Rolling Stone to release John Lennon’s final print interview, 30
years later
Today (December 8) marks the 30th anniversary of one of the darkest
days in music: The day when 40-year-old former Beatle John Lennon was
gunned down in front of his New York apartment by Mark David Chapman.
Lennon’s tragic assassination still leaves many fans’ questions
unanswered, but a new interview—Lennon’s final print interview,
conducted only three days before his death—is finally being published by
Rolling Stone magazine this week.
Incredibly, the nine-hour interview was never fully transcribed until
recently, and the tapes have been buried in journalist Jonathan Cott’s
closet for decades. “It had been 30 years since I listened to them, and
when I put them on this totally alive, uplifting voice started speaking
on this magical strip of magnetic tape,” Cott marveled to Rolling Stone.
“His words are totally joyous and vibrant and hopeful and subversive and
fearless. He didn’t mince words.”
Getting to hear and read Lennon’s all-too-prematurely silenced words
from beyond the grave is practically a miracle for Lennon fans, and may
even give them the closure they still crave. However, Lennon’s frank
talk about “dead heroes”—a pop culture category in which he now sadly
belongs—is a bit unsettling.
Addressing critics of his post-Beatles music and his five-year
recording hiatus, Lennon griped to Cott: “These critics with the
illusions they’ve created about artists—it’s like idol worship...What
they want is dead heroes, like Sid Vicious and James Dean.
I’m not interesting in being a dead [expletive] hero....So forget
‘em, forget ‘em.” “I cannot be on the way up again, and I cannot be 25
again,” an older and wiser Lennon said. “I cannot be what I was 10 years
ago, I cannot be what I was five minutes ago.” Equally chilling to read
is that Lennon assured Cott he still had “plenty of time” to accomplish
his musical goals. When asked about the possibility of touring again, he
answered: “We just might do it. But there will be no smoke bombs, no
lipstick, no flashing lights. It just has to be comfy.
But we could have a laugh. We’re born-again rockers, and we’re
starting over...There’s plenty of time, right? Plenty of time.” Cott,
who conducted the interview at Lennon’s apartment and recording studio,
told Rolling Stone that while transcribing the tapes years later, he was
amazed by how often the middle-aged Lennon reflected on mortality during
their epic discussion. “There were a lot of strange considerations of
where he was and what he felt like sort of in the middle of his
journey,” Cott mused. “I think it was like a mid-life meditation, I was
struck by that.” “I’m not claiming divinity. I’ve never claimed purity
of soul.
I’ve never claimed to have the answers to life,” Lennon told Cott on
that fateful day. “I only put out songs and answer questions as honestly
as I
Rolling Stone’s commemorative John Lennon issue hits newsstands this
Friday.
- yahoomusic
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