that this is the place you can post your photographs for the John Lennon gathering that took place on Monday evening, December 8, 2008 in front of Capitol Records. Many thanks to Jerry Ruben for organizing this event for so many years, to Chris Carter for promoting it on his show "Breakfast with the Beatles," to all the really cool singers who gave it the extra "oompf" that kept everyone going in the cold, and everyone who made it a real "happening." Happenings didn't just happen in the 60s, it's still happening!
Especially on the cold Los Angeles night, under the big red tree high in the sky at Capitol, with all the busses whirring by, John Lennon's music seemed even more relevant and poignant today than it did when it was made. With the hope that we will be pulling out of the Iraq War now seeming more likely, Lennon's songs took on a new layer of meaning. "Don't Let Me Down," is our anthem to Obama! Let us enter a new era of enduring peace to replace the years of devastating war that has torn this country down! Our working class heroes are struggling while fat corporations receive gobs of dough from Uncle Sam!
Like Chris Carter said, that enduring relevance is the sign of a true artist. John Lennon was much more than a "pop artist." That is why he was often ridiculed, he was pushing artistic boundaries and dared to experiment.
Back to the event: A mother and daughter brought a beautiful hand sketch of John Lennon made by their father, who passed away not long ago. The mother had tiny tears in her eyes, and her daughter hugged her. The drawing was truly amazing in its detail. I think the artist was Ricardo Estevez. Lots of little kids danced around, even to the song "Cold Turkey." John's dark songs have a childlike bounce, just like blues songs about suffering can energize you. A few dogs came out to prance during "I want to hold your paw," and they seemed to enjoy the music as much as their human counterparts. Most dogs with good taste like Beatles' music.
Those who warmed their bones afterwards at the Cat & Fiddle shared in all sorts of celebrity hearsay, and we heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend....Other than the Beatlefest which has now moved to Las Vegas (boo!), what chance do Beatle freaks have to congregrate and
wow each other with their insane trivia knowledge? I say we need to start something! Beatle trivia contest, dress up costume balls from different album covers, what else can anyone think of? We could have a Beatles New Year's Ball! We need a grand old hotel with a British flair, and psychedelic Rolls Royce cocktail stirs! It's too late to pull all this off for this year, but we could make it happen by next year, if we all get a little help from our friends.
It's 1 am and I have a cold, so I will post my photos tomorrow.
--Cynthia Brown aka "Chatty Cindy"
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