NEW YORK—A tour bus pulled up on the 72nd Street near Central Park West. A man wielding a yellow baton guided a group of elders across the street to stand in front of the Dakota apartment building, where John Lennon was shot to death 30 years ago to the day on Dec. 8, 1980.
“This is where John Lennon lived with Yoko Ono and was shot by Mark Chapman 30 years ago. Chapman is now in prison at Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York,” explained the tour guide.
A crowd of about 20 stood before the building, snapping photos. As one group left, another quickly replaced it. The guards chatted, occasionally telling onlookers to back away from the entrance a bit.
A woman in a trench coat stood on a street corner near Dakota and handed out little slips of paper. The sheets described a dream she had, in which Lennon brought her a message calling for peace in the Middle East. A man handed out fliers claiming Chapman was a CIA agent.
Across the street at the entrance to Strawberry Fields, vendors sold Lennon and Beatles photos. The commemorative pins sold rapidly at one for three dollars or two for five dollars.
As one drew nearer to the Imagine monument in Strawberry Fields, snatches of different Lennon songs filled the air. Hundreds of fans and mourners gathered to pay tribute to the rock icon. Although several hands held guitars or flowers, most held cameras.
“She’s got a ticket to ride, she’s got a ticket to ride, but she don’t care,” came from one end.
Drifting from another group nearby came, “I’ve got everything that you want, like a heart that’s oh so true, just call on me and I'll send it along, with love from me to you.”
“This is where John Lennon lived with Yoko Ono and was shot by Mark Chapman 30 years ago. Chapman is now in prison at Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York,” explained the tour guide.
A crowd of about 20 stood before the building, snapping photos. As one group left, another quickly replaced it. The guards chatted, occasionally telling onlookers to back away from the entrance a bit.
A woman in a trench coat stood on a street corner near Dakota and handed out little slips of paper. The sheets described a dream she had, in which Lennon brought her a message calling for peace in the Middle East. A man handed out fliers claiming Chapman was a CIA agent.
Across the street at the entrance to Strawberry Fields, vendors sold Lennon and Beatles photos. The commemorative pins sold rapidly at one for three dollars or two for five dollars.
As one drew nearer to the Imagine monument in Strawberry Fields, snatches of different Lennon songs filled the air. Hundreds of fans and mourners gathered to pay tribute to the rock icon. Although several hands held guitars or flowers, most held cameras.
“She’s got a ticket to ride, she’s got a ticket to ride, but she don’t care,” came from one end.
Drifting from another group nearby came, “I’ve got everything that you want, like a heart that’s oh so true, just call on me and I'll send it along, with love from me to you.”
Often when a musician dies these days, new albums are released long after they’ve passed. This anniversary did not bring any newly released music. The Rolling Stone Magazine, however, released a taped interview conducted shortly before Lennon’s death.
“What [fans] want is dead heroes like Sid Vicious and James Dean,” Lennon told the Rolling Stone in 1980 shortly before his death. “I’m not interested in being a dead … hero … so forget ‘em, forget ’em,” said the star who has certainly been venerated as a hero over the past three decades.
“It’s sad that after 30 years, [Lennon’s] message of peace still hasn’t been realized,” said Delphine Batier as she waited for the chance to break through the multitudes surrounding the Lennon monument to place her rose near the word “Imagine.”
Lennon’s lyrics from long ago, “Imagine all the people living life in peace,” drifted across the plaza.
Steve Sassano sat on a park bench near the crowd, taking in the melodies with a smile on his face. Draped in a Beatles blanket and wielding a sign that read, “Come Together,” he insisted that it is actually his nine-year-old daughter who is the big Lennon fan.
“She’s a fanatic,” Sassano said. “I couldn’t be happier, because there’s so much bad music she could listen to.”
His daughter sat in the circle surrounding the Imagine monument while he took a break from the festivities. Sassano saw the Beatles live at the Shea Stadium in Brooklyn in 1965. This was at the height of Beatlemania, but Lennon had lasting power and is still enjoyed by millions today—many of whom were born long after he had died in 1980 at the age of 40.
“What [fans] want is dead heroes like Sid Vicious and James Dean,” Lennon told the Rolling Stone in 1980 shortly before his death. “I’m not interested in being a dead … hero … so forget ‘em, forget ’em,” said the star who has certainly been venerated as a hero over the past three decades.
“It’s sad that after 30 years, [Lennon’s] message of peace still hasn’t been realized,” said Delphine Batier as she waited for the chance to break through the multitudes surrounding the Lennon monument to place her rose near the word “Imagine.”
Lennon’s lyrics from long ago, “Imagine all the people living life in peace,” drifted across the plaza.
Steve Sassano sat on a park bench near the crowd, taking in the melodies with a smile on his face. Draped in a Beatles blanket and wielding a sign that read, “Come Together,” he insisted that it is actually his nine-year-old daughter who is the big Lennon fan.
“She’s a fanatic,” Sassano said. “I couldn’t be happier, because there’s so much bad music she could listen to.”
His daughter sat in the circle surrounding the Imagine monument while he took a break from the festivities. Sassano saw the Beatles live at the Shea Stadium in Brooklyn in 1965. This was at the height of Beatlemania, but Lennon had lasting power and is still enjoyed by millions today—many of whom were born long after he had died in 1980 at the age of 40.
