---INTERLUDE – John Winston Ono Lennon (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980)---
Along with his return to the music industry, in late 1980 John had been eyeing another return – his first trip to the UK since 1975. He told his Aunt Mimi would watch the ships leaving NY and longingly wonder if any were heading to Liverpool. John fantasized about boarding the
QE2 and sailing home, and during the Double Fantasy recording sessions he even enlisted a friend to see about chartering the boat and see if it were able to fit up the Mersey. A trip, whether or not on the
QE2, was scheduled for early 1981, with a very happy John having called Aunt Mimi both the day before and the day of his murder to confirm it.
His mellowing had led not only to nostalgia for his homeland, but also for the Beatles, and John was actively re-connecting with his old bandmates. In late November 1980, he met with Ringo, who already had songs from both George and Paul on the album he was recording, and John agreed likewise to help Ringo by giving him a song or two. John gave Ringo the demos for “Nobody Told Me” and another song, and the two booked a studio to record them together on January 14, 1981. John also expected to connect with all of his old bandmates, at least socially if not professionally, at Ringo’s wedding to Barbara that was planned for the spring.
On December 3, 1980, John was interviewed for
Rolling Stone magazine, with an accompanying photo shoot by Annie Leibovitz. He expressed his continuing belief in the power of love and peace: “You know…give peace a chance, not shoot people people for peace. All we need is love. I believe it. It’s damned hard but I absolutely believe it.” He also showed a new maturity is his perspective: “I used to think the world was doing it to me and that the world owed me something…when you’re a teeny-bopper, that’s what you think. I’m 40 now. I don’t think that any more…” A second photo shoot for the article was scheduled for December 8.
John spent the weekend of December 6-7 in recording sessions that were by all accounts happy and positive, with a sense of hope for the future. John was described as having “discovered he could be grounded with his family and sober, and still put out a message people could relate to,” and to have gained an understanding of what it was to be a leader. John shared his vision of going back out on the road and touring after the new year. He even planned to being revisiting the Beatles songs in his performances, specifically mentioning “I Want To Hold Your Hand” as one he wanted to perform.
On December 6, John gave an interview to BBC Radio and was asked about the dangers of living in NYC; he responded by describing how great the city was, including that people came up for autographs but didn’t bug them and were just friendly. John had taken to calling the people who hung out by the Dakota the “Dakota groupies,” but not in a negative way. John often stopped to talk and sign autographs with the folks gathered there, and that weekend (December 6-7), a new face had joined the Dakota groupies, Mark David Chapman.
Chapman (whose background I’m not going to detail because #### him) had flown from Honolulu to NY on December 5, carrying 14 hours’ worth of Beatles music on cassette. It was his third trip to NY to try to meet John, having not lucked into seeing him the first two times. Chapman had loved the Beatles since his childhood, when he took solace in their music to hide from the mocking and bullying he was subjected to as a fat kid. But he’d recently turned on John, whom he believed had betrayed the ideals of the Beatles (and Chapman personally) by acquiring wealth and becoming a hypocrite, one of the “phonies” described by Holden Caulfield’s character in
The Catcher In The Rye. Long saddled with psychiatric problems, he’d also begun to think of himself as being able to step into the shoes of and become Caulfield, but only gaining this reward if he were to kill John.
Upon arrival in NY, Chapman checked into first a YMCA and then a hotel, and bought a copy of
Double Fantasy as well as the Playboy magazine containing a recent interview with John. He hung out at the Dakota all weekend and finally saw John on Sunday, December 7. Unlike the usually polite Dakota groupies, Chapman came aggressively close to John and starting taking pictures. John became angry and tried to take Chapman’s camera, only retreating when Yoko shouted to him not to do it.
On Monday, December 8, after breakfast and a haircut, John gave another interview to promote
Double Fantasy, followed by the follow-up
photo shoot with Leibovitz. Getting into the car on his way to the recording studio to work on a Yoko song for
Milk And Honey, he noticed a Dakota groupie clutching a copy of
Double Fantasy and offered to autograph it for him, a meeting that was captured in a
photo by Paul Goresh. Chapman had intended to shoot John then, but was taken aback by how nice John had been to him. Chapman had also met Sean earlier in the afternoon outside the Dakota, reaching to shake his hand and tell him he was a “beautiful boy.” After six hours of recording, John and Yoko left the studio around 10:30 pm, with Yoko suggesting they go out to dinner, but John eager to get home and see Sean before the boy went into dreamland.
Instead of driving into the interior courtyard, the driver dropped John and Yoko at the curb, since it was too late for the usual gatherings of Dakota groupies that they might wish to avoid. As John emerged from the car, Chapman – still holding his autographed album – called to him, “Mr. Lennon…” and then shot John four times (a fifth shot having missed). A doorman at the Dakota immediately called police and tried to apply first aid. Police were on the scene quickly, finding a discarded gun on the sidewalk and Chapman leaning against the building reading
The Catcher In The Rye. Realizing there was no time for an ambulance, police loaded John into one of their cars and rushed him to the emergency room, but it was too late; he was dead upon arrival at the hospital. As unsuccessful attempts were made to revive him and John was declared dead, “All My Loving” was playing on the hospital’s Muzak system.
Boogie!
No way, GB. I'm hoping to put some info in these write-ups that many people won't already know. I'm excited that you are learning and enjoying!
