December 8: Remembering John

He was more than just a fourth of the fabled Fab Four. As legendary quartets go, where the sum total is greater than that of its parts, The Beatles, as we would learn post-breakup, lived up to their greatness, far exceeding their sum totality.
28 years hence, as the dust of time settles, John Winston Lennon is still missed.

Building the foundations of what was to become the greatest Pop group of all time, Lennon, together with musical chum Paul McCartney, formed The Beatles.
Rock and Roll would never, ever be the same again.
Ever.

John was the rocker to Paul's pop sensibility.
He put the oomph into the Beatles' punch.
John was the scruff to Paul's clean squeakiness.
He preferred controversy over courtesy.
Ever the rebel.

Peace activist.
Artist.
Author.
Rock star.
Icon.
He was also the husband and the father.
To Yoko, his muse.
To his sons, Julian.
And to Sean.

During the moptop days, John's vocals were the most ballsy.
Rock And Roll Music. Twist And Shout.
Even the ballads were ballsy.
If I Fell. Julia. Across The Universe.
As were the classics.
Yer Blues. Happiness Is A Warm Gun.
And his stellar solo stuff.
Working Class Hero. Love. God.
And his classics.
Imagine.
(Just Like) Starting Over.
Watching The Wheels.

Listening to his music, specially on a day like this.. it's heartachingly difficult.
Bittersweet.
A lasting legacy of musical brilliance and biting honesty.
As his words and wit spill from the speakers, they send chills down my spine.
And a frustrating tear.
Murdered senselessly twenty eight years ago.
Life, as they say, is never fair.
Ever.

It's been said that there is no such thing as a happy ending.
Happy endings are only stories that remain unfinished.
And at the very end of Lennon's colorful tale, he only had this to say..

I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round
No longer riding on the merry-go-round
I just had to let it go.

They don't make rock star like they used to.