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JOHN: WHEREVER YOU ARE, YOU ARE HERE

In 1986, to celebrate what would have been John Lennon's 46th birthday, IK! sent out a notice to readers asking for their thoughts and feelings about the man who had inspired us all. The response was overwhelming. The feelings were strong and came into the IK office like a northwest wind.

Here then, from Issue #28 (Fall '86)..a collection of essays and poems from Instant Karma! readers who were still missing John a great deal six years on.

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On Sunday, August 24th at approximately 6:30 P.M., I saw a rainbow. Although I've been "watching rainbows" all of my life, this was the first time I saw one in all its magnificent reality. In fact, it was so real, it was surreal. I can see why they are held in such reverence. They give everything a sense of shimmering magic. I reached out my hand, almost expecting to see quicksilver rising forth from my fingertips, and on into the sky.

It was in this environment of magic that I thought of John. He could have written the soundtrack for such a scene. The feeling I always get from his music and his interviews was a similar sense of enlightenment. It was because of him and Yoko that I became an artist. Or to put it another way: it was always in me but they brought it out. (John always said that Yoko did the same for him.)

The rainbow I saw that Sunday did not fade away immediately, but rather it became obscured by clouds which moved in and surrounded it. But the feeling remained. Just like the gift John gave me. Clouds may obscure it from time to time, but it goes on forever.

The first time I became interested in John (and Yoko) was when I heard about the bed-in in Amsterdam. I found it fantastic that John made his music, but that was not all. I appreciated it a lot that he said his opinion about things that were important to him, although some people had no understanding of it and he often got into trouble because of it.

John's point of view on many things often made me think something over again and see it more positively. I'm sure that I was able to do many important things that I've done because I came to be more optimistic as time went by.

I can't express my feelings about what happened in December of 1980 very well. I don't think you can fully compensate for his loss. What I try to do is not think about this day too much. Instead of that, I do my best to use all of the good things I've learned from John for my life and it helps me very much every day. I'm glad that I got to know him and his music and all the other great things he has done. He really is a very special person.

No one intrigues me more than somebody who has been "in the eye of the hurricane."..

From the 60's until 1980, John Lennon was like a friend who made it easier to get through school and work. He was very gifted and honest, so when he had something to say, I listened.

His brilliantsong lyrics - some warm, some raw - reflected the society I lived in. His lovely melodies both soothed and excited me. Until "A Hard Day's Night" came along, I had never witnessed a sense of humor as remarkable as his. He showed me how to turn a serious situatation into something light, and I made and kept many friendships with this acquired quality.

John was a fascinating speaker during interviews. Being well-read, his answers were witty, as if a script writer had written them. His sharp-tongued comments amused me. I found his cockiness to be very sexy.

Most important, nothing exhilarates me more than the "thunder" of John Lennon's voice! In my opinion, he is the best rock 'n roll singer of all time. His numerous records and videos haven't satiated me yet. I still want more!

I was only six when John, Paul, George and Ringo conquered America via "The Ed Sullivan Show." That's ancient history now. I don't even remember that night, though it was to leave a lasting impact on my life. Did I see them? Maybe. My father always watched Ed Sullivan.

I was not an actual witness to the pandemonium of Beatlemania. But the Fab Four were always there, the background music of my pre-adolescent youth. I do recall bits and pieces: snatches of the Beatle cartoons; there was a Saturday or Sunday morning show that spoofed the lads: four bears (or were they Saint Bernards?) moptopping across the television screen. And here I was, taping my aunt's copy of "Meet the Beatles."

Even then I was too young to hear what was going on, but like the generation all around me, they struck a chord within me. I liked the sound. Was there any better starting point?

The first rock 'n roll album I owned was "Abbey Road". I've worn out two copies since. The album is still my all-time favorite. Even though they were becoming history as a single entity, it made no difference to me. "Abbey Road" was my actual discovery of the Beatles ("and the love you make"). My second album was "Let It Be". I still have my original copy. Ironic, I now think in retrospect. My first Fab Four albums were their last two.

And not too long ago, I rediscovered my "Let It Be" single with John's "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)". New Wave music fifteen years before there was New Wave! Of course, Yoko's influence put John light-years ahead of the music industry, and that includes Paul.

But, I'm getting off-track. I found it fitting that my first were their last. After all, I was becoming aware of the world as the 60's became the 70's. I saw enough of the 60's that it still influences me. And the Beatles were the Pied Pipers of the 60's. weren't they? A lot of my heartfelt beliefs were born in the era of the Flower Children.

In retrospect, I can see how the albums beginning with "Revolver" became anthems in their own right. The words of Lennon-McCartney still express a lot of my feelings. Has it really been twenty years? What John said in "All You Need is Love" remains valid today. John sang in earnest: love is a universal bandaid. He was merely modernizing Christ's "Love covers a multitude of sins." Indeed, "there is no one you can save that can't be saved." What John was telling us was that when you're face-to-face with the Blue Meanies, you can be sure that Sgt. Pepper is coming because "It's gonna be alright!"

So first there were the Fab Four: the music, the fervor. Then all of a sudden, here were John and Yoko. In the beginning, like a lot of other people, I couldn't make heads nor tails of the duo. What in the world were these antics going to prove? John said that he and Yoko would be the world's clowns if it got the message across. I did think they were acting like Bozos. But you know what? (I'm grinning now..)..I did get the message.

"Walls and Bridges". I find the title of this album to be more valid than the total sum of the lyrics. I'm forever encountering people who have built walls around themselves. Here I go again! I always think. It's time to get my erector set out to build a bridge.

And there was the "Walrus". Sure, John picked the wrong guy. But even today we still have trouble separating the walruses from the carpenters. After all, is that a walrus in the White House, or is it a carpenter?

At times I wonder if John might be a bit of a prophet. But no, I think. This is raising him to semi-devine status. And still, one truth keeps running through my head: "Living is easy with eyes closed.." Oh well! Here I am again! Maybe he is a prophet of sorts, a prophet of the New Age. I guess I'll never come to a conclusion on this one. There's too much noise in my head which confuses the issue. "Everybody's talking about.."

These are some of the reasons why John and Yoko remain so special to me. They are my personal talisman with which to fight the Blue Meanies we all have in our heads. Perhaps I was too young to ride the wave of Beatlemania, but not too young to get their message. As Ronnie's Rangers sacked Grenada, I had the urge to run out and plant acorns.

Perhaps all this is why I still crank the radio when I hear the Fab Four. There are always shivers when I hear John's voice. I was so disappointed not to see Yoko in concert, but thrilled to receive a postcard from her. And there was this special awe, a sort of religious reverence when I stood by the Imagine mosaic and gazed up at the Dakota. (Yoko and Sean, are you home? I love you both!)

Now I know that I did get the message. One more time today let me hear John say: "You can say I'm a dreamer."

Thankyou, John. And happy 46th!