Thirty-Five Years Ago Today Rock's Savior Died: Remembering Lennon

reprinted from December 8th, 2015

by Pencilstorm Contributor: Wal Ozello

Several years ago, I found myself at the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame on a weekday. It was practically empty except for a few co-workers and me so we were able to soak in all the exhibits.  The upper floors were reserved for special rotating exhibits and we were lucky enough to catch one that featured John Lennon… just John… and told the story of his whole life, from birth to death, to the immortalization of his music and persona. Yoko Ono had collaborated with the museum so it was very detailed with hundreds of artifacts and rock memorabilia.

There were two parts of the exhibit that moved me the most.  Yoko had included John’s glasses, preserved intact from the evening of his death, December 8, 1980.  They were his iconic round eye spectacles but these were stained with blood.  While most would consider this morbid, I felt the humanity of it. This made that moment real. For a split-second, I didn’t see the murder of world’s greatest songwriter, I saw the death of fellow human being, pulled away from a loving wife and two sons.

The second was an art installation that Yoko included.  It was a telephone with a simple sign that said, “Call Cleveland for Peace.” An odd inclusion to the exhibit and I asked the security guard what it was about.  He explained that several time a week Yoko would randomly call the phone and talk to whoever answered it. At the end of the conversation, she’d wish them peace. 

I was hoping Yoko would have called at that moment.  I would have explained to her how much the exhibit moved me that day and that I admired John not just an artist, but as a father and a husband. I believe in many of the words John sang. I, too, have hope that one day all the people will be able to share the world and live as one.

No funeral was ever held for John.  Instead, Yoko had asked for ten minutes of silence several days after - on December 14 - to remember him.  It happened all over the world. In fact, all the radio stations in New York City were silent for those ten minutes.  Years after, they dedicated a special section of Central Park as a memorial called Strawberry Fields. It’s steps away from where he was murdered. If you’re ever in New York City, I highly recommend visiting it.  In the middle of the all the hustle and bustle of the city, it’s the most serene place I’ve ever been to.

Take a minute to remember John today and imagine what it would be like if we’d try and practice his words.  He would have been seventy-five this year.

Wal Ozello is a science fiction techno-thriller novelist and the author of Assignment 1989 ,  Revolution 1990, and Sacrifice 2086. He's a resident of Upper Arlington, Ohio and a frequent customer at Colin's Coffee.

Bonus video.. And don't forget the Beatles Marathon is Dec 26th at the Bluestone. Read more here.

The Beatles 1 Video Collection is Out Now. Get your copy here: http://thebeatles1.lnk.to/DeluxeBluRay "When you talk about destruction, don't you know that you can count me out" "I did the slow version and I wanted it out as a single: as a statement of The Beatles' position on Vietnam and The Beatles' position on revolution.

Surprised by Pope Francis' Stairway to Heaven?

As our Lifestyle blogger, I've asked Wal Ozello to provide some coverage on Pope Francis' historic visit to the U.S.  Here's his thoughts on why this Pope is  a rock star.

If Justin Bieber  released a song the quality of Stairway to Heaven, you'd be justified to be surprised.

If Coach Urban Meyer started spouting love and admiration for the Wolverines and that state up North, your shock would be understood.

A WTF would be completely okay if you saw someone walking on the water during your early morning run along the Scioto River. 

But no one should be astonished by Pope Francis' message or his actions during his trip to the U.S. In fact, we should have expected it. 

As humans, we pick and chose what we want to believe is right and wrong. We end up justifying in our minds are our actions and beliefs. For example, we may stand against abortion and gay marriage and cite a few biblical quotes to support our beliefs but things like supporting immigration amnesty may be in direct conflict of  our personal rules so we ignore the Catholic belief of "Love one another." 

The fact of the matter is, the Pope doesn't have the luxury of believing in some of the teachings of Christ and ignoring the others. He must be the voice of Christ in today's world, challenging everyone he meets to act completely like Christ - not just how your perspective says you should. He know that you can't always get what you want, but I'm sure he prays that we all get what we need.

And if there's anyone that should have the truest perspective of what it means to be Christ-like, it's the Pope. And not just this Pope... any Pope.

Which is probably why we're surprised by Pope Francis' message... many of his recent predecessors have not been as outspoken as him. Some of them may not have carried the cross like Pope Francis does. And certainly some of them may have been more focused on the nuances of the rules, rather than the golden rule itself.

"Be nice to each other," sounds simple and it's easy. All you need is love.

The best thing we can do as Americans, whether your Catholic or not, is to listen to Pope Francis' messages and admire his actions.

The worse thing we can do is forget about him after he's gone.

Remember...  "There are two paths you can go by, but in the long run, there's still time to change the road you're on."

Wal Ozello is Music and Lifestyle contributor at pencilstorm.com. When he's not blogging about rock n roll or supporting others, he's writing science fiction novels. His suspense filled time-travel books, Assignment 1989, Revolution 1990, and Sacrifice 2086 can be found at Amazon.com.