I was 12. My parents had invited some friends, and when they
rang at the door, the newsman said: "John Lennon was shot dead."
I ran to the door and shouted: "John Lennon of the Beatles
was shot dead." But I can´t recall any of their reaction.

"That's part of our policy, is not to be taken seriously,
because I think our opposition, whoever they may be,
in all their manifest forms, don't know how to handle
humor. You know, and we are humorous, we are, what are
they, Laurel and Hardy. That's John and Yoko, and we
stand a better chance under that guise, because all
the serious people, like Martin Luther King, and
Kennedy, and Gandhi, got shot." JWL

The following story by Jay Jay French of the rock group Twisted Sister...



About five years ago I was having trouble with my cable boxes. My cable company had sent several teams over the previous year with each team of young repairmen confiding in me that the previous ones didn’t know what they were doing.

I got fed up and demanded a senior repair supervisor to check out my problems.

When the doorbell rang, there in front of me was not some young kid but someone my age.

I was 60 at the time and this guy looked and sounded like he was about my age. He apologized for the lack of knowledge of the previous repairmen and proceeded to diagnose my issues.He was a really no-nonsense guy who wanted me to finally stop having service disruptions.

At some point, he was in my living room and kneeling down to check the modem. He looked up to see an 11-foot-long picture frame that housed two huge black and white photos of The Beatles taken when the band performed on the Ed Sullivan Show.

He stopped what he was doing and said, “That John Lennon cat. I was there the day he arrived and I was there the day he left”.

I was reading the newspaper at that moment and was really only half-listening. Then, suddenly, I reflected on what he just said, put down the paper and asked him to say that again.

He repeated the statement exactly as he had already done.

I said to him, “What does that mean?”

He said, “In 1964 I was in 6th grade at my school in Queens, across from Idlewild Airport. In February of 1964, my class was visiting the airport selling candy for a school fundraiser when all of a sudden there were police everywhere and girls screaming. The Beatles walked right by us. I saw it on the news that night so I was there when John Lennon arrived in New York.”

Wow, I thought, what an amazing story. I wasn’t, however, prepared for the second part.

He then went on: “On December 8, 1980, I was working for Western Union delivering telegrams. I had just delivered one at The Dakota and as I walked around the corner onto Central Park West, I heard the gunshot.

“I was there the day he left!”

I was stunned.

I said, “You are probably the only person on earth who could say that”.

A cable supervisor, because he was in my apartment and saw that photo, had just told me a story that sends chills down my spine every time I tell it.

As this was five years ago and I didn’t get his name (who knew that I would be writing a Beatles column), I can’t acknowledge this person and the profound nature of the conversation.

There may be no greater example that on any given day you may either meet someone or engage in a conversation that stops you in your tracks.

I will never forget those words: “I was there the day he arrived and I was there the day he left”

I was 26, heard it on the radio in the morning when I woke up .....in the late 70's I was just collection all of his records and not long after I bought his latest album I heard this sad news ......I couldn't believe it ....if something devastating happen to one of your idols .........you think ...........well they can fix him

.... it was a screaming hot night ...
Been sluggin' booze to the max in Anglesea
but somehow made it across to home in Torquay ...

....rolled in the door to hear
reports of his death coming from
all radio and television stations ....
Beatle an Lennon songs spookily played from the radio all night long



ROCKMAN

freezing cold night in boston....monday night football...ne patriots vs ny jets....i went to bed around 9.00pm.....as a kid i delivered the boston globe newspaper...morning HEADLINE JOHN LENNON SHOT DEAD....i kicked the bundle from doorstep to doorstep i was devastated....still am.....peace

I was living at home with my parents and watching the late night local news. I was in university. The announcer said that John Lennon had been shot and died. My mother and I were in shock. We were both on the edge of tears. Sometime later on I cried.

As I lay in bed that night I went through my memories of all of my summers from 1964 through 1980. I swept through my life over and over. It seems like such a short time span now.

<<< My favorite poet was Aeschylus. He wrote: "In our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God." >>>

- Robert F. Kennedy

Middle school, I was 13, walking the school hall to class first thing in the morning, one of my friends (although we weren't real close at the time) walking the other direction in the hallway, tears streaming down his cheeks, I stopped him to ask what was wrong? And he told me the news after just being informed of John's passing, it hit me like a ton of bricks - the utter tragedy and my mate's emotion (the impression it made on me at that young age - what JL meant to the world), I remember that so vividly to this day. Miss him dearly, a hero for me...

22 senior at college in Buffalo, sitting at our rented house watching MNF. My heart sunk and was numb for week.

Quote
peoplewitheyes
Such dramatic insincerity in that American Football clip.

Whaaat?? How do you determine that? Howard Cosell considered himself a good friend of John Lennon.

"Take all the pain...It's yours anyway"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-12-09 14:07 by Woody24.

I was 15 and sitting in French class the next morning at 9am, just starting the school day. One of our classmates was misbehaving and was pointing a water pistol at the teacher, who promptly said, “who do you think I am, John Lennon”? At the time I wasn’t aware of who John Lennon was (I was only familiar with the Beatles name as a collective unit) so I turned to another classmate sitting next to me and asked him, “what’s he talking about? What happened, who is John Lennon”? A rather callous introduction to the legend, I must say.....

15 year's old. Breaking news on TV. I started listening to my 'Blue Album'. Then turned on the radio...a sea of Lennon songs.

I was in a morning psychology lecture at Glasgow University. Didn't know a thing about John's death until the lecturer mentioned it.

Strange to think that perhaps the majority of the population wasn't even born when it happened. It sort of reminds me about how the few remaining World War I veterans were rapidly thinning out 25 years ago and now they are all gone. Us "rockers" are thinning out too.

I was 29 at the time and listening to WNEW FM
out of New York City when I heard DJ Vince
Scelsa announce the news.

I believe that I have a cassette tape of that
announcement, that I set rolling within one
minute of the beginning of it.

Quote
Chacho
I was 29 at the time and listening to WNEW FM
out of New York City when I heard DJ Vince
Scelsa announce the news.

I believe that I have a cassette tape of that
announcement, that I set rolling within one
minute of the beginning of it.

[www.youtube.com]

I was 16 and a huge Beatles fan, went to bed, my parents had on Monday Night Football and woke me up to tell me. I of course was looking forward to the rumored tour so was crushed.

One of the saddest and most shocking days of my life. I cried on and off for two weeks. I had loved the Beatles since I was 11 years old. Saw them twice at Shea Stadium in Queens, NY>

I was 13 watching MNF as well.
I was completely devastated. I collected every newspaper and magazine with John on the cover the following weeks. Looking back, I think I was in shock for several days.

TeaAtThree

Quote
2000 LYFH
The following story by Jay Jay French of the rock group Twisted Sister....

I will never forget those words: “I was there the day he arrived and I was there the day he left”

Great story!