***”Music, Books and Psycho Space Robots” is a regular column published on Primary Ignition by Kevin Kenealy, staff writer and Nightmare Fuel provider. The views expressed here are his, and do not reflect the views of the staff of Primary Ignition.***

Photo from theaudioperv.com.

By Kevin Kenealy
Staff Writer, Nightmare Fuel Provider

Happy birthday John! On October 9, John Lennon would have been 70 years old.

The media is still celebrating and recognizing his footprints left behind. National Public Radio broadcast a podcast called “All We Are Saying” that interviews Playboy reporter David Sheff’s three weeks spent with Lennon in August of 1980. His interviews for the first time were put into audio format. NPR also had interviews with Ringo Starr from 1995 on the finishing of the Beatles Anthology and with Paul McCartney from 2001 on his reaction to John’s death.

Billboard Magazine interviewed Yoko Ono on her continued efforts to protect Lennon’s music and to keep it in the limelight. They also interviewed his son Julian on his experience growing up with John. Vanity Fair ran a satire interview on what it would be like if John were alive today; YouTube had videos of Yoko and Ringo wishing John a happy birthday and even Google had a cartoon image of John as a replacement for one of the “Os” celebrating the date.

This is just the media I’ve come across in the few hours prior to writing this. If Lennon were alive today, I think he would be very much living it up, as in whatever he was doing, he would be happy. In one of the clips on NPR with Sheff, Lennon told Sheff that although he thinks the Beatles song “Yesterday” is a beautiful song, he’s glad he didn’t write it because he’s very much for living for today.

I think this is one of the reasons that I, along with so many others appreciate John. He was a man of his time and enjoyed being in his age. In the Sheff interview, Lennon also said he had no desires in reuniting the Beatles because he had moved on. I think there’s a lot to be said for a man that lives in the moment in life.

At a bonfire yesterday, there was a man who was older than me by a year. He was talking about his experiences and whatnot and someone younger asked in a rather taken back inquisitive tone, “Wait a minute, how old are you?” “I’m 25 years old.” “25’s not bad I said back.” “How old are you?” someone else asked. “24.” “Just wait, 25 is worse; way worse,” he said.

I didn’t say anything back to this man. I just felt puzzled, “What’s wrong with 25?” A couple of months ago, a woman in my education class at college was complaining that she was getting old. I asked how old she was. “27” she replied.

Photo from dmbeatles.com.

At 40 years old, Lennon appeared more youthful than ever. It’s not that he wasn’t working either. He and Yoko were going full force into the Double Fantasy album while raising son Sean. In his interview with Sheff, Lennon said “I don’t believe in yesterday.” “Life begins at 40, or so they promise. And I believe in what’s going to come.”

I think in thinking about his birth, a lot can be taken from these words of a man who lived and experienced a lifetime in 40 years. So often we look at yesterday and forget we have today in front of us.

It’s not as attractive maybe physically to look at 70 versus 24 or to know that you can’t do everything that you were once capable of, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t become accepting of aging and start living or else we’re dying a little every day.

I think that’s why the words of Lennon’s music hit a chord in everyone; he lived for the moment, did what he thought was right and fought for what he believed in. They’re lessons we can all take as we all watch our own birthdays come and go.

Front page image from theaudioperv.com.