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John Lennon is still a point of discussion all these years later.
(EMI/Capitol Records.)
On March 4, 1966, John Lennon's comments to reporter Maureen Cleave in the UK about Jesus were first published in the London Evening Standard. It came in an interview where Lennon covered many subjects, not just religion.
His comments were almost sounded like an afterthought.“Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. We’re more popular then Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first, rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity. Jesus was alright, but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me.” he said.
The comments went almost unnoticed until they were published in the American teen magazine Datebook. And still, years later, people refer to the comments as anti-religion when, in fact, they were a commentary on society in general.
He later apologized, but a lot of people didn't hear what he said. "I'm not anti-God, anti-Christ, or anti-religion. I wasn't knocking it or putting it down. I was just saying it as a fact and it's true more for England than here. I'm not saying that we're better or greater, or comparing us with Jesus Christ as a person or God as a thing or whatever it is. I just said what I said and it was wrong. Or it was taken wrong. And now it's all this," he said at a press conference.
Given the way the comments were misinterpreted back then, thank goodness he didn't have to go through the talk show host fires he would have if he'd had made those comments today. Imagine how they would have been spun? Besides, anyone who stopped to really read and think about what Lennon said would have gotten it. Most people didn't. Have times changed since then?You have to wonder.
And John Lennon still attracts attention. Witness the recent stories about the Citroën ad. Son Sean Ono Lennon has now spoken out and said the ad was done to keep him in the public eye, but certainly there are better ways -- even better TV ads -- to preserve the Lennon legacy.
He's still a magnet for controversy after all these years. Somewhere, you know he's smiling.
- How Does a Beatle Live by Maureen Cleave (the full 1966 newspaper London Evening Standard article)
- Maureen Cleave: The John Lennon I Knew (UK Telegraph)
The first part of a four part documentary on the controvery. All four parts are on YouTube.
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Comments
John's words were so true that bible-thumpers even today get rattled over the "bigger than Jesus" flap. Well, the truth hurts I suppose.
It is the same today - the little bit of a sound bite or quote taken out of context and people get all twisted. A lot of people are sheep and do not take the time to see what was really said.
Still upset that Sean thinks a car ad is needed to keep his father's memory alive. That is just sad. Sean allegedly calling someone a peasant for not liking the ad is not too cool either if it is true.
" The truth will set you free."
Lennon was right - the Beatles were and still are bigger than Jesus - Look at all the churches that have closed and are now empty - Christianity is vanishing - Too bad Lennon is not here today to witness it.
John was always right. I miss him everyday.
I just wish Yoko and Sean would have more respect for him. They cheapen him. He deserved better.
I do not need those two reminding me of John Lennon's memory and legacy. I see it everywhere everyday. He has always been of the universe.
Aujouret says John was always right.
No he wasn't. Don't try and make him something he wasn't. He was often mean and said things he later retracted. He did a lot of damage to Paul with his mouthing off. Yet he would then say he loved him and thought he was a great talent - but hte damage was done. He also said his son Julian was a mistake that came out of a bottle on a Saturday night. While I enjoy John's musical talent he is not someone I can look up to.
If you want to know what John would have thought of doing an ad for Citroen, just remember back to when Nike used "Revolution" without their permission. Another disppointment from Yoko-right up there with colorizing his drawings after his death.
I USED to think John was always (or mostly) right. As I get older, I realize how human he was, like all of us are, and was prone to saying stupid things as well as brilliant things. But, one thing he did do was (for the most part) be honest. And, he was brilliant. And a LOT of the time, he nailed it. I love McCartney, including a great deal of his solo work, but I still think there is a lot of truth to the song "How Do You Sleep?" I'm sure John regretted it when it finally came out and he couldn't take it back, but, you always exaggerate to make a point, and John was great at doing that...cutting you down, making a fool of himself, whatever-- but ultimately to shine the light on an issue, and make a point.
I miss him. The world misses him. I wish he were around today to survey the world's landscape, to see a black American President, to see how divided we all still are, and to comment on it all.
And, yes, he'd be attacked moreso now than ever had he said those same things today.
Jesus is the name of the guy who mows my neighbor's lawn
Spooky, John said those things when he was 25-26 years old. Not so sure he'd be smirking in approval of this, IF you were right. And I'm not so sure you are. If you have a problem with religion, don't justify it by quoting John well before he had come to definite conclusions on things. By the end of his life, he seemed a bit more religious than you apparantly think he was. At least by the quotes from interviews. Not saying he was a church goer, by any means, but certainly more spiritual. I think he was past his "I Don't Believe In Jesus," phase by 1980.
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