen too many good bands stay around long after they have nothing left to offer of interest. The Beatles still have a lot to teach to today's bands.

But if ever there was somebody who enjoyed a certain status and fame in music without ever actually doing anything that in any way caused them to deserve it, it was Yoko Ono.

Over at that super duper fast breaking news source Newsweek, Jeff Giles has has a piece that's interesting even if he has his nose halfway up Yoko Ono's ass.