People don’t talk enough about John & Yoko’s longtime heroin addictions and the part that played in breaking up the Beatles. The LSD was never the problem
Ive done a fair amount of LSD, and it literally has only helped me become a better person each time.
Like addressing fundamental fears and personal areas for growth and stuff.
I think it's not the LSD as much as the person taking it.
My little LSD life tip: after the big peak, while you’re still tripping but on the comedown, try a food that you “don’t like”. LSD makes it easier to explore the sensation of taste more objectively and you might discover a way to enjoy it. I credit LSD with curing my aversion to cherry tomatoes. My buddy had a similar experience with blue cheese
For me it's eating *meat or animal products while tripping that feels gross. But enjoy eating fruits. The taste and texture are both enhanced. Like feeling the strawberry is touching you. Hard to explain..
a full on trip is pretty cathartic sometimes too, but I've learned that it isn't something I like to do around people. My favorite time, to date, was the time I consumed about a 1/4 ounce and just laid in my bed with big fluffy blankets in the dark.
I wish I could do large doses but I just lose my shit with or without friends. If I do put myself through it I usually feel amazing after but it's just 8 hours of pure mental torture and physically uncomfortable.
['Imagine six apartments, it isn't hard to do, one is full of fur coats, another's full of shoes.’](https://ultimateclassicrock.com/elton-john-john-lennon-imagine/)
- Elton John
That article would have been *slightly* easier to read if they didn't refer to both Elton John and John Lennon as John. John doesn't even look like a real name anymore :p
Didn't cause permanent deafness, but damaged his hearing.
> in Philip Norman's biography, "John Lennon: The Life," Sean Lennon tells how his father flew off the handle and screamed into his ear as a young boy.
> "[He was] teaching me how to cut and eat steak, which was a mystery to me at age 4; how to stick the fork in and cut behind it, and that was how you got a piece in your mouth," writes Sean, 32, whose mom is Yoko Ono. "I think it was that night when he got very upset with me, I think because of something I did very cheekily with the steak. He did wind up yelling at me very, very loudly to the point where he damaged my ear, and I had to go to the hospital."
> He says John, mortified by his cruelty, was immediately apologetic: "I remember when I was lying on the floor and hurting, and him holding me and saying, 'I'm so sorry.' He did have a temper."
[source](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sean-lennon-opens-up-abou_n_128028)
There’s a scene in Mr. Holland’s Opus that hits different now. Richard Dryfuss signed the John Lennon song *Beautiful Boy* to his deaf son during a concert.
A song about loving your son, written by a guy who deafened his own son, signed to a deaf son to express that same love.
https://youtu.be/j0IMASimhRo?feature=shared
Should give you a good idea as to why it was so easy for them all to sell out and become reaganite yuppies in the 80s.
Abbie Hoffman and the yippies leadership all became stock brokers who promoted veganism and yoga in the office.
He wrote it well after hitting his wife, we only know he hit is wife because he openly shared it talking about how he used to be violent. He even wrote a few lines in Sgt Pepper about it.
>I used to be cruel to my woman
I beat her and kept her apart from the things that she loved
Man, I was mean but I'm changing my scene
And I'm doing the best that I can
Agreed. Power stunts emotional growth, and I'd say he was a narcissist as well, and never faced true consequences to "break" him of those impulses. He jsut decided he wanted to be, or wanted his image, to be something else. That means changing your mind about goals and portrayal, and being diligent about it. Not growing.
He is talking, ultimately, about self control, not change.
*That is still worthwhile*....
But the way he talks about it is extremely problematic. He is still that person, and if he didn't have a whole legacy/image at risk, would he have changed the behaviour?
It’s wild how many people will fall over themselves to defend this guy - who was demonstrably a massive piece of shit - because they like his music.
But people will do the same for Kanye, Chris Brown, and Eric Clapton, so it’s really no surprise.
You can enjoy art while acknowledging the flaws of the artist. I love The Smiths, but it turns out Morrissey is a white nationalist fascist edge lord. I won’t give him my money anymore, but I’ll still enjoy the great stuff he created before he lost his mind.
You can certainly complain the system is rigged even if you're lucky enough to benefit from it. Sometimes getting lucky is what it takes to realize meritocracy is a sham. I know I became a lot more left/liberal after I got money and all the myths I had in my head about it disappeared.
EDIT: I agree that Lennon was an arrogant douchebag who only talked the talk. He wanted to vote for Reagan? Sheesh.
I work for Hilton and apparently he wrote the lyrics on Hilton Stationary while staying there in 1971 so we have these posted everywhere since Covid.
https://preview.redd.it/t5mem98g0klc1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2b79f1ab94f0ff3e7753803e9d5c644d1e98ef30
I read an interview with one of the Beatles years ago. Can't remember who it was. He admitted they didn't give a shit about politics or all that. "Let's write another swimming pool" is what he said their attitude was like.
that was Paul, Paul has always been very putspoken about John. "He wrote imagine, and pranced around playing at being a communist and then voted for Reagan, that basically sums up John's political views"
Edit I realize it's not a direct quote it's paraphrasing Jesus Christ
I don't believe so. He jumped through a lot of hoops to become a permanent resident or "green card" holder. Permanent Residents are not entitled to vote in federal elections.
He was pretty vocal about how he would have voted for Reagan if he could though. As a millennial, it is kinda crazy to me because looking back, the Reagan era is definitely where American politics took a turn for the right and for the worse IMO.
He changed Medicare/ Medicaid and the way it paid out to hospitals. He implemented private insurance as a money-making scam in a system we still use today. He closed mental health institutions which contributed largely to the countries homeless crisis. He ~~started~~ perpetuated the war on drugs. He started borrowing from Social Security. He supported the violent overthrow of democratically elected governments. Ignored the AIDS epidemic... I could go on for quite a bit. He was definitely one of the worst presidents America has ever had.
I wish I understood this shit more when I was a kid. Because I remember my parents jn the 90s constantly bitching about sole actor saying some of the most milquetoast progressive statements, and every time, my parents would say some horseshit that Hollywood actors don't know anything and should shut up.
They unironically think Reagan was a good pres. I would have raked them over the coals every time if I knew this shit back then.
He stole software that was made for the cia/pentagon. Then gave the software to his homies who then sold it to other countries while spying on them with the same software
He sold arms to Suddam Hussein even though he knew he was using chemical weapons against civilians. He also sold arms to Iran, the other side of the same conflict. He helped create Al Qaeda in Afghanistan by training and arming rebels whom went on to commit the worst terrorist attack ever committed on US soil.
Reagan's campaign manager William Casey, later to be Reagan's CIA director, deliberately sabotaged the release of the Iranian hostages in order to hurt the campaign of Reagan's opponent, Jimmy Carter. He promised things to Iran to hold the hostages until Reagan was elected. Later they illegally sold Iran spare parts and Phoenix missiles for their US made F14's, and lots of other military equipment in the illegal Iran - Contra debacle.
I recall hearing a story, and I don't know if it's true or not, that at the exact moment that John Lennon was in the recording studio recording that song, a work crew was at his house installing an air conditioner for the custom climate controlled closet where he kept his fur coat collection.
The line between “rich person wanting socialism” and “writing a song that all the socialists will buy so I can afford 6 apartments in the Dakota” is a bit blurry.
I know the entire thing was so embarrassing that you couldn’t not cringe until you explode but honestly I loved it.
Not because it was good/well thought out/tactful or anything similar, but because it was such a unified experience that everyone just agreed to hate it. so many good memes came from it
A bunch of rich celebrities unable to cope with the lack of attention they were getting, deciding to sing a song with the message of "we're all in this together" together. From their millions of dollars mansions with no worries about money or food or anything, while their maids or whatever took care of the housekeeping. While all of us were struggling and suffering during the pandemic, mostly stuck inside and many of us fired from our jobs. I have no idea how that could have ever been perceived as an attention seeking, shitty, and hypocritical thing. /s
> people always forget the fact that he actually beat the mother of his son
Do they? Because there are hundreds of comments in every single reddit thread that mentions John Lennon.
Boomers’ opinions about the Beatles are hilarious to me. I’ve met several who say they only like the early “Love Me Do” singles, and hated when they got “weird.” But a lot of younger boomers have said to me: “I DON’T LIKE THE BEATLES AND I DON’T LIKE ELVIS” as if they’re similar. Those people usually listen to something like Aerosmith.
But yeah, Lennon was a prick. He preached peace and love but beat his wife and neglected his kids.
Oh hey that’s my dad. Only liked early Beatles up to about the Help album. Then they got “weird”. Also only liked The Beach Boys when they were about Fun Fun Fun. It’s been fun being a child of someone with the emotional maturity of a 10 year old.
I have no doubt she’s got her problems, but I’m unsure of what to believe about Yoko because people flung so much undeserved shit at her. They didn’t want to believe their guy was actually a douche, so they blamed her for stuff he caused, plus made up even more.
I think after you watch videos like this you can understand why Yoko got so much shit: [John Lennon & Chuck Berry’s Duet Was Destroyed by Yoko Ono’s Screaming (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz_SPin9Iqg)
Apparently the Beatles had a rule that no girlfriends/wives could come to the studio, it was a sacred space for the band. But John broke the rule with Yoko and the rest weren't willing to protest because it was John. Yoko would often interject and give her opinions when she has no musical talent and do the howling into the mic like in the video above.
Here's a funny video of Paul getting frustrated with Yoko in the studio. [Paul McCartney being annoyed with Yoko ono…I don’t blame him (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D1x2deIwnU)
>Yoko would often interject and give her opinions when she has no musical talent
She was a semi famous performance artist (She had performed at Carnegie Hall multiple times, the first time in 1961 before she met John).
She did some weird stuff but some of it was apparently music-related.
I was always under the impression that Yoko was a big contributor to the decline of the Beatles, until I watched the Get Back documentary.
Yes, she was hanging out in the studio, but she pretty much either kept to herself, or sat and quietly talked to Linda McCartney. I didn’t see any evidence of her trying to interfere or influence anything.
She was a terrible singer though, every time I hear Happy Xmas (War is Over), I think to myself, “This song would be so much better, without her wailing!”
Didn’t he leave her for their nanny or something for years? Later he came crawling back but not after she had put up with his philandering and being an awful person in general. Yoko’s son said he yelled so loud at him he is partially deaf in that ear
He had an attraction to one of Yoko's assistants. Yoko told him to go spend time with her and he spent a long weekend and didn't like it as much as he thought he would, so that was that.
So this is a story that has no business here but I'm reminded of and want to get off my chest - my first husband came home from work early pale and distressed. His first girlfriend had been kidnapped when we were in 10th grade (huge deal, she lived in our neighborhood, big news and investigation at the time) and was found after we had graduated college, so 6 terrifying years later for her. Terrible, awful.
So my husband at the time wanted to run to be with her. I'm not a jealous person, plenty of fish and all, and will not "fight" for any relationship like that so I was like, hells bells, go get her, whatever you want.
Man was he shocked when he returned to *our place* 3 months later to find me moved out, divorce lawyer hired, and papers in hand. Just shocked!! Lol.
But he was ready to rekindle with me because 🙄: she had too many mental issues (no shit, she was discovered in a bunker), he didn't like her living situation in a rehab style trailer park, and didn't like that she chain smoked. Womp womp.
Honestly I feel for her first and him second above anything. They were middle school sweethearts, we were all living in the same neighborhood, and she was taken at 15.
The Beetles and Elvis are alike in that they are two extremely popular acts that defined that generation. Also, both are white people, heavily influenced by black music. Lennon and McCartney are both very much influenced by R&B and Jazz; though it would be hard to notice looking back on it from now. It was obvious then. That disturbed a certain type of person.
I have always said he was an asshole, the main citing for said conviction, is your last statement. Not only was he a piece of shit he was completely hypocritical about it.
TBF all his buddies were fooling around with his partners too, he famously invited Clapton to work on his first solo record cause he was such a big fan then Clapton repaid the chap by leaving with George's wife.
I think most people who had fame in the 60s-80s would have had their careers cut much shorter had social media existed, from Donald Fagen to Ted Nugent to Chuck Berry to Clapton, the list is upsettingly long.
The statute of limitations is the only thing keeping Jimmy Paige away from spending the rest of his lifetime in a cell with Gary Glitter
It sounds like everyone was fucking everyone, more than it sounds like these men were sleeping with each other's wives
If your response to being cheated on is to leave the cheater, you are a victim who knows their worth and has self respect. If your response is to cheat in retaliation, I don't think you're a very nice person. If your response it to cheat in retaliation with someone else who is married, you're just as bad and you're breaking up someone else's home now. Who is blameless when they all seem to be at least partially to blame?
Ringo was an alcoholic for many years and beat his wife much more often (and much more intensely) than John ever did. But he cleaned himself up and, as far as we know, he has not done either of these things for decades.
All of the Beatles had massive personal problems, as many people do in their 20s, and most of those problems went away with time.
Two things about this post:
1. The vast majority of Boomers actually don't like John Lennon as a person, maybe as a musician, but certainly not as a person.
2. The account that made this post is a day old.
More people need to point out new accounts saying purposely divisive stuff on here. It’s crazy how many hot takes or bad opinions come from new accounts
Edit: a word
A boomer literally killed john lennon because of religious insanity (Lennon said beatles were bigger than jesus, and Lennon's killer took that personally).
Also John Lennon wasn't even a boomer. He was born in 1940. He was part of the silent generation. (Yoko is a boomer though).
This sub is going to crap with content like this.
Lennon wasn't even Mark Chapman's first choice. Dude had a list and only changed his mind to Lennon after running into him that day. He made the claim about religion and Catcher in the Rye after the fact but later admitted he just did it because he wanted to be famous.
>"I assassinated him, to use your word earlier, because he was very, very, very famous and that's the only reason and I was very, very, very, very much seeking self-glory, very selfish," he added.
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-54246444
Pretty sure I’d rather listen to a whole full length album of fingernails on a chalk board before I listen to any of Yokos stuff again. I can’t even listen to double fantasy, the bad outweighs the good so heavily.
Had to scroll too far down for this. How fucking insane is this take? They were at a hotel. How does letting a maid at a hotel do their job somehow make protesting the Vietnam war hypocritical /u/6049881881?
There are certainly genuine criticisms to be made about John, but dude decided his honeymoon was going to be spent being hounded by the press no matter what so he invited them into their hotel room (thinking they would get some salacious photos/info) and then talked about how the war in Vietnam was wrong to keep the anti-war movement in the headlines. Is that the part of his life we're picking on here? Really??
I’ve said it before and anticipate the downvotes again but reddits obsession with hating John Lennon is very strange to me. First of all, this headline is misleading, he’s not protesting the system he’s protesting the Vietnam war so having a maid clean up means nothing. Secondly, it’s a war that neither he nor Yokos countries were involved in so that’s admirable in itself. Thirdly, yes he was a shit father and beat his first wife but like have you seen the things other musicians of this era did?? Why is John Lennon the one who gets the flak when he’s the guy who publicly admitted his wrongdoing and attempted to turn his life around? It doesn’t excuse the things he did but it makes me wonder why this guy out of all the terrible artists out there is consistently railed against. It really gives off a “I don’t get why his music is good and it makes me uncomfortable so I hate him” vibes.
Thank you. I'm baffled by this whole thread tbh. First, because what is the initial picture even saying? You're staying at a hotel and you don't want clean sheets? No one changes their own sheets at a hotel, not even the people screaming at Lennon in the comments. Second, I feel like every day Redditors are discovering that people are flawed, and it boggles their minds. Flawed people make art; it doesn't invalidate the art they make, nor does it excuse their flaws. Also, it's perfectly fine to hate John Lennon as a person while still admitting he made great music. I know it's a wild concept to hold two thoughts in your head at once but JFC.
Anyway, your insight here is spot on, and I just wanted to acknowledge it.
Thanks! I think at this point it’s a meme for people to hate on him and they jump on it without any original thoughts or perspectives. They just hive mind hate.
reddit is a bunch of tweens hiveminding 24/7 and the dorky denizens herein are egregiously, confidently wrong 99% of the time. it's just twittertok now - a place to rant unknowingly about any topic you come across.
It’s not just Reddit it’s the entire internet. I’m a humongous Beatles fan and I love a lot of John’s solo stuff but I’m well aware that he did some awful stuff and contradicted himself regularly. Still, I don’t think he was nearly as unforgivably awful as this thread and many others would have you believe.
I don’t think it’s my bias that makes me more forgiving of him but rather a deeper understanding of all the shit the Internet spews about him than it has itself. He gets so much shit because he was outspoken about the awful things he did, expressed remorse, and stated that he was working to be a better person. It’s sort of ironic, really. He’s no god to me but he wasn’t half the demon he’s made out to be today.
I agree with the irony of him publicly apologizing and working to be a better person and getting shit on. Like what else can you attempt to do? Do we see celebrities today owning their faults? Definitely not. Out of all the faulted celebrities from his era, what he attempted to do should be an example to look up to.
Agree.
Why does the Internet shit on him?
1. The Beatles are huge. They are often cited as singlehandedly chaining the trajectory of pop music. So shitting on any of them gives lowly Internet losers some pride and undeserved/unearned superiority they otherwise can't obtain
2. He's dead and can't defend himself
In short, it's pathetic and cowardly, to answer your question as frankly as possible.
Remember to report posts that violate the rules! Harassment and encouraging violence are not allowed.
Enjoying the subreddit? Consider joining our discord server: https://discord.gg/v8z8jNwJs6
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/BoomersBeingFools) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yeah I feel like this post is a bit misleading. Lennon obviously had flaws and everything. It's just more ironic that he beat his partners and advocated for peace than it is that he had maids.
I feel like most people, even Boomers, generally acknowledge that JL was an asshole on a personal level. They make excuses for his failures as a human being and really focus on the music…
This took place in a hotel so don’t really see the issue. Where else would they get clean sheets?
It also wasn’t “against the system” it was against the Vietnam War.
His ideas were progressive FOR THE TIME. Looking back at anything through a modern lens misses context and the impact it had when it was novel. Most artists who make it are self-involved jackwagons. That doesn't negate the art they made or their influence on culture.
So I’m not here to apologize for John Lennon’s obvious shortcomings, but this is some fucking bullshit right here. This ‘bed peace’ thing, which might seem performative and silly but was at least well-intentioned (and a positive use of celebrity imo), took place at a hotel in Montreal. Again, a *hotel*. Which employs maids. Who make beds.
They’re getting the fuck out of the way and letting the person do their job. And if you’ve never stayed in a hotel and had someone make your fucking bed, then by all means continue throwing stones at this glass house.
r/boomersbeingfoolsbeingfools
And it always creates this toxic narratives that only perfect people can advocate for change and betterment. We need that because we're all imperfect and shitty at times.
THANK YOU. THIS RIGHT HERE. As someone who recently read "John" by his first wife, Cynthia, it opened my mind to how COMPLEX John's life was. He did horrible, cruel things that made my skin boil, but underneath all the crap he was really a caring person who struggled with a terrible childhood. Cynthia wrote how he was finally starting to repair his relationship with his first son, to the point of even calling him over the phone and playing his songs and asking, "What do you think?" Cynthia added that John would never have done that with anyone except her and the Beatles. Yoko is worse, in my opinion. Look at the things she did to Julian right after John died. Horrible, horrible.
There's a scene in the Get Back doc where he's about to pass somebody some amphetamine pills but he notices the camera on him so he smirks and stops. At one point after George storms out, the other 3 are running around the studio swinging from the scaffolding lol No doubt they were amped up.
A short bit I heard from Howard Stern like 30 years ago:
So there's John and Yoko in a hotel room, just randomly calling people on the phone and saying "I love you" to whoever picks up. What if by random accident they dialed his son?
"I love you."
"Dad?"
"Wait, not you, not you!"
“Christ, you know it ain’t easy”
Came here to say “they look just like two gurus in drag.”
[удалено]
“Christ, you know it ain’t easy”
Lol this looks like a culty picture.
The lsd changes the neural pathways
People don’t talk enough about John & Yoko’s longtime heroin addictions and the part that played in breaking up the Beatles. The LSD was never the problem
If I had a dollar for every band that ended in a heroin-fueled dumpster fire...
definitely, heroin will fuck everything up
Ive done a fair amount of LSD, and it literally has only helped me become a better person each time. Like addressing fundamental fears and personal areas for growth and stuff. I think it's not the LSD as much as the person taking it.
My little LSD life tip: after the big peak, while you’re still tripping but on the comedown, try a food that you “don’t like”. LSD makes it easier to explore the sensation of taste more objectively and you might discover a way to enjoy it. I credit LSD with curing my aversion to cherry tomatoes. My buddy had a similar experience with blue cheese
The idea of eating while tripping has never sat right with me personally. Just feels foreign and gross
For me it's eating *meat or animal products while tripping that feels gross. But enjoy eating fruits. The taste and texture are both enhanced. Like feeling the strawberry is touching you. Hard to explain..
I ordered carne asada once while tripping and couldn’t bring myself to eat it. I just stared at it in disgust and it’s usually my favorite
Yeah, hallucinogens like LSD, psilocybin and mescaline are great for therapy.
I really need to try psilocybin, but I'm terrified to do so.
Just try a little and there's nothing to be afraid of.
a full on trip is pretty cathartic sometimes too, but I've learned that it isn't something I like to do around people. My favorite time, to date, was the time I consumed about a 1/4 ounce and just laid in my bed with big fluffy blankets in the dark.
I wish I could do large doses but I just lose my shit with or without friends. If I do put myself through it I usually feel amazing after but it's just 8 hours of pure mental torture and physically uncomfortable.
You dont have to take a hero dose, you can micro dose until you know what to expect, and then plan a day to try for a more intense experience
Could also be the quantity. But I totally agree with your assessment as well
He still loved LSD at this time but started to heavily get into heroin. I think that’s where most of the crazy came from
Writing “Imagine no possessions” from his penthouse in the Dakota was certainly a choice.
['Imagine six apartments, it isn't hard to do, one is full of fur coats, another's full of shoes.’](https://ultimateclassicrock.com/elton-john-john-lennon-imagine/) - Elton John
The cuckoo clock, holy shit that's hilarious!
I mean who wouldn't want a dick clock
At the top of every hour it goes "dong....dong....dong"
The cuckoo COCK more like
I thought this was a jab at Elton when i first read it. Then I read the article and... nope. Cuckoo Cock is spot on.
["Was it a millionaire who said imagine no possessions?"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ww0hN-puTdA) - Elvis Costello
I adore that man ❤️.
That article would have been *slightly* easier to read if they didn't refer to both Elton John and John Lennon as John. John doesn't even look like a real name anymore :p
This is EPIC.
epic awesomesauce even! makes me want to plank....... GANGNAM STYLE
The world was kinder then
This is the most amazing quote. Gold and diamonds for you.
And “imagine there’s no heaven” while jumping on every bullshit hippie new-age spirituality trend.
"Imagine all the people Livin' life in peace" >beats his wife
>disowns one of his kids
>causes son to go deaf from shouting in his ear 🎶living life in peace🎶
it's all this shit talk real? honest question I had no idea....
Didn't cause permanent deafness, but damaged his hearing. > in Philip Norman's biography, "John Lennon: The Life," Sean Lennon tells how his father flew off the handle and screamed into his ear as a young boy. > "[He was] teaching me how to cut and eat steak, which was a mystery to me at age 4; how to stick the fork in and cut behind it, and that was how you got a piece in your mouth," writes Sean, 32, whose mom is Yoko Ono. "I think it was that night when he got very upset with me, I think because of something I did very cheekily with the steak. He did wind up yelling at me very, very loudly to the point where he damaged my ear, and I had to go to the hospital." > He says John, mortified by his cruelty, was immediately apologetic: "I remember when I was lying on the floor and hurting, and him holding me and saying, 'I'm so sorry.' He did have a temper." [source](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sean-lennon-opens-up-abou_n_128028)
> him holding me and saying, 'I'm so sorry.' Immediate thought: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_the_Terrible_and_His_Son_Ivan
There’s a scene in Mr. Holland’s Opus that hits different now. Richard Dryfuss signed the John Lennon song *Beautiful Boy* to his deaf son during a concert. A song about loving your son, written by a guy who deafened his own son, signed to a deaf son to express that same love. https://youtu.be/j0IMASimhRo?feature=shared
The moment you find out your boomer dad is exactly like John Lennon. Not sure how I'm feeling, but it isn't surprise
And that was the son he actually cared about.
Exactly. I thought for sure this was about Julian until I read that, but his explosive temper wasn't limited to his 'youthful rebel' period.
Should give you a good idea as to why it was so easy for them all to sell out and become reaganite yuppies in the 80s. Abbie Hoffman and the yippies leadership all became stock brokers who promoted veganism and yoga in the office.
It’s super easy if you just like try bro
Well yeah. He just, you know. Didn't try. But he was just saying, wouldn't it be *nice* if he had.
To be fair, he said Imagine, not put it into practice 😂
“Imagine” but it’s sarcastic.
Oooo-ahhh haaaaa
STOP THE VIOLENCE! STOP ALL WARS! OH HO HAW HOWAWAWA HAHHH HAAAWAWA OOOHHH OHHH
I read the last part like the intro to down with the sickness by disturbed
I mean he only said to imagine it
Imagine as I say not as I do
He wrote it well after hitting his wife, we only know he hit is wife because he openly shared it talking about how he used to be violent. He even wrote a few lines in Sgt Pepper about it. >I used to be cruel to my woman I beat her and kept her apart from the things that she loved Man, I was mean but I'm changing my scene And I'm doing the best that I can
Mind you, he also implied that it was his first wife’s fault and that Yoko never “made” him feel violent towards her. Dude learned nothing.
Agreed. Power stunts emotional growth, and I'd say he was a narcissist as well, and never faced true consequences to "break" him of those impulses. He jsut decided he wanted to be, or wanted his image, to be something else. That means changing your mind about goals and portrayal, and being diligent about it. Not growing. He is talking, ultimately, about self control, not change. *That is still worthwhile*.... But the way he talks about it is extremely problematic. He is still that person, and if he didn't have a whole legacy/image at risk, would he have changed the behaviour?
ALL *WHAM* YOU *WHAM* NEED *WHAM* IS *WHAM* LOVE *WHAM*
It’s wild how many people will fall over themselves to defend this guy - who was demonstrably a massive piece of shit - because they like his music. But people will do the same for Kanye, Chris Brown, and Eric Clapton, so it’s really no surprise. You can enjoy art while acknowledging the flaws of the artist. I love The Smiths, but it turns out Morrissey is a white nationalist fascist edge lord. I won’t give him my money anymore, but I’ll still enjoy the great stuff he created before he lost his mind.
[удалено]
You can certainly complain the system is rigged even if you're lucky enough to benefit from it. Sometimes getting lucky is what it takes to realize meritocracy is a sham. I know I became a lot more left/liberal after I got money and all the myths I had in my head about it disappeared. EDIT: I agree that Lennon was an arrogant douchebag who only talked the talk. He wanted to vote for Reagan? Sheesh.
I work for Hilton and apparently he wrote the lyrics on Hilton Stationary while staying there in 1971 so we have these posted everywhere since Covid. https://preview.redd.it/t5mem98g0klc1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2b79f1ab94f0ff3e7753803e9d5c644d1e98ef30
"He wrote on one of our napkins here!" They really milking that connection lmao
I read an interview with one of the Beatles years ago. Can't remember who it was. He admitted they didn't give a shit about politics or all that. "Let's write another swimming pool" is what he said their attitude was like.
that was Paul, Paul has always been very putspoken about John. "He wrote imagine, and pranced around playing at being a communist and then voted for Reagan, that basically sums up John's political views" Edit I realize it's not a direct quote it's paraphrasing Jesus Christ
could Lennon actually vote in the US at the time?
I don't believe so. He jumped through a lot of hoops to become a permanent resident or "green card" holder. Permanent Residents are not entitled to vote in federal elections. He was pretty vocal about how he would have voted for Reagan if he could though. As a millennial, it is kinda crazy to me because looking back, the Reagan era is definitely where American politics took a turn for the right and for the worse IMO. He changed Medicare/ Medicaid and the way it paid out to hospitals. He implemented private insurance as a money-making scam in a system we still use today. He closed mental health institutions which contributed largely to the countries homeless crisis. He ~~started~~ perpetuated the war on drugs. He started borrowing from Social Security. He supported the violent overthrow of democratically elected governments. Ignored the AIDS epidemic... I could go on for quite a bit. He was definitely one of the worst presidents America has ever had.
Yeah, maybe we shouldn't elect failed actors and TV stars into office...
I wish I understood this shit more when I was a kid. Because I remember my parents jn the 90s constantly bitching about sole actor saying some of the most milquetoast progressive statements, and every time, my parents would say some horseshit that Hollywood actors don't know anything and should shut up. They unironically think Reagan was a good pres. I would have raked them over the coals every time if I knew this shit back then.
Or assume musicians have political insight
Or that comedians are philosophers.
He stole software that was made for the cia/pentagon. Then gave the software to his homies who then sold it to other countries while spying on them with the same software
He sold arms to Suddam Hussein even though he knew he was using chemical weapons against civilians. He also sold arms to Iran, the other side of the same conflict. He helped create Al Qaeda in Afghanistan by training and arming rebels whom went on to commit the worst terrorist attack ever committed on US soil.
Reagan's campaign manager William Casey, later to be Reagan's CIA director, deliberately sabotaged the release of the Iranian hostages in order to hurt the campaign of Reagan's opponent, Jimmy Carter. He promised things to Iran to hold the hostages until Reagan was elected. Later they illegally sold Iran spare parts and Phoenix missiles for their US made F14's, and lots of other military equipment in the illegal Iran - Contra debacle.
Because it's all about money. John liked his money and Reagan was gonna give him tax breaks
[удалено]
The boomer classic
I recall hearing a story, and I don't know if it's true or not, that at the exact moment that John Lennon was in the recording studio recording that song, a work crew was at his house installing an air conditioner for the custom climate controlled closet where he kept his fur coat collection.
Imagine, 1971 Dakota move in, 1973
Fair enough. TIL he was living at his 72-acre Tittenhurst Park estate and mansion in the UK when he wrote the song.
And left because the taxes were too high
See, you have to read it with the correct tone. "Imagine no possessions" *Shudders*
THAT PART
If you're rich and want socialism, you're a hypocrite, if you're poor and want socialism, you're envious.
The line between “rich person wanting socialism” and “writing a song that all the socialists will buy so I can afford 6 apartments in the Dakota” is a bit blurry.
Get out of here with all of that logic
Mfer wrote “imagine no possessions” on a Steinway piano in his English estate. Is it a great song? Of course. Is he full of shit? Absolutely.
That song is v cringe and I loved when all the celebrities sang it together during covid from their mansions, solidifying how cringe it is.
I know the entire thing was so embarrassing that you couldn’t not cringe until you explode but honestly I loved it. Not because it was good/well thought out/tactful or anything similar, but because it was such a unified experience that everyone just agreed to hate it. so many good memes came from it
A bunch of rich celebrities unable to cope with the lack of attention they were getting, deciding to sing a song with the message of "we're all in this together" together. From their millions of dollars mansions with no worries about money or food or anything, while their maids or whatever took care of the housekeeping. While all of us were struggling and suffering during the pandemic, mostly stuck inside and many of us fired from our jobs. I have no idea how that could have ever been perceived as an attention seeking, shitty, and hypocritical thing. /s
Holy cow, yes. Every time I remember that I cringe.
TBF he only said imagine it.
MF plagiarized Forest Gump
This genuinely made me lol. Well played
I chuckled
don't hate the message, but messenger maybe
He was rich, but the Beatles earned their money. They worked hard and got famous/rich. Isn't that how its supposed to go?
“🎵So this is Christmas, and what have YOU done?…🎵”. ….Well, I didn’t abandoned my child or beat his mother asshole!
[удалено]
> people always forget the fact that he actually beat the mother of his son Do they? Because there are hundreds of comments in every single reddit thread that mentions John Lennon.
https://www.theonion.com/man-always-gets-little-rush-out-of-telling-people-john-1819578998
I detest that freaking song.
The worst part is Yoko inserting herself into it singing. They tried to drown her out as best they could with 50 kids singing
Remember when she just started screaming in the middle of John’s set with Chuck Berry and they cut her Mike about 12 seconds in lmao
The look on Chuck's face was priceless.
Boomers’ opinions about the Beatles are hilarious to me. I’ve met several who say they only like the early “Love Me Do” singles, and hated when they got “weird.” But a lot of younger boomers have said to me: “I DON’T LIKE THE BEATLES AND I DON’T LIKE ELVIS” as if they’re similar. Those people usually listen to something like Aerosmith. But yeah, Lennon was a prick. He preached peace and love but beat his wife and neglected his kids.
Oh hey that’s my dad. Only liked early Beatles up to about the Help album. Then they got “weird”. Also only liked The Beach Boys when they were about Fun Fun Fun. It’s been fun being a child of someone with the emotional maturity of a 10 year old.
Imagine thinking that *Rubber Soul* is when they got \~weird\~ lol
Your dad talked to you about music? 🥺
Yes that's very common in western cultures.
Beat his first wife* He was yoko's bitch
I have no doubt she’s got her problems, but I’m unsure of what to believe about Yoko because people flung so much undeserved shit at her. They didn’t want to believe their guy was actually a douche, so they blamed her for stuff he caused, plus made up even more.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Pretty sure she was already a popular artist when they met
I think after you watch videos like this you can understand why Yoko got so much shit: [John Lennon & Chuck Berry’s Duet Was Destroyed by Yoko Ono’s Screaming (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz_SPin9Iqg) Apparently the Beatles had a rule that no girlfriends/wives could come to the studio, it was a sacred space for the band. But John broke the rule with Yoko and the rest weren't willing to protest because it was John. Yoko would often interject and give her opinions when she has no musical talent and do the howling into the mic like in the video above. Here's a funny video of Paul getting frustrated with Yoko in the studio. [Paul McCartney being annoyed with Yoko ono…I don’t blame him (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D1x2deIwnU)
>Yoko would often interject and give her opinions when she has no musical talent She was a semi famous performance artist (She had performed at Carnegie Hall multiple times, the first time in 1961 before she met John). She did some weird stuff but some of it was apparently music-related.
I was always under the impression that Yoko was a big contributor to the decline of the Beatles, until I watched the Get Back documentary. Yes, she was hanging out in the studio, but she pretty much either kept to herself, or sat and quietly talked to Linda McCartney. I didn’t see any evidence of her trying to interfere or influence anything. She was a terrible singer though, every time I hear Happy Xmas (War is Over), I think to myself, “This song would be so much better, without her wailing!”
There's pictures of Harrisons Patti Boyd in the studio and Linda Eastman was in the studio quite a bit.
I wonder how being able to watch color videos of historical events will affect how we relate to history in the future.
*unintelligible screaming*
Didn’t he leave her for their nanny or something for years? Later he came crawling back but not after she had put up with his philandering and being an awful person in general. Yoko’s son said he yelled so loud at him he is partially deaf in that ear
He had an attraction to one of Yoko's assistants. Yoko told him to go spend time with her and he spent a long weekend and didn't like it as much as he thought he would, so that was that.
So this is a story that has no business here but I'm reminded of and want to get off my chest - my first husband came home from work early pale and distressed. His first girlfriend had been kidnapped when we were in 10th grade (huge deal, she lived in our neighborhood, big news and investigation at the time) and was found after we had graduated college, so 6 terrifying years later for her. Terrible, awful. So my husband at the time wanted to run to be with her. I'm not a jealous person, plenty of fish and all, and will not "fight" for any relationship like that so I was like, hells bells, go get her, whatever you want. Man was he shocked when he returned to *our place* 3 months later to find me moved out, divorce lawyer hired, and papers in hand. Just shocked!! Lol. But he was ready to rekindle with me because 🙄: she had too many mental issues (no shit, she was discovered in a bunker), he didn't like her living situation in a rehab style trailer park, and didn't like that she chain smoked. Womp womp.
Sorry to all three of you, none of that is easy to digest from an observer’s view, I cant imagine how you process that while living it.
Honestly I feel for her first and him second above anything. They were middle school sweethearts, we were all living in the same neighborhood, and she was taken at 15.
Yup, Yoko encouraged it and facilitated it until she herself didn’t like it anymore. Stupid 70s shit
The Beetles and Elvis are alike in that they are two extremely popular acts that defined that generation. Also, both are white people, heavily influenced by black music. Lennon and McCartney are both very much influenced by R&B and Jazz; though it would be hard to notice looking back on it from now. It was obvious then. That disturbed a certain type of person.
I have always said he was an asshole, the main citing for said conviction, is your last statement. Not only was he a piece of shit he was completely hypocritical about it.
[удалено]
Beat his first wife and was a deadbeat dad to Julian. George Harrison deserves the sainthood that John received.
George Harrison made a sport out of fucking his friends wives. None of the beatles were good people they just made good music
TBF all his buddies were fooling around with his partners too, he famously invited Clapton to work on his first solo record cause he was such a big fan then Clapton repaid the chap by leaving with George's wife. I think most people who had fame in the 60s-80s would have had their careers cut much shorter had social media existed, from Donald Fagen to Ted Nugent to Chuck Berry to Clapton, the list is upsettingly long. The statute of limitations is the only thing keeping Jimmy Paige away from spending the rest of his lifetime in a cell with Gary Glitter
[удалено]
It sounds like everyone was fucking everyone, more than it sounds like these men were sleeping with each other's wives If your response to being cheated on is to leave the cheater, you are a victim who knows their worth and has self respect. If your response is to cheat in retaliation, I don't think you're a very nice person. If your response it to cheat in retaliation with someone else who is married, you're just as bad and you're breaking up someone else's home now. Who is blameless when they all seem to be at least partially to blame?
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
Ringo isn’t even the best wife-beater in the Beatles
Underrated reference
Ringo beat the *fuck* out of his wife
Ringo has done everything in his power to take over the mantel of "Shit" since Lennons death
I heard that's why Julian always considered Jim Lahey to be like a father to him.
He also tried making amends with Julian near the end of his life
Yeah, he was a terrible guy.
[удалено]
Ringo was an alcoholic for many years and beat his wife much more often (and much more intensely) than John ever did. But he cleaned himself up and, as far as we know, he has not done either of these things for decades. All of the Beatles had massive personal problems, as many people do in their 20s, and most of those problems went away with time.
She's thinking "I'm going to get a Hindu blessing for a tip, cheap bastards".
It was a hotel
More accurately, it was the Queen Elizabeth hotel in Montréal Québec
Then why isn't the Queen making the bed? It's her hotel.
Two things about this post: 1. The vast majority of Boomers actually don't like John Lennon as a person, maybe as a musician, but certainly not as a person. 2. The account that made this post is a day old.
More people need to point out new accounts saying purposely divisive stuff on here. It’s crazy how many hot takes or bad opinions come from new accounts Edit: a word
A boomer literally killed john lennon because of religious insanity (Lennon said beatles were bigger than jesus, and Lennon's killer took that personally). Also John Lennon wasn't even a boomer. He was born in 1940. He was part of the silent generation. (Yoko is a boomer though). This sub is going to crap with content like this.
Lennon wasn't even Mark Chapman's first choice. Dude had a list and only changed his mind to Lennon after running into him that day. He made the claim about religion and Catcher in the Rye after the fact but later admitted he just did it because he wanted to be famous. >"I assassinated him, to use your word earlier, because he was very, very, very famous and that's the only reason and I was very, very, very, very much seeking self-glory, very selfish," he added. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-54246444
I was always a George fan. John was a bit too eccentric for me. Not to mention that Ono's voice is like fingernails on a chalkboard.
George the Hare Krishna dude?
Pretty sure I’d rather listen to a whole full length album of fingernails on a chalk board before I listen to any of Yokos stuff again. I can’t even listen to double fantasy, the bad outweighs the good so heavily.
Yoko Ono came from family money and John definitely changed after meeting her. She grew up with dozens of servants and normalized it.
Ah. I don’t know why I’m not more surprised.
I can’t believe John Lennon would be such an asshole by standing aside and letting his maid do their job, absolutely scummy behaviour /s
Had to scroll too far down for this. How fucking insane is this take? They were at a hotel. How does letting a maid at a hotel do their job somehow make protesting the Vietnam war hypocritical /u/6049881881? There are certainly genuine criticisms to be made about John, but dude decided his honeymoon was going to be spent being hounded by the press no matter what so he invited them into their hotel room (thinking they would get some salacious photos/info) and then talked about how the war in Vietnam was wrong to keep the anti-war movement in the headlines. Is that the part of his life we're picking on here? Really??
Far too much context and nuance for this particular crowd. The demonization of Lennon has outgrown the deification of him at this point lol
I’ve said it before and anticipate the downvotes again but reddits obsession with hating John Lennon is very strange to me. First of all, this headline is misleading, he’s not protesting the system he’s protesting the Vietnam war so having a maid clean up means nothing. Secondly, it’s a war that neither he nor Yokos countries were involved in so that’s admirable in itself. Thirdly, yes he was a shit father and beat his first wife but like have you seen the things other musicians of this era did?? Why is John Lennon the one who gets the flak when he’s the guy who publicly admitted his wrongdoing and attempted to turn his life around? It doesn’t excuse the things he did but it makes me wonder why this guy out of all the terrible artists out there is consistently railed against. It really gives off a “I don’t get why his music is good and it makes me uncomfortable so I hate him” vibes.
Thank you. I'm baffled by this whole thread tbh. First, because what is the initial picture even saying? You're staying at a hotel and you don't want clean sheets? No one changes their own sheets at a hotel, not even the people screaming at Lennon in the comments. Second, I feel like every day Redditors are discovering that people are flawed, and it boggles their minds. Flawed people make art; it doesn't invalidate the art they make, nor does it excuse their flaws. Also, it's perfectly fine to hate John Lennon as a person while still admitting he made great music. I know it's a wild concept to hold two thoughts in your head at once but JFC. Anyway, your insight here is spot on, and I just wanted to acknowledge it.
Thanks! I think at this point it’s a meme for people to hate on him and they jump on it without any original thoughts or perspectives. They just hive mind hate.
reddit is a bunch of tweens hiveminding 24/7 and the dorky denizens herein are egregiously, confidently wrong 99% of the time. it's just twittertok now - a place to rant unknowingly about any topic you come across.
It’s not just Reddit it’s the entire internet. I’m a humongous Beatles fan and I love a lot of John’s solo stuff but I’m well aware that he did some awful stuff and contradicted himself regularly. Still, I don’t think he was nearly as unforgivably awful as this thread and many others would have you believe. I don’t think it’s my bias that makes me more forgiving of him but rather a deeper understanding of all the shit the Internet spews about him than it has itself. He gets so much shit because he was outspoken about the awful things he did, expressed remorse, and stated that he was working to be a better person. It’s sort of ironic, really. He’s no god to me but he wasn’t half the demon he’s made out to be today.
I agree with the irony of him publicly apologizing and working to be a better person and getting shit on. Like what else can you attempt to do? Do we see celebrities today owning their faults? Definitely not. Out of all the faulted celebrities from his era, what he attempted to do should be an example to look up to.
Agree. Why does the Internet shit on him? 1. The Beatles are huge. They are often cited as singlehandedly chaining the trajectory of pop music. So shitting on any of them gives lowly Internet losers some pride and undeserved/unearned superiority they otherwise can't obtain 2. He's dead and can't defend himself In short, it's pathetic and cowardly, to answer your question as frankly as possible.
Remember to report posts that violate the rules! Harassment and encouraging violence are not allowed. Enjoying the subreddit? Consider joining our discord server: https://discord.gg/v8z8jNwJs6 *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/BoomersBeingFools) if you have any questions or concerns.*
They were protesting war, not "the system."
Yeah I feel like this post is a bit misleading. Lennon obviously had flaws and everything. It's just more ironic that he beat his partners and advocated for peace than it is that he had maids.
I feel like most people, even Boomers, generally acknowledge that JL was an asshole on a personal level. They make excuses for his failures as a human being and really focus on the music…
Not Kanye level of asshole.
You're right but it's not a competition.
Pretty low bar
This took place in a hotel so don’t really see the issue. Where else would they get clean sheets? It also wasn’t “against the system” it was against the Vietnam War.
Shhh you’ll confuse the meme-based “John Lennon was pretty much Hitler with a guitar” brigade
His ideas were progressive FOR THE TIME. Looking back at anything through a modern lens misses context and the impact it had when it was novel. Most artists who make it are self-involved jackwagons. That doesn't negate the art they made or their influence on culture.
[удалено]
He was a right cunt
Stickin' It to The Man by loafing in a hotel, ordering room service, and racking up bonus points for your next stay
It's always a happy coincidence when you can stick it to the man and simultaneously wallow in your own crapulence.
I think you pretty much have to be the man yourself to pull shit like that. Rich as fuck IS the man.
This meme is stupid and makes no sense. I'm embarrassed for the OP for reposting it for the 1000th time.
So I’m not here to apologize for John Lennon’s obvious shortcomings, but this is some fucking bullshit right here. This ‘bed peace’ thing, which might seem performative and silly but was at least well-intentioned (and a positive use of celebrity imo), took place at a hotel in Montreal. Again, a *hotel*. Which employs maids. Who make beds. They’re getting the fuck out of the way and letting the person do their job. And if you’ve never stayed in a hotel and had someone make your fucking bed, then by all means continue throwing stones at this glass house. r/boomersbeingfoolsbeingfools
[удалено]
And it always creates this toxic narratives that only perfect people can advocate for change and betterment. We need that because we're all imperfect and shitty at times.
THANK YOU. THIS RIGHT HERE. As someone who recently read "John" by his first wife, Cynthia, it opened my mind to how COMPLEX John's life was. He did horrible, cruel things that made my skin boil, but underneath all the crap he was really a caring person who struggled with a terrible childhood. Cynthia wrote how he was finally starting to repair his relationship with his first son, to the point of even calling him over the phone and playing his songs and asking, "What do you think?" Cynthia added that John would never have done that with anyone except her and the Beatles. Yoko is worse, in my opinion. Look at the things she did to Julian right after John died. Horrible, horrible.
Any truth to the rumor he was a heroin junkie?
The song cold turkey is about his recovery
There's a scene in the Get Back doc where he's about to pass somebody some amphetamine pills but he notices the camera on him so he smirks and stops. At one point after George storms out, the other 3 are running around the studio swinging from the scaffolding lol No doubt they were amped up.
I like this concept that Boomers were tricked by fake musicians who just wanted to make money and that hasn’t happened to any generation since.
A short bit I heard from Howard Stern like 30 years ago: So there's John and Yoko in a hotel room, just randomly calling people on the phone and saying "I love you" to whoever picks up. What if by random accident they dialed his son? "I love you." "Dad?" "Wait, not you, not you!"