John Lennon/Rock&Roll

John was never my favorite Beatle. I always thought he was too much of a hippie, and I was way too Miss Capitalist Corporate America to put up with that. But seeing his exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex in SoHo melted my attitude somewhat.

First of all, the Rock Annex is awesome. The video that they play when you walk in is SO good. It makes you want to dance and laugh and go to rock concerts and love music for the rest of your life. And then as you wander the halls looking at the lyric notebooks, tricked out jackets, bashed up guitars and signed albums listening to the music you just marvel. Marvel at the volume of the music produced and at the power of the music that rose to the top and the way that music has shaped and interacted with and expressed the issues of each generation. And spectacularly, how you can connect with so many different types of music from so many eras.

Geez, that stuff is great.

But back to Mr. Lennon...

So this exhibit in particular was in fact designed by Yoko Ono, and it focuses on John's years in New York City. At the time he and Yoko were pursuing art and their political agenda. And it's true, they were total hippies, but they had some big ideas about the sanctity of life and they pursued their ideals with a vengeance. I can respect that.

Coolest parts of the exhibit:

1) The white phone on the wall with the plaque next to it that read, "If the phone rings, answer it. It's Yoko Ono." I waited for the phone to ring, but no such luck.

2) The glasses that John was wearing when he was shot. Covered in blood. Haunting but poignant.

3) The brown bag of bloody clothes that the police delivered to Yoko afterwards. Again, haunting but poignant.

John on a rooftop in the village...


Whatever my personal opinion of his politics and practices, no denying the man was genius and he changed the world.