20 Years Ago Today
Before you read this post, just remember that I’m 21, and cut me some slack.
Okay. So today is the 20th anniversary of John Lennon’s assassination, and of course there has been story after story published all over the place about what a great man he was, etc. So this has brought back a confusion that’s been lying dormant in my mind since junior high. You see, my friends at the time were all about the Beatles, and I struggled (as a 14-year old) to understand exactly what was so great about them (The Beatles, not my friends). My parents weren’t Beatles fans, even when they were around in the 60s, so I never inherited a sense of wonder like my friends did from their parents. My father was more into Jethro Tull and Black Sabbath, and that sort of thing.
So now, today, I’m asking the same sorts of questions I asked 7 years ago.. ‘What’s the big deal about The Beatles?’ ‘Why is John Lennon still worshiped, 20 years after his death?’ So I, being the resourceful youth I am, downloaded ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ via Napster, just to see what the big deal was. And I gotta admit, I still don’t see it. I mean, I understand that what they did in the 60s sounds commonplace and normal today but was on the edge then, but it just seems like the Velvet Underground was more influential than The Beatles.
So. I’m sure I’ve enraged a lot of people by this point, but I would really appreciate some perspective on this. Keep in mind, I was not around when The Beatles ‘changed the world,’ and my parents never imparted any information to me, so please, let me know what you think, and maybe some ways for me to better understand this phenomenon. Thanks.