Imagine JOHN LENNON at 64

[liberalpragmatist]

Imagine John Lennon at 64. What would he have been like?


An image of what John Lennon would have looked like at 64, using computer imaging software
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3728030.stm

In honor of John Lennon's birthday a couple days ago, I've decided to post a few things I found while searching online.

Here's another link, where friends, biographers, and family imagine what John Lennon would have been doing today:

> http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1171242004

On the eve of what would have been his 64th birthday, his family, friends and fans have imagined what he would have been like had he survived. They came up with some intriguing ideas: a composer of musicals to rival Andrew Lloyd Webber; a bestselling author; a robe-wearing, ponytailed peace campaigner leading protests against the Iraq war; or perhaps still playing in a rock ’n’ roll band.

If he had survived, instead of bleeding to death on the pavement outside Dakota Building in New York on 8 December, 1980, after being shot by Mark Chapman, a reunion with his fellow Beatles would not have been out of the question, according to one of his biographers.

But whatever Lennon might have done, everyone agrees he would have continued to make his mark on the world.

<snip>

(according to his sister) "I do think he would have continued to paint and write. Music was just one part of his genius. He was truly multi- talented and would have written his autobiography and maybe other books which would have been bestsellers. He was also a wonderful artist."

<snip>

When one million people marched through London in March last year in protest at the government’s decision to go to war in Iraq, John Lennon would have been in the front line, according to Bill Heckle, the owner of the Cavern Club, the Liverpool venue where the Beatles made their name.

[Magrittes Pipe]

1. He would have (mostly) given up music to work as a visual artist.

As Yoko would have given up visual art to be a full-time musician.

It's all fluid.

[liberalpragmatist]

2. Kicking This

:kick:

[mrbassman03]

3. Activist musician...

Maybe on Vote for Change...

[Philostopher]

4. You know what I think?

I think John Lennon would have loved the Internet, and that he'd have a kickass website, possibly skewed toward activism, if he were still alive. I get the feeling he'd have had a love/hate relationship with the instant feedback aspect of it, but at the same time he'd have liked the relative anonymity, and the ability to interact with people. He was a bit of a curmudgeon, sometimes, from what I've read -- but then, if he hadn't been as interested in interacting with people who listened to his work, he wouldn't have died that day.

I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to see what somebody like him would have done with the raw materials.

I also think he'd probably have gone on to writing -- he'd written a lot already, before he died.

[RebelYell]

5. Too bad we'll never hear

what he thought of Bush.

[Ivan Sputnik]

9. But it's easy to "imagine"

what he would have thought of Bush, given what he thought of Nixon.
Just listen to "Gimme Some Truth." It sounds like it could have been written today.

[baldguy]

6. Ashcroft would've shipped that commie peacenik off to Gitmo!

Imagine being anti-war!

[latebloomer]

7. I know he'd be blessing us

with his unique creative gifts and his vision for a better world.

Miss you, John.

[Hav]

8. .

Almost looks like Dustin Hoffmann to me.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

10. i was thinking the same thing

the resemblence is uncanny

i often wonder whether we overromanticize john. would he have followed the path of mccartney and become a joke? would he have maintained his dignity and integrity like harrison and fogerty? would he have had an occasional bad period followed a reurgence of genius like neil young? would he have sold out and appeared in lingerie commercials like dylan?

we'll never know....

he had went a little doft on the last album and had surprisingly little to say about reagan's rise to power. but he was coming off the house husband thing after 5 years, so maybe that's why. when you hear the suff he was working on like ;nobody told me' and 'walking on thin ice', it was obvious that the old scamp was about to pull another period of genius on us again.

what would he have thought of reagan, bush, hip-hop, mtv, michael jackson, grunge, the faux-rebelliousness of eminem and kid rock, the bands that took up his mantle like u2 and radiohead...i'll always wonder these things

on another note, i really wish they would put john and yoko on the mike douglas show out on dvd. they issued a vhs of it about 6 years ago, but it was on 5 tapes and cost almost $80. with dvd, they could put the whole thing on 1 or 2 discs and sell tons. i'd know i'd buy it. it had appearances from chuck berry, ralph nader, and a pre-sell out jerry rubin. it wss one of the finest weeks in tv history ever