Strange Days Indeed

I am not a fan of the Beatles (no, I do not hate them, though this is a good guide to hating them) but (and this is largely because of my mom) I am a huge John Lennon fan, and I think one of the reasons I don't like the Beatles as much as I should is because Paul's tracks are so much better produced and it makes me believe that the Paul, George and Ringo were being "mean" to John.

I was thinking about this the other day when some blog (and I can't find the damned article now) was writing about the now iconic Lennon NYC t-shirt photograph from 1974 and the conditions under which it was taken. (Damn, I wish I knew where the link was.)

I remember when Lennon was shot. I remember my parents reaction. I remember it well.

I have hated Catcher in the Rye since I first read it when I was eleven or so. It hasn't gotten better as I have gotten older. In fact, I find adults who consider this novel to be their favorite or an example of great literature to be vapid and ultimately dismiss all their opinions.

Maybe it is because the book is a piece of trash, or maybe it has to do with Mark David Champman but that is off topic. I just hate the book, and there could be underlying reasons why.

Anyway, my mom and I were talking about John Lennon and his role after one of the insipid Beatles/iTunes advertisements came on during The Chris Matthews Show and she believed that John Lennon mattered because he had transcended his role as a pop star and had become a political leader, a proto-Bono if you wish, and the was a real reason that the FBI was always following him.

He would be 70 now, and tomorrow is the anniversary of his murder, and I wonder what he would think of the world he helped create. Would he love Julian's art? What would he have thought of Cibo Matto?

Would he have an iPhone?

Strange days indeed.