I would describe my taste in music as eclectic. In my adolescence and early adulthood years, when it came to music, I knew what I liked. My initial music interests were limited to county-western and religious. How's that for a crazy combination? When a person's choice is defined by the sound of Patsy Cline singing "Crazy" or "I Fall To Pieces" in contrast to songs like "How Great Thou Art" by the Blackwood Brother's Quartet, it becomes obvious that there is no rhyme or a reason for my taste in music. Interestingly both music groups have the history of a deadly plane crash.
Prior to moving to Austin in the mid-1970s, I was required to be in Austin for several weeks by my employer. Instead of staying in a hotel during that period, I rented a small efficiency apartment. It wasn't infrequent that I came home in the evenings to discover the next door neighbor (an older lady) standing outside the balcony/walkway that all of the apartments shared, drinking a beer. The thing that I found strange was the loud sound of gospel music coming through the open door of her apartment. Like I said, I processed that as being a little strange. Perhaps, I too, fall into that category.
Today, in the early hours of the morning, I awakened and in short order was hearing the distinct strumming sound of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and the rest of the Beatles inside my head. Surprisingly, I was content with the sound. While I remember the Beatles taking America by storm, I wouldn't have described myself as a fan. Did I mention my music interests were limited to country-western and religious? Some would say that the two were incongruent.
Who can deny the fact that the Beatles was incredibly talented? Yet, in terms of personal interest, I missed the craze. I don't remember year, but I do subsequently remember the sad news associated with Lennon's murder outside his New York apartment.
Reportedly, on the evening of December 8, 1980, he was shot and killed by a 25-year old man from Hawaii. Mark David Chapman was previously a Beatles fan who reportedly was enraged by Lennon's opulent lifestyle. He was also enraged that Lennon previously had made the statement that the Beetles were "more popular than Jesus." Chapman said he was inspired by the fictional character Holden Caulfield from the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, a "phony-killer" who loathes hypocrisy.
As I recall, there was no funeral. Yet over 100,000 people gathered in central park in Lennon's honor. His ashes were subsequently spread in Central Park.
Earlier this week, the General and I watched "Nowhere Boy" on Amazon Prime. The movie is about Lennon's adolescent years with flashbacks to his early childhood. Without sharing his story, I'll simply say that Lennon was a kid from a hard place. His is a sad story.
All My Best,
Don
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