John Lennon fans may be a bit surprised to see an interview in the new documentary, Beatles Stories, with Lennon’s long time friend Fred Seaman. Seaman says that Lennon had moved away from his early radicalism and became a fan of . . . wait for it . . . Ronald Reagan.
By the time of his death in 1980, Seaman say that Lennon was supportive of Ronald Reagan over Jimmy Carter.
Just imagine the following lyrics being used as a call to a Reagan fundraiser:
You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
It is enough to put even the most stalwart liberal into a fetal position.
Source: Toronto Sun
Presidential glam shot
“Ha,I missed those Stringband muscians. Guess for some reason they did not make the country charts.”
FFLEO,
They were unique and they were great. The irony of their anonymity was that they were at Woodstock, but refused to perform in the rain fearing death by electric guitar. Missing the opportunity to become iconic by a performance there, their careers went downhill, fueled also by sex and drugs which split them apart.
Raff,
The maturation of my daughters into women that have surpassed my career, when comparing their relative ages to my own experiences, has been among the greatest joy of my life. That they are intelligent, empathic, beautiful and kind fills me with pride. That they love me as much as they have proven to love me,
gives purpose to my life.
“A wise man once told me, “Believe nothing you hear, and only half of what you see”. ” -HenMan
Very good advice…
lottakatzatz,
Archive.org was more fun when they let you download the soundboards. However, you can still download them at
http://bt.etree.org/
Mike S.,
That was a great job by your daughter to use music to boost your spirits!
There are 5 recordings for that concert here. 4 are for streaming and one, below listed, steams and has d/l available. Some of the ‘notes’ introducing the recordings available have a genealogy, some do not.
http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=Dead%20at%20Cornell%205%2F8%2F77%20AND%20collection%3AGratefulDead
For streaming and D/L in two file formats
Source: Audience – Sony ECM-990
Lineage: Sony ECM-990 > Sony TC-152 (aud master) > First Gen Reel > played directly to hard drive:
http://www.archive.org/details/gd77-05-08.maizner.hicks.5002.sbeok.shnf
I choose to ignore the claim of an attention seeking man whose revelation comes thirty odd years too late to substantiate. I will bide myself with Lennon’s own words:
“There’s room at the top I’m telling you still
but first you must learn how to smile as you kill
if you want to be like the folks on the hill
Working Class Hero is something to be”
and
“No short-haired, yellow-bellied, son of Tricky Dicky
Is gonna mother hubbard soft soap me
With just a pocketful of hope
It’s money for dope
Money for rope
Ah, I’m sick to death of hearing things
from uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocrites
All I want is the truth now
Just gimme some truth now”
…or simply “Power to the people, right on”
Mike Spindell,
Ha,I missed those Stringband muscians. Guess for some reason they did not make the country charts…
Gyges :
Just getting my beak wet with this Dylan talk in this article goes in to his religious dabble,he made an album that was called “Electric Church”where he did All Along The Watchtower with a choir backing him up:
“At first called “Dylan’s God-Awful Gospel” by his most loyal fans, Bob Dylan’s Jesus Years are today regarded as among the best of his career. How did a Jewish folk singer from the Midwest come to Jesus? Finally, here is an insider’s view of Bob Dylan’s “Born Again” transformation, and its effect on his life and music.
http://bobdylanjesus.com/
“Seaman says that Lennon was supportive of Ronald Reagan over Jimmy Carter.”
Yes, and had he not been murdered, he had planned to give all his money to the John Birch Society and join the U.S. Marine Corps the following day.
A wise man once told me, “Believe nothing you hear, and only half of what you see”. I have followed his advice ever since.
As I went through a year and a half of dying only to attain resurrection, my younger daughter did a CD mix for me to listen to and raise my spirits. This
song was on it and has been a favorite since the 70’s, when in my single years I rigged my alarm clock and turn table to wake me each morning and start me off on perspective of what live was about:
Well that’s odd. Let’s try this again.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2cHkMwzOiM&w=640&h=390]
Elaine,
I’ve never been that big of a fan of Straight versions of that particular song. I do Love Robeson’s voice.
Ekerya,
I know it’s slightly cliche, but my love of Issac Hayes began with this one.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg73dAf3ubc&w=640&h=390]
“I have to ask you, do you have a soundboard copy of the Dead at Cornell 5/8/77?”
Bob,
I wish I did. Most of the music I had has gone to my younger daughter and I was never big on keeping track of my collection. Re: your discussion vis.
Tom Petty. I kinda like him, but he is usually not someone I sit down to listen to. However, “The Travelling Wilbury’s” is one of my favorite albums and he’s got a good lead or two on some of the tracks. “End of the Line” is among my all time favorite (there are so damn many) songs. Perhaps it resonates because I’m on the far side of 60.
(chorus 4)
Well it’s all right, even if you’re old and grey
Well it’s all right, you still got something to say
Well it’s all right, remember to live and let live
Well it’s all right, the best you can do is forgive
(chorus 5)
Well it’s all right, riding around in the breeze
Well it’s all right, if you live the life you please
Well it’s all right, even if the sun don’t shine
Well it’s all right, were going to the end of the line
So big surprise here. Afer all, Lennon immigrated to the U.S. for tax purposes because tax laws in GB were so confiscatory at the time.