A Day in the Life

"I read the news today, oh boy..." When this anniversary rolls around every year it reignites the unforgettable grief and rage we felt over losing John Lennon. The tragic irony of a man who"advertised" peace via the Bed-In, War is Over, his anti-Vietnam protests, gunned down by a fat loser when John was at the most fulfilling stage of his life. It's the bad dream that never stops aching. But Lennon's legacy of hope, idealism and activism continues to inspire. I recall reading a quote from John about how his penchant for peace developed. It was an admission that he was inclined towards bad behavior and a turbulent temperament from an early age. He said, and I'm paraphrasing, it was the troublemakers that ultimately turned to peace. Because he had lived through abandonment and turmoil he had come to appreciate non-violence. John will always be the upstart art school non-conformist who lived life outside the margins.

When I look at old footage of the Fab Four's arrival on our shores, that first press conference right off the plane at Kennedy Airport, I'm struck by what Beatle historians have called Lennon's "lacerating wit." When asked by one of the reporters if they'll sing, John replies, "No, we need money first." It was John who had the audacity to compare the popularity of the Beatles to that of Jesus, generating a fiasco of misunderstanding, outrage and record-burning. Years later, only the very daft could fail to see the point: rock and roll music speaks to young people in a way that the church does not. Not exactly a newsflash today, but scandalous at the time.

Love her or hate her, Yoko Ono became the driving force behind Lennon's evolution from a Beatle into a political activist, feminist and ultimately, a househusband. John got a second chance at hands-on parenting, giving his son Sean what he failed to provide for Julian, his child by his first wife Cynthia Lennon. As a mother of three, one who sacrificed many artistic ambitions to raise kids, I think Julian is spot-on when he gripes about how cheated he felt over his father's devotion to Sean, having come up short as a dad in his twenties. But the thing about John is he was always evolving; he gave up a rock superstar lifestyle to change diapers and bake bread. Which makes it all the more heartbreaking that when he did get back in the studio and created "Double Fantasy," he was murdered before he could enjoy his musical reemergence.

In the wake of Lennon's death there was a haunting refrain from one of his songs, "the dream is over." In 1981 I clipped a fan's quote from Rolling Stone Magazine, "the dream is still alive. Long live the dream." I have a 21-yr-old son who, like his brothers, was schooled in classic rock from an early age, the Beatles being the quintessence of the genre. He composes and plays original songs that don't conform to commercial standards. He's also a visual artist, a cheeky lad and a rebel. When I hear rough cuts of his latest tracks, I'm proud when I detect a trace of Lennon in his style and vocals. Imagine that.