Friday, December 08, 2006
10 Things I Think I Think About John Lennon
With all apologies to Peter King:
1) I think that my copy of Blogging for Complete Morons says that "you must at least dedicate 1 post every December 8th to the memory of John Lennon.
2) I think that there are 4 types of people in the world: John people, Paul people, George people and Ringo people. Susan Sarandon is a John person. Richard Gere is a George person. Paris Hilton is a Ringo person. Most bloggers are John people. I am most definitely a Paul person, and that colors everything I say from here on out.
3) I think John people look down on us Paul people. They see us as empty and shallow. Instead of tring to change the world, we're making money and listening to "silly love songs".
4) I think Sharon Cobb's description of "Imagine" was incomplete. She said it "a prayer for world unity". I think a more apt description would be: "A prayer for world unity through communism and atheism". Not that there's anything WRONG with that...
5) I think everything about Yoko Ono is beyond my understanding. I'll never "get" her. As a Paul person, it's my job to blame her for breaking up the Beatles.
6) I think every decent band with more than one songwriter has a John and a Paul. Don Henley and Glen Frey. Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie. Big and Rich (no, I'm not kidding).
7) I think John people make their biggest mistake by announcing that they're going to change the world. True world-changing events take the world by surprise. Announcing your intentions just makes the world recoil and get defensive. Don't TELL me, SHOW me.
8) I think John was one of the 10 greatest songwriters of all time. Most of his greatest songs were written BY. (Before Yoko).
9) I think songwriting is a craft more than an art form. (I guess I live in the right town for that mindset). Therefore, Paul is ranked a little higher than John on my scale. The mystical, imaginary person "JohnPaul", who wrote their collaborations, is the greatest songwriter of the recording era.
10) I think the world misses John Lennon. He was a defining force of his time and he was taken too soon. Were he here today, certainly he'd be leading the anti-war movement. I'd much rather have a person of his intellectual heft be the musical face of the anti-war movement, rather than that vapid front woman of an ex-country trio, who has, you know, like, a hard time forming a cohesive thought.
John, even though we never saw eye to eye, I miss you!
1) I think that my copy of Blogging for Complete Morons says that "you must at least dedicate 1 post every December 8th to the memory of John Lennon.
2) I think that there are 4 types of people in the world: John people, Paul people, George people and Ringo people. Susan Sarandon is a John person. Richard Gere is a George person. Paris Hilton is a Ringo person. Most bloggers are John people. I am most definitely a Paul person, and that colors everything I say from here on out.
3) I think John people look down on us Paul people. They see us as empty and shallow. Instead of tring to change the world, we're making money and listening to "silly love songs".
4) I think Sharon Cobb's description of "Imagine" was incomplete. She said it "a prayer for world unity". I think a more apt description would be: "A prayer for world unity through communism and atheism". Not that there's anything WRONG with that...
5) I think everything about Yoko Ono is beyond my understanding. I'll never "get" her. As a Paul person, it's my job to blame her for breaking up the Beatles.
6) I think every decent band with more than one songwriter has a John and a Paul. Don Henley and Glen Frey. Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie. Big and Rich (no, I'm not kidding).
7) I think John people make their biggest mistake by announcing that they're going to change the world. True world-changing events take the world by surprise. Announcing your intentions just makes the world recoil and get defensive. Don't TELL me, SHOW me.
8) I think John was one of the 10 greatest songwriters of all time. Most of his greatest songs were written BY. (Before Yoko).
9) I think songwriting is a craft more than an art form. (I guess I live in the right town for that mindset). Therefore, Paul is ranked a little higher than John on my scale. The mystical, imaginary person "JohnPaul", who wrote their collaborations, is the greatest songwriter of the recording era.
10) I think the world misses John Lennon. He was a defining force of his time and he was taken too soon. Were he here today, certainly he'd be leading the anti-war movement. I'd much rather have a person of his intellectual heft be the musical face of the anti-war movement, rather than that vapid front woman of an ex-country trio, who has, you know, like, a hard time forming a cohesive thought.
John, even though we never saw eye to eye, I miss you!
// posted by Slartibartfast @ 7:36 AM 
Comments:
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Like I've said before, perhaps it was the name at first, but I've always been a 'John' person. I say this as someone who clearly remembers Beatlemania because I was 'there'.
I was in the 6th grade when I first heard 'Love me Do'. I had a flat-top haircut. Minutes after seeing the cover of the '45' of that record, I started growing my hair out. I really wasn't conscious of all the implications and ramifications of what the Beatles meant and would come to mean, but I certainly knew the world was changing and that they were going to play a big part.
I liked John's cynicism and acerbic nature. I loved his harmonies. He had a great wit and, on his own wrote some really good songs.
But, you touched on this in your post, without McCartney, he wouldn't have achieved the heights.
They yinned/yanged each other. Without Lennon, McCartney would occasionally puff away into marshmellow-land. Without McCartney, Lennon would become too harsh and arid.
Together they were genius. So yeah, I'm a 'John' kinda guy, but I acknowledge that without you 'Paul' types, the puzzle isn't complete.
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I was in the 6th grade when I first heard 'Love me Do'. I had a flat-top haircut. Minutes after seeing the cover of the '45' of that record, I started growing my hair out. I really wasn't conscious of all the implications and ramifications of what the Beatles meant and would come to mean, but I certainly knew the world was changing and that they were going to play a big part.
I liked John's cynicism and acerbic nature. I loved his harmonies. He had a great wit and, on his own wrote some really good songs.
But, you touched on this in your post, without McCartney, he wouldn't have achieved the heights.
They yinned/yanged each other. Without Lennon, McCartney would occasionally puff away into marshmellow-land. Without McCartney, Lennon would become too harsh and arid.
Together they were genius. So yeah, I'm a 'John' kinda guy, but I acknowledge that without you 'Paul' types, the puzzle isn't complete.
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