" Yoko Ono Retweeted John Lennon @johnlennon 19h19 hours ago Over 1,100,000 people killed by guns in the USA since @JohnLennon was shot and killed on Dec 8 1980 #StopGunViolence" Please don't turn this into a debate on guns, or if you need to, start a new thread in the debate forum. I was just moved by the comment and wanted to share it.
"I have to say that, from my point of view, I felt he was a hypocrite…[he]could talk about peace and love out loud to the world but he could never show it to the people who supposedly meant the most to him…how can you talk about peace and love and have a family in bits and pieces - no communication, adultery, divorce? You can't do it, not if you're being true and honest with yourself."- John Lennon's son
Really? You're going to fault this man's contribution to the world because after an early marriage and divorce, his son from that marriage made disparaging comments?
He also beat women, including Yoko, (he admits this in a Playboy interview) and said himself he wished he had tried to have sex with his mother. I'm not here to discuss the quality or impact of his music, which is dogma, and not something I'm here to discuss, but your quote got me curious, and so I thought I'd share all the things I just learned. http://listverse.com/2012/05/12/top-10-unpleasant-facts-about-john-lennon/
Great musician, possibly a bad person. What can you say? The world is full of people that do things that contributes to society yet they have their own faults. What can we do? Micheal Jackson was one of the greatest singers and entertainers of my generation, yet I'm 99.99% sure that he molested children. Will I go out of my way to not have anything to do with Micheal Jackson related stuff? If one of his songs comes on the radio will I turn the channel or turn off the radio altogether? Probably not, but I'll still be reminded of what kind of piece of crap person he really was, and that's the rub. How do you try to separate the artist from the person? I think John Lennon has been fortunate that some of the bad stuff about him occurred in a time and age when there was no internet and things didn't spread through the media like wild fire. So today in our generation, when we think John Lennon, we think about the Beatles, his music, him being assassinated, and Yoko Ono breaking up the band. We don't really think about the bad stuff.
I like that it says "Stop Gun Violence" and not just "Ban Guns". Not trying to turn this into the gun debate thing. Just only real comment I have. Or maybe second comment. Because the other comment I have is this. I don't own a gun, but I support the idea of owning a gun, but I can still respect a person grieving the lost of a loved one to a gun. These feelings do not have to be exclusive. I can feel both at the same time. That is all I got. Oh and ironically enough my avatar would probably say it very much like that. Since the avatar I have currently is a gun expert in my world. Note to self if she ever has to comment on guns. Relook up this post. lol My sympathies to anyone that is grieving because of gun.
I'm sorry Numbers, but I am never going to see John Lennon as some fake symbol of inspiration. I'm too in love with his music and his messages of peace to concern myself with his personal failings.
It's OK to like his music and accept that he was kind of a jerk, Ginger. It just means you accept that he had flaws, that he wasn't perfect. He was a terrible husband and father, a woman-beater, and all-around unpleasant asshole. Still produced some of the best music of the ages and, as @Lewdog said, when people think of him, they'll think of the Beatles, the breakup of the band. I still like his music even though, were I alive back then, I probably wouldn't invite him to my house for beer and music.