Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Musical interlude

Posted in:

Illinois
YouTube

* I was in college in Munich on this day in 1980 when my roommate burst into our dorm room and woke me up to tell me that John Lennon had been murdered. All classes had been canceled.

Everyone was just in shock. How could something like this happen to a person like him?

There was no Internet back then and the only television was in the dorm’s lobby, so we mainly relied on Armed Forces Radio for updates.

It’s all such a blur now. But I remember, after hearing the news for myself on the radio, going to the main campus building (it was a University of Maryland campus on an Army base) and huddling with crying friends. I eventually wound up back in my room, and we put this song on the record player and sat in silence as we listened to it over and over again…

Without any fear

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Dec 8, 20 @ 3:58 pm

Comments

Killed at 40 years old. He’s now been dead as long as he was alive. Haunting.

Comment by BC Tuesday, Dec 8, 20 @ 4:17 pm
I was watching Monday Night Football when Howard Cosell announced it. My wife was a super fan, she was sick for a week. Imagine (no pun) what more he could have done

Comment by DuPage Saint Tuesday, Dec 8, 20 @ 4:20 pm
cancelled the classes? what kind of bogus educational institution did you attend?

Comment by jim Tuesday, Dec 8, 20 @ 4:42 pm
John Lennon told the lovely truth that remains in many lovely hearts…We’re not the only ones…still.

Comment by Dotnonymous Tuesday, Dec 8, 20 @ 4:49 pm
I was working on my computer programs at LLCC Springfield…..had left Augsburg (Army) earlier in the year, just up the road from you…

Comment by Anotheretiree Tuesday, Dec 8, 20 @ 4:51 pm
Such a proponent of peace killed in such a violent way…
Last time I was in NYC, I visited Strawberry Field in Central
Park…

Comment by Loop Lady Tuesday, Dec 8, 20 @ 5:01 pm
He predicted he would die violently, as payback. He had some issues, but was a true artist and great musician. I loved him and love his work still. This one still hurts all these years later…Thanks very much for this interlude.

Comment by kestrel Tuesday, Dec 8, 20 @ 5:07 pm
I was covering a meeting that night, didn’t get home til late and so didn’t hear about it until the next morning.

Comment by up2now Tuesday, Dec 8, 20 @ 5:12 pm
I was in college also at U of I on my many extra years plan. I was at a bar with a band. A friend came up who loved Lennon and actually looked a lot like him (hair, glasses etc). He came up to me and I thought he was tripping. But he was just in shock about the news when he told me.
Also WXRT always uses Howard Cosell’s announcement when they promote their Sat morning flashback. It’s always haunting.

Comment by Been There Tuesday, Dec 8, 20 @ 5:39 pm
I remember it almost like it was yesterday, walking in the morning and seeing it for the first time in a newspaper vending machine, the shock of it. Two other greats passed that year, Bon Scott and John Bonham.

Comment by Grandson of Man Tuesday, Dec 8, 20 @ 6:11 pm
Imagine

Comment by Eddy Tuesday, Dec 8, 20 @ 6:35 pm
“All Those Years Ago”. George’s tribute to John

Comment by Sayitaintso Tuesday, Dec 8, 20 @ 7:17 pm
“cancelled the classes? what kind of bogus educational institution did you attend?”

obviously one that inspired him enough to create this very blog that you now try to ridicule him on. How long ago did your wife leave you?

Comment by Walleye Soup Nut Tuesday, Dec 8, 20 @ 7:20 pm
I sure remember that night, too, and was also in Germany. I was in West Berlin at Teufelsberg where I worked as an Army translator. Our positions could get Armed Forces Radio and we all listened through our headphones in silence and felt sick. And this came just months (April 1980) after we listened on the same shift to reports of military killed in the Iranian desert on a failed rescue attempt of our hostages in Tehran. Like 2020, 1980 was not a good year.

Comment by Army Translator Tuesday, Dec 8, 20 @ 8:40 pm
Können Sie mir bitte eine garage vorschlagen? Autoservice

Comment by Liza Cartmill Tuesday, Dec 22, 20 @ 7:51 am