Image via Wikipedia I was struggling to sleep last night so put in my iPod and checked out what podcasts I hadn't listened to yet.There was an old Rolling Stones magazine interview with John Lennon. It was part five of the interview and now I need to try to get the first four parts because it was fascinating.
John was asked to talk about art and which artists he found interesting. He was very passionate about Yoko's work (naturally). He also talked about how underrated certain artists were.
He shared about some time he spent with Bob Dylan and said they were both very nervous around each other and that he considered Bob an acquaintance, not a close friend, but he admired his work very much and thought of him as a poet.
When asked how he felt about America John answered "I love America, and I hate it". He went on to talk about how he thought of Greenwich Village in New York to be greatest place on earth, like he should have been born there, not in Liverpool. He said he felt at home there more than anywhere else but that spending too much time in the city made him paranoid and he needed to get out to gardens, grass and trees to feel peace.
Yoko added her thoughts on just about everything John said and at one point he vehemently defended her against suggestion that she had anything to do with the break-up of The Beatles. He also made a few digs at Paul, but had nice things to say about George and didn't mention Ringo at all.
There was a lot more but what stood out to me was the many times he used the words "nervous", "paranoid", "frightened", "uncomfortable". I guess he had good reason to be. I miss him.
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9 comments:
Cool interview....
I'm so thankful to live in a time where I get to hear what he, solo and with The Beatles, created.
It's a shame life isn't easier for those who look for love and peace.
Bond, thanks. It was so nice to hear his voice (he sure cussed a lot!)
Michael, yes, I hear you loud and clear. I will never forget the day John was murdered, the irony is painful.
I find few things more annoying than John Lennon interviews. He acted like an arrogant, self-righteous, ungrateful jerk much of time, and I don't find much joy in that.
I'd rather listen to those selections of his music that lift me up and leave his rants and ravings to himself.
David, I'm glad you feel comfortable leaving your honest opinions here. You're certainly not alone, I've heard other people say that. I tend to always look over the negative in people which is not always a smart thing to do...but I can't seem to help myself.
david, he WAS an arrogant, self-righteous, ungrateful jerk much of the time. It's the authentic artist that speaks his truth with his true voice. Consider the insipidness of most interviewers.
Take issue with his message if you will, but not the man himself. It is the same soul who created the music that lifts you up.
Peace.
Love John. And yeah he swore a lot and was arrogant at times. But come. He was JOHN LENNON. Obviously he had something to be a wee bit arrogant about or he would be irrelevant today.
Frankly I find it refreshing when talented people know they are talented and don't play the phony modesty routine. It's ok to be proud of yourself and your accomplishments. If more women learned that we'd be better off :P
I always liked John and Yoko. Its always refreshing to listen to their music. I do agree with how you noticed him using distressing feeling words. Its discouraging when I realize yet again that I'm not the only one having a hard time. I guess thats one reason why we're all human.
Farfromperfect,
First of all I love your name, its such a good reminder that all of us, like you said in your comment, are human. Thanks for stopping by. I like getting comments on older posts and knowing that someone out there is enjoying my blog. I don't write as much as I used. to.
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