In which I write something about a date John Lennon and I share
When Adele was 21, she was writing about her pain, translating the heartache into beautiful lyrics full of passion, emotion and intesity. Now that I am 21, I am writing...well, blogs. Clearly, one of us has the hard luck case of underachieving and that is definitely not Adele.
Anyway, I'm not here to talk about Adele. I will, however, talk about another music phenom, one that still influences me heavily thirty-one years after his death. People say rock stars are gods, now I don't know about you but I think John Lennon really lived up to that saying. In many ways, he was a visionary, a political activist and a music legend. And like real rock stars, he went away, not with a fizzle, but with a bang. It was 10:50pm of December 08, 1980, when a deranged fan (an insane hater is a more fitting description but "fan" is widely used) named Mark Chapman shot John Lennon in front of his building's driveway, at West 22nd Street in New York City.
He had seven gunshot wounds, two of which ultimately ended his life. The details of his death are a little bit fuzzy to me but as a fan, I know a few details:
- That on that day, John and Yoko welcomed Annie Leibovitz into their home to shoot a few portraits of the couple and then of John alone, later on. This was at about 3 in the afternoon and the outcome of the said shoot are now considered iconic photographs. One of the photos was used as Rolling Stone's January 22, 1981 cover.
- That on a mid-morning stroll with his nanny in the nearby Central Park, Sean Lennon met his father's killer. He was five then, and I'm pretty sure he can't even remember what the encounter was like.
- That John Lennon signed an autograph for Mark Chapman, before entering his building's driveway. He asked him, "Is this all you want?" and Chapman sheepishly nodded yes. After the shooting, Chapman calmly took off his jacket to show the police that he's not concealing any weapons. He sat on the sidewalk, waiting for the police to arrive.
- That once he was shot, John Lennon staggered into the steps of the building, saying "I'm shot, I'm shot!" Some people believe his last words were "Yes, I am", in response to the standard police question testing a victim's level of consciousness but the severity of his injuries make this impossible. He was most likely bleeding profusely from the mouth.
- That there was no funeral for John Lennon, but a crowd of over 225,000 gathered in the nearby Central Park to offer ten minutes of silent prayer for Mr. Lennon.
I was born ten years later on the very same day. I am nowhere near the legend that is Mr. Lennon but I like the fact that I share something with one of my favorite artists even if it's a little macabre. It makes me feel a bit special for sentimental reasons, Lennon's music speaks volumes to me.
On a trip to New York, I was able to visit the building where John & Yoko lived and see for myself the driveway where Mr. Lennon breathed his last. It was an ultimate trek for any Beatles fan (NYC is not really a place to do a Beatles pilgrimage but it is my favorite place, so I like that it has at least a bit of Beatles history) and though it was pretty far from where I stayed, I still went there because I thought it would make someone I used to know very happy, wherever he is.
Indulge me, because not many great things happen on December 08. The United States entered WW2 in 1941. Jim Morrison was born in 1943 but then I am not a big Doors fan. Then, there's the feast day of the Immaculate Concepcion but I am not the most religious person in the world (if Jesus was indeed born on the 25th of December--I did watch a documentary that said he was, in fact, a September baby--, the Virgin Mary's pregnancy is one of the longest gestation periods in mammalian history). I guess it's fitting that I choose to tell the story of John Lennon's death on my birth date because I am more inclined to be familiar with his work than to anything else I have mentioned above.
The Dakota is located at the Upper West Side. It's at West 72nd Street, Central Park West. Right across it is the Strawberry Fields Park (inside Central Park, park within a park!), which was once the favorite walking spot of John and Yoko, a two and a half acre park with trees donated from all over the world. It's also home to the Imagine memorial, with the plate and stones donated by different nations in commemoration of John Lennon's musical influence.
The Dakota is guarded by security 24/7, which means the property itself is closed to visitors. Securing a spot in The Dakota is also super hard because they are selective, I read that the association even rejects the applications of rich industry magnates and famous celebrities but hey! It's a pretty sexy building. Yoko Ono still lives in the same building up to this day. It's also the setting for Roman Polanski's beautiful film, Rosemary's Baby. I'm not fan of horror movies but I do like that one. I also have a picture in the memorial because I am a cheesy fangirl. Heh. The best times to visit would be during Lennon's birthday or his death anniversary, but I hope you liked my pictures even if they were taken on a simple Saturday morning.
The Dakota
1 W 72nd St
(between W Central Park and 72nd St Transverse)
New York, NY 10023
Upper West Side
