Today is the day John Lennon would have turned seventy years old were he still alive, and many now are wondering what he would be like. How would he look at our world today. As I feel that I know him as well as anybody who never actually met the man, I can speak with some certitude about this individual who came to be seen as one of the most important voices of his generation.
Make no mistake about it. Lennon was very much an anti-war social liberal, revolutionary, and activist, but he was also complicated. He expressed once that he was an economic conservative. To many, that seems contradictory, but not to me. I would imagine his more conservative economic leanings might have arisen from a glance at his first paycheck. He was appalled as anyone at government abuse and bureaucratic malfeasance, and it made not one whit of difference to him whether this was born of liberal or conservative philosophy.
However, it is unwise to make too much of this. Without a doubt, Lennon would have been dismayed by the current state of the world's economies, and doubtless would have been a vocal critic of both of this decade's US led wars, in Afghanistan every bit as much as Iraq. At the same time, I can't see him as being an apologist for radical Islam, and probably not even traditional, mainstream Islam, for that matter.
And I personally have no doubt that he would have hailed the candidacy of Barak Obama as a watershed moment not only in US but in world history. He would have supported him, and in fact Obama might have even been the first politician to win his personal endorsement.
Having said that, I honestly believe Lennon would have been personally dismayed at the almost messianic tone of much of Obama's campaign, and would have looked at the greater mass of Obama supporters as sheep, and as outright fools. To be sure, much of this might well have been borne of jealousy.
Be that as it may, Lennon's feelings about American politics was fairly straight-forward. In his view, every four years Americans elected a "big daddy" to yell and scream at, at the end of which they often times kick him out of office, whereupon they would proceed to elect another daddy on whom to repeat the process. He would probably surmise that Obama would come to a sad end politically. No doubt, he would take a moderate view towards any resultant criticisms of him, or any politician.
I don't know how he would view the Tea-Party. While I am sure he would be opposed to most of their views, I like to think he would at least study the movement and come to an independent conclusion as to their sincerity, without jumping to the conclusion they were all or mostly racists and/or regressive reactionaries. He would almost certainly appreciate their opposition to ever expanding government control over so many sectors of society.
On certain policies, its harder to judge. He would probably jump on the Global Climate Change Bandwagon, but would probably look with suspicion on government mandates, preferring instead to encourage private individual action and initiative whenever possible or practical. He had that kind of faith. As a Brit, he probably would have seen universal health care as a no-brainer, but would probably view the current recently enacted American system with a great deal of skepticism. I can just hear him saying "what the fuck is this mess?"
More importantly, from a creative standpoint, I can't see Lennon as ever retiring as long as he lived so long as he maintained his health. I think he would have embraced modern technology. He would gladly and gleefully have released songs over the internet, for free. He would probably feel he had an obligation to reach as many as possible, and would have expressed his views on many of the topics of the day. With the wealth he would have by now accumulated, he would have no reason not to do so, for one thing, and for another, he would have seized the opportunity as a promotional gimmick. He would have been right at home over the net. In fact, if both he and Harrison had lived on and all four Beatles yet lived today, I can envision the prospect of a Beatles reunion and concert taking place live over the Internet, at John's instigation.
Another thing about Lennon that is noteworthy. He was no fan of political correctness, which is one reason I think he would have judged the Tea-Party folks more fairly than most on the left. At the same time, he would have almost certainly and consistently adopted and used the term Tea-bagger to describe them, if for no other reason than he would have thought it was funny (which, frankly, it is), and if the term had not been coined, Lennon would in all probability have coined it himself.
Lenno0n was dismayed when his song "Woman Is The Nigger Of The World" was banned from most radio airwaves due to inclusion of the word "Nigger" in the title and lyrics. The thought that the word might be too offensive to be used publicly, even in a symbolic way, never occurred to him.
And then there were his merciless jibes at former Beatles manager Brian Epstein, a known homosexual.
From his Wikipedia entry-
Lennon delighted in mocking Epstein for his homosexuality and for the fact that he was Jewish, often ridiculing him with sarcastic remarks.[111] When Epstein invited suggestions for his autobiography title, Lennon offered Queer Jew.[112] On learning of the eventual title, A Cellarful of Noise, he said to a friend, "More like A Cellarful of Boys".[113] He demanded of a visitor to Epstein's flat, "Have you come to blackmail him? If not, you're the only bugger in London who hasn't."[111] And he taunted Epstein with twisted Beatles lyrics, changing "baby, you're a rich man too" to "baby, you're a rich fag Jew".[1
Of course, this means nothing, as Lennon had a deep and abiding respect and even love for Epstein, though I am pretty certain he would take exception to later day theories about any "love affair" many wishfully think happened between the two of them.
All in all, Lennon was a man who seized the moment, and when he found himself in too deep, he stopped digging that hole, and then he pulled himself out, and then he started digging all over again. He made the most out of his situation at any given time. Or at least he tried to do so. And, as oftentimes happens when a person finds himself in a position of fame and notoriety, he arrived at the point where he thought he should make it count for something. But there were times when his heart obviously wasn't in it. He found his real true calling when he and Yoko Ono rebuilt their relationship, and started their own family. His muse was reborn, and he recaptured the moment, up until the moment of his untimely demise.
I can easily understand why he has maintained such a strong degree of affection even today. But frankly, I would not feel at home with the majority of his admirers when they gather at the various parks, such as near the Dakota, in order to mark the anniversary of his birth, or death, while playing his music, and pushing their views of what John probably would have had to say about first one or another leftist cause. I would definitely be as much of an outsider around most Lennon fans as I would be at a Democratic Party candidate's rally.
On the other hand, I think I could almost feel Lennon's spirit, playfully suggesting-
"Ah, come on mate, I know its all a load of crap, but you know, it might be a right load of fun too, right? You might even get laid."
