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1 May 2011
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John was killed before I was born but I grew up with the music of the Beatles being a common occurrence, my parents having select Beatles cassettes, LP’s and the ‘YS’/’ER’ single. My dad had a collection of ‘Murder Casebook’ magazines which I read as a kid and one was on John’s murder – that’s how I would have found out John was dead. I read that magazine (and others) so often it was ridiculous but as a kid you don’t really take it in, and this would have been before the Beatles really took hold. Now I cannot read or watch anything about his murder.
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Sea Belt, vonbontee, Timothy, Rube"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
3.33am
7 November 2022
Offline When I learned John was killed I was in the kitchen of this house where I was renting a room during college (University of Washington, Seattle), the kitchen in the rear of the house facing out glass doors to the alley beyond a back yard. I called up my friend long distance (he had hitchhiked to Portland, Maine) using a landline and we talked about it for a couple of hours.
P.S.: As this was 1980 and I was renting a room, I would take my hat off to anyone who could doxx me from this picture lol.
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vonbontee, RubeNow today I find, you have changed your mind
5.42am
15 November 2023
Offline I found out the morning afterwards. I was told by my mother, “Wake up – something horrible has happened.” I then had to go to school, where there was already some ‘buzz’ growing about the tragedy. I recall seeing more coverage on the news, as the week progressed. A week or so later, I went with a family friend to Central Park, where Yoko had arranged a ten-minute ‘moment of silence’ for John. There were at least a few thousand others who had shown up for this event. When it was over, they blared one of his songs (I think it was “# 9 Dream”, if my memory is right), and there were massive cheers. Not a ‘happy’ occasion for anyone, but it seemed cathartic.
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Ahhh Girl, vonbontee, Richard, Timothy, Rube4.27am
14 December 2009
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Sea Belt said
P.S.: As this was 1980 and I was renting a room, I would take my hat off to anyone who could doxx me from this picture lol.
Well, then I’ll risk being doxxed myself – maybe I need some excitement! The red X indicates where Cliff and I met up daily to see the kids safely across Kerr towards Parkland School (my home was a coupla blocks to the left of the X, and his towards the upper right); and the spot where he delivered the news bulletin to me…
(All the green scribbly bits were forested, and Parkland Crescent didn’t exist, in 1980. None of those houses were there. And I’ll add that the red X is about 2 miles east of where I am right now, having just this year moved back to this town, where I lived between the ages of 8 and 18)
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Richard, Sea Belt, RubePaul: Yeah well… first of all, we’re bringing out a ‘Stamp Out Detroit’ campaign.
3.40am
18 April 2013
Offline I don’t even remember. I had the Lady Madonna single and the Let It Be album but my parents weren’t Beatles fans.
I remember Elvis dying, though. I think it was right before school started.
"If you're ever in the shit, grab my tit.” —Paul McCartney
12.23pm
14 June 2016
Offline I love this quote by Paul: “John is kinda like a constant, always there in my being and in my soul, so I always think of him.”
Me too.
The following people thank Timothy for this post:
Ahhh Girl, kelicopter, Richard, Rube1.The Beatles 2.Sgt. Pepper 3.Abbey Road 4.Magical Mystery Tour 5.Rubber Soul 6.Revolver 7.Help! 8.Let It Be
9.A Hard Day’s Night 10.Please Please Me 11.Beatles For Sale 12.With The Beatles 13.Yellow Submarine
Most Avid John Fan 2020 and 2021: 
8.23pm
9 February 2012
Offline I remember it like it was yesterday. I was eleven years old, and a massive fan of the Beatles, and John was always my favourite Beatle. My father came into my room late that night, sniffling. I awoke with a shock…what’s the matter?!?
He said: “somebody murdered John Lennon .” He opened his mouth to say more, but nothing would come out except a sound of pain.
I recall the tears welling up. I could not get back to sleep. I could not stop thinking about John, the Beatles, Yoko, New York City…
The next day at school, this was the only topic of conversation in the schoolyard.
There are perhaps 5 snapshot moments in my life which I remember with exquisite details, and which have affected me deeply as a human being.
-My marriage vows and kiss.
-The births of my son and daughter.
-Seeing (on television) live footage of the second plane flying into the World Trade Centre.
-The death of John Lennon .
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Richard, Von Bontee, Beatlebug, Timothy, kelicopter, Rube"'I Dig a Pygmy', by Charles Hawtrey and the Deaf Aids... Phase One, in which Doris gets her oats!"
1.20am
14 December 2009
Offline vonbontee said
We were the two student safety-patrol volunteer crossing guards, keeping our eyes on all the younger and youngest kiddies as they crossed a fairly busy intersection approaching the school; we both liked doing the job because we weren’t expected to show up in class at 9, not with our responsibilities; so we could dawdle until 9:10 or 9:15 or whenever…anyways, Cliff and I were both required to wear those bright-orange over-the-shoulder belts, and had plastic badges to pin on them…
…and I just found mine, amongst a bunch of old stuff my mum kept for decades!
…kept this too
(That week ending June 19-20, 1981 was a very Beatley one on the toppermost of the national poppermost charts, incidentally, with George, Paul and Ringo at #5; the departed John at #3; and at the top, a buncha Dutch sessions musicians doing the discofied Beatles medley that stayed atop (and on) the charts for far far too long)
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Richard, RubePaul: Yeah well… first of all, we’re bringing out a ‘Stamp Out Detroit’ campaign.
11.55pm
4 September 2019
Offline Elmore James said
There are perhaps 5 snapshot moments in my life which I remember with exquisite details, and which have affected me deeply as a human being.
This is not a subject I like to talk about anymore, because for the most part I try to forget about it. But it till profoundly affects me after all these years, the wound is still open. Such a brutally horrible thing to do to a person, and to a person who had brought so much enjoyment to so many people, it’s just terrible beyond belief. And even though we are only fans, we felt we knew John on some level, just because of the very personal nature of so many of his songs, and his candid interviews.
As we get older, the losses pile up, and I don’t think we ever truly get over them. They just move to the back of the mind, so we can go on with life and continue to function normally.
I have to comment on your nickname, I always liked George’s line in For You Blue , “Elmore James got nothing on this baby”. IMO he was good naturedly making fun of John’s slide playing, which was simple but effective for the song. But it also shows he was familiar with some slide work, it was percolating in the back of his mind somewhere, getting ready to come out during his solo career. And of course the attack on George was horrible as well.
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Rube11.13am
14 June 2016
Offline The prominent founding member of the greatest band in history taken from humanity at age 40 just stings more with the passing of time if anything.
The following people thank Timothy for this post:
Sea Belt, Rube1.The Beatles 2.Sgt. Pepper 3.Abbey Road 4.Magical Mystery Tour 5.Rubber Soul 6.Revolver 7.Help! 8.Let It Be
9.A Hard Day’s Night 10.Please Please Me 11.Beatles For Sale 12.With The Beatles 13.Yellow Submarine
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