John Lennon

“Imagine all the people, living life in peace.” Of all The Beatles, John Lennon’s legacy was to be the most unique, predominantly due to the nature of the man himself. Having shared key song writing (and sparring) duties with Paul McCartney during The Fab Four’s rapid ascendancy to international superstars, Lennon was also responsible for much of their undoing. It was his comment after all, that the Beatles “meant more to kids than Jesus did,” which brought protest from right-wing American Christians, The Vatican and even President Kennedy.

Soon after, The Beatles ceased touring and Lennon, who had become seriously hooked on drugs following their trip to India, would meet artist, Yoko Ono, and start the relationship that many say brought down The Beatles. It certainly destroyed his first marriage, as well as his clean-cut image; Lennon would spend his last two years as a Beatle, vehemently protesting The Vietnam War. This would include his notorious ‘bed-ins’, the first of which was deliberately staged at his and Yoko’s honeymoon in Amsterdam.

By 1970, with The Beatles finished and their wedding consummated, John and Yoko decided to move to New York City to start a new life.

Having already made himself known as a trouble starter with his album, ‘Two Virgins’ (which featured a frontal nude shot of Yoko and himself), Lennon’s solo career became emblematic of his new, unrestrained individuality. With the single ‘Give Peace a Chance’ already becoming a hearty anti-war slogan, his output would soon become prolific.

Lennon then released albums under different monikers (such as the ‘Plastic Ono Band’), some of which contained obscenities that had his work banned from British radio.

Finally arriving in NYC on the strength of ‘Imagine’, his most successful album to date, Lennon quickly took to guerrilla tactics, attempting to stage more bed-ins and advertising his new single, ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over)’, by funding giant billboards across international cities which read, “War Is Over…if you want it”.

With their propensity to both shock and inspire, many of Lennon’s most famous phrases have now entered the canon of popular culture. Whether it was giving concerts in Madison Square Garden to benefit mental patients, attempting to flog the controversial ‘Woman is the Nigger of the World’ across the States or simply helping out poet, John Sinclair, who had been arrested selling marijuana to undercover policeman, Lennon made his reformist views explicit. So explicit, in fact, that later investigation would reveal that Lennon had an FBI case file of 280 pages in his name and had been recommended for deportation by President Nixon.

For all of Lennon’s pacifist intentions, as well as his efforts to achieve world peace, he would cruelly meet a violent end. Murdered by a pathological fan in front of his wife, Lennon went out as he’d predicted, “probably popped off by some loony.” He left behind a gaping hole that still remains unfilled.

By Jonno Seidler