[Mb-hair] New York City - Photos: Statue of Liberty & John Lennon

[Doris J. Brook]

Sean Courtney wrote:
>
> John was murdered when I was a little kid, didn't know who he was, nor do
I
> remember that day...but I miss him terribly.
>
    I've always loved that picture of John and somewhere have a few b&W
postcards of it.  I do remember when John died- I was living in France and
heard the news from a classmate who'd picked it up from the BBC- I was in
complete denial at first, John Lennon shot? Well he'll be okay, how can he
be truly hurt?  Over the next 24 hours my best friend and I went into a
terrible state of shock and grief and weeping.  Also drank a shitload of
cheap red wine...When Yoko held the candlelight vigil several days later, we
went to a park in the rain and the dark by ourselves and kept our tiny sole
candle alight.  The French are a funny people- if it's not one of theirs,
they don't get too upset by it, but the radio did play non-stop Beatles and
Lennon.  Never felt quite so homesick as in those dark December days.
Growing up in NYC, I felt like John was part of my extended world.  One
night in highschool (about 1976) two friends and I were coming home very
late from a party in Brooklyn (a St. Ann's party, Nina!)  and we got out of
the subway at Broadway and 72nd to get a cab the rest of the way home.
There's a newstand at that subway stop on a little island in the middle of
Broadway, and as we were standing there waiting, one of my friends said,
Don't look but that's John Lennon.  So naturally we all turned and looked,
and sure enough, there he was, picking up his NY Times for the next morning.
This long moment passed between us,  my friends and I looking at him, and
him looking back at us as if to say, Yes, I know that you know that I know
you know I'm John Lennon, but I also know that you're too cool to act stupid
about it.  What a rush!  I've always treasured that encounter- there are
some perks to growing up in NYC (like seeing Hair 44 times...).

I'm smiling inside.

love to all,
Doris