Lenin or Lennon? The Latter, Please.
When I began this blog, I promised to address topics beyond simply politics and history. I intend to keep my word on this point. Music happens to be one of my many infatuations, and I've been thinking about it a lot recently, as I often do.
Why, you ask? There are two reasons: first, the glorious and musical Christmas season that is upon us; and secondly, last Friday (December 8) marked the 26th anniversary of John Lennon's tragic murder in New York City by Mark David Chapman. I have my political and religious differences with Lennon, but he was an incredible musician and writer. His ideas certainly bordered on Stalinism, and I don't particularly care for his rather cavalier, spiteful approach to Christianity, especially his infamous Jesus comment. All that being said, I love his music. Paul McCartney--all his PETA antics and Heather Mills marriage aside--shall always be my favorite Beatle, but nonetheless I know that Lennon was unrivaled as a lyricist and musical innovator. In many ways he was the soul of the band, even if Paul was the mind and George Harrison the spirit of the Fab Four. (Ringo was...well, I'm still working on that. The comic relief, perhaps?) Without John the band would have lacked greatly in leadership, direction, and purpose. This is probably why, for better or worse, he became the most politically and socially vocal of the four. And, as so often happens in our world, his star burned the brightest, but fell the fastest--a la Mozart, Steve Prefontaine, John Keats, James Dean, you name it.
I certainly do not approve of Lennon's Leninist views...in fact, his beautiful ballad "Imagine" can be thought of as a more innocent, abbreviated version of The Communist Manifesto ("no religion too," "the world will be as one," etc.). Nonetheless, he was kind and considerate enough to use the democratic and artistic processes rather than Lenin's bloody, intolerant, despicable revolution. Despite a certain degree of hypocrisy when it came to the economic side of things--Lennon, after all, was rather rich--he lived up to his dogmas of peace, love, and music. His honest, genuine demeanor doesn't make the ideas of Communism any more palatable, but at least Lennon entertained and amused us with classic rock songs like "I Am the Walrus," "Back in the U.S.S.R." (that wasn't blatant Soviet fondness, was it?), and the bouncy although blasphemous "Ballad of John and Yoko." And who can forget "All You Need Is Love"? Indeed it is. R.I.P. John, we hardly knew ye.
Quote of the Day: "There's nothing you can do that can't be done/Nothing you can sing that can't be sung. There's nothing you can make that can't be made/No one you can save that can't be saved." - John Lennon, "All You Need Is Love" from The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour, 1967. It was this simple, yet profound optimism and humanity that endeared Lennon's music and ideas to so many people. Whatever you might think of him personally, he was certainly a lightning rod in both music and society.
Why, you ask? There are two reasons: first, the glorious and musical Christmas season that is upon us; and secondly, last Friday (December 8) marked the 26th anniversary of John Lennon's tragic murder in New York City by Mark David Chapman. I have my political and religious differences with Lennon, but he was an incredible musician and writer. His ideas certainly bordered on Stalinism, and I don't particularly care for his rather cavalier, spiteful approach to Christianity, especially his infamous Jesus comment. All that being said, I love his music. Paul McCartney--all his PETA antics and Heather Mills marriage aside--shall always be my favorite Beatle, but nonetheless I know that Lennon was unrivaled as a lyricist and musical innovator. In many ways he was the soul of the band, even if Paul was the mind and George Harrison the spirit of the Fab Four. (Ringo was...well, I'm still working on that. The comic relief, perhaps?) Without John the band would have lacked greatly in leadership, direction, and purpose. This is probably why, for better or worse, he became the most politically and socially vocal of the four. And, as so often happens in our world, his star burned the brightest, but fell the fastest--a la Mozart, Steve Prefontaine, John Keats, James Dean, you name it.
I certainly do not approve of Lennon's Leninist views...in fact, his beautiful ballad "Imagine" can be thought of as a more innocent, abbreviated version of The Communist Manifesto ("no religion too," "the world will be as one," etc.). Nonetheless, he was kind and considerate enough to use the democratic and artistic processes rather than Lenin's bloody, intolerant, despicable revolution. Despite a certain degree of hypocrisy when it came to the economic side of things--Lennon, after all, was rather rich--he lived up to his dogmas of peace, love, and music. His honest, genuine demeanor doesn't make the ideas of Communism any more palatable, but at least Lennon entertained and amused us with classic rock songs like "I Am the Walrus," "Back in the U.S.S.R." (that wasn't blatant Soviet fondness, was it?), and the bouncy although blasphemous "Ballad of John and Yoko." And who can forget "All You Need Is Love"? Indeed it is. R.I.P. John, we hardly knew ye.
Quote of the Day: "There's nothing you can do that can't be done/Nothing you can sing that can't be sung. There's nothing you can make that can't be made/No one you can save that can't be saved." - John Lennon, "All You Need Is Love" from The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour, 1967. It was this simple, yet profound optimism and humanity that endeared Lennon's music and ideas to so many people. Whatever you might think of him personally, he was certainly a lightning rod in both music and society.
posted by Douglas Schrock at 7:14 PM
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