Remembering John Lennon

I was in Montreal the day John Lennon was assassinated, on December 8th, 1980.

When I read the headline "John Lennon Assassine" it took me a few seconds to mentally translate the dreadful news. I think I must have gone into shock, as I was dumbfounded that my hero was gone. I'd always fantasized about actually meeting him, but now, it was impossible.

All I could do was cut my trip short, to head back to Halifax to try to come to terms with this gaping maw in my psyche. On the way back, on the train, I stayed up all night and scribbled furiously in my sketchbook.

One of John's last acts on planet Earth was to sign an album cover, depicted here.

My visceral reaction to my hero's shocking demise was to capture him paint. In my own small way, I wanted, needed, to "immortalize" him by this sacred act of creation.

After I finished the painting "Last Act", my mind just went blank. I could not stop grieving though. I had to keep busy, and tried to reflect my feelings the best way I knew how.

After I painted "John's Last Act", my mind went blank.

This morning I woke up at about 4:30. Before I went to sleep last night, I wrote a note to remind myself to contact Yoko Ono, if possible. Turns out she is on Facebook, if it's really her. In chapter 34 of "Dancing with Rejection", I chronicle that awful day in 1980, including some lyrics from a couple of John's songs that were swimming in my head. Now I'm like, oh yeah, I need Yoko's permission to include these in my book. The lyrics are not gratuitous in any way; they are crucial to the story-line. Wish me luck getting through to Yoko.