# R.I.P John Lennon do you remember?



## Starbuck (Jun 15, 2007)

I had this on the Beatles post, but maybe it deserves it's own thread?

Today is the anniversary Of John Lennons Death. I was only 13 but I remember exactly what I was doing and where I was, right down to the book I was reading. Double Fantasy was in Heavy Rotation. Dec 8th 1980
RIP John.... 

Do you remember where you were?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIRazvXyrOc


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## Beatles (Feb 7, 2006)

*RIP John*

Sure do.

It was a day like today, gloomy and lightly snowing. I was lying in bed, and the clock radio went off , It was the first thing I heard on when it did. I was in a funk all day. Quashed my hopes for a reunion, if there ever was one to be.


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## Ripper (Jul 1, 2006)

Yep, I do remember, I had been away and was on the way over to pick up my girlfriend. When I got to her place she was in tears (she was a huge beatles fan) and she told me the news. It certainly wasn't the dark day for me that it was for some.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Well of course. I had just moved to Edmonton, and my then-fiancée-now-wife and I were living in an apartment near Westmount (how could anything in Edmonton have "mount" in its name is beyond me) shopping plaza. It was snowing as I recall.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Just like Kennedy and 9/11, I remember exactly where I was and what I doing at the time.


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## bobb (Jan 4, 2007)

I was working in a radio station with a very limited rock music library. When the news came down, the program director had me throw together an off the cuff tribute using the few records that we had that were either Beatles, Lennon or MOR covers by people like Ann Murray(gag). It was a challenge.


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## lyric girl (Sep 4, 2008)

Absolutely I remember. Grade 12 English class. I think we were studying either Brave New World or Hamlet (can't remember which one). It was a BAD day. 

This morning I heard on the news that this was the anniversary which I had forgotten. I have had The Cranberries song, I Just Shot John Lennon, in my head all morning.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I was on tour with some guys who had no appreciation for and little respect for the loss the world had just experienced.

I remember the "so what" sort of attitude. For me it was a sad day indeed.


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## hoser (Feb 2, 2006)

I was 6, so probably grade 1.
I remember how devastated my parents were.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

yeah, it was one of those very sad days. A sense of shock, like WTF do you mean someone shot John? In my era anyway, he had an extreme influence.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

I was in a sports bar with my not-yet-married-to-but-future-ex-wife and some friends and it came on the big screen. I've never heard a bar so quiet - even when I was playing in them.

I still remember telling "her" to "be quiet a minute" and we all shushed in time to catch the story. It was John Lennon specifically that led me to pick up a guitar - the story left me quite empty. Even now as I think of it.


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## Kenmac (Jan 24, 2007)

I remember it as if it happened yesterday. I was 20 years old at the time. A (now-ex) friend of mine phoned me when he was shot and at first I thought he was kidding but he assured me he wasn't. Of course at first there's a sense of disbelief but later John did die and like everybody else who was around at the time, people felt a great sense of shock, feeling stunned and it really was like losing a family member. 

The next day I stayed in my room listening to the radio, Q107 in particular, who at that time were playing current rock which is now called "classic rock". The only music they played on the station that day was Johns music, both solo and with the Beatles. I remember people phoning in to the station and expressing their feelings about John and the Beatles. One man said when they started playing "A Day In The Life" he had to pull his car over because the song got to him. But the most poignant call came from a younger listener, He was expressing his feelings and how sad he was. The DJ, hearing it was obviously a younger voice said, "How old are you?" The kid said "12", and the DJ with a hint of smugness and superiority said "12 years old." Then the kid said, "Yeah. Like Joni Mitchell said, 'You don't know what you've got till it's gone.'" That really took the DJ aback, you could tell that he thought the kid was wise beyond his years and he let out a bit of a chuckle. 

It's hard to believe it's been 28 years now. I can't help but think of the drastic difference between Johns passing and Georges which happened in 2001. No, the radio station I was listening to at work that day didn't drop their playlist to play Georges songs all day. They played a grand total of 3 songs over 8 hours. I could make some comments about radio but I won't bother. Instead, take a few minutes to remember John and here's a YouTube link to one of my favourite John Lennon songs:
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=0P8IdHwLFzk
Enjoy.


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## faracaster (Mar 9, 2006)

Boy it certainly is one of those terrible frozen in time moments (like Kennedy and 9/11). 
I was on tour on the east coast. We had a down day and we were in a motel in northern N.B. I remember there being lots and lots of snow. I was watching The Yearling on TV (must have been the only station not covering the unfolding story) when our singer and keyboardist came to the door and said "Have you heard the news?"


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

I was never really a huge Beatles fan, but in the late 70' and early 80's was totally into John Lennon's solo work. (I remember waiting for years for Milk & Honey to come out - which was a bit of a letdown for me, but I digress). I was at home reading a John Lennon interview in Playboy (honest, I was just reading the interview :tongue and had Monday Night Football on in the background and heard Howard Cossell announce it. I swear I was in a state of shcok for days afterwards. I'm not sure I've ever been so stunned by someone's passing in my life (even close friends and relatives). Looking back I'm not sure why it affected me that way, but it sure did.


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