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Working Class Hero Is Something To Be

Hey Soul Mates,
hard to believe it's been 24 long years since we lost Johnny Ono aka Sir Winston O'Boogie. My music listening today began with A Hard Day's Night. I nearly cried singing along with Tell Me Why. That song has always been a favorite and one my first band played. It made me realize how much influence JOL had on my musical career. I can remember going to the Heights Public Library as a 7 year old and checking out A Hard Day's Night on vinyl. The worn, red covered American issue featured many hits and some instrumentals but it was Tell Me Why and the title track that made me dance about the living room. That first band I was in adored the Beatles. More that half our set would be their tunes or songs they covered. Any garage performer worth their salt wanted to be a Beatle once.

After that I listened to Lennon Legend. I transported myself to a time when the later singles were new and those days before Johnny was gone. No one could have guessed. I think if he was still around he'd be like Dylan without the shilling for Victoria's Secret. John would be producing an album every 5 years to unanimous acclaim. Dabbling in hip-hop and certainly he would have lead the musical charge during the past year's election. I think he would have loved the Grey Album.

Later, driving around this evening I had Magical Mystery Tour on. Always got chills from I Am The Walrus. Spooky emanations from the stereo. Otherworldly. That is dropping science, my friends.

Birthdays aren't always easy to remember. I suppose I should concentrate more on that, but when it comes to our cultural giants martyred, it's easier to have April 4 or December 8 in mind.
Birthdays are for celebrating. Memorials are for reflection on the spiritual vacuum created by the loss.

I've been to Strawberry Fields in central park and stood outside the Dakota wondering what it was like that crisp winter night, 24 years ago. 24 years. John would have been 64 this year, would we still need him? Would we still feed him? You bet. Most of the musical audience today has no memory of John Lennon as a contemporary figure. He's a mythical being, pushed further into the mist of the past.

It's already been 3 years since young George Harrison passed away. Soon we will be in a Beatle-less world and the planet will be a drearier place for it. So celebrate the best way possible, throw on She Loves You full blast or put on headphones to check out Norwegian Wood. Dec. 8 is just about over, but the music goes on forever. Without Johnny, I wouldn't be doing what I do on stage. Imagine.
Love, Power, Peace

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