John Winston Ono Lennon

Born October 9, 1940 during an air raid in Liverpool England, John Lennon would live a life of triumph, tragedy with an untimely end. His father left when he was five. His mother gave him away to his aunt. While such painful beginnings would turn a lot of boys into criminals, luckily for John and the rest of the world, he turned to music.

Millions of young men and women start bands. Some bands are talented and fortunate enough to get recording contracts. Far fewer of those bands gain international notoriety. Only one band became the symbol of an entire generation. Along with Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, the Beatles were that band. Sure, the Stones were tougher, The Who was deeper and both those bands are still together. Fair or not, correct or not, it doesn't matter. The era belonged to the Beatles.

Paul was the cute one. George was the pensive one. Ringo was the funny one. John was the loudmouth. In 1966, Lennon was quoted as saying: "We're more popular than Jesus" in the London Evening Standard. He meant the comment as a condemnation of popular culture but his words would forever forward, paint John as the controversial one.

In 1970, all four men were sick of each other and sick of being Beatles. They broke up. By then, John was married to the love of his life, artist Yoko Ono. Lennon had already embraced the peace movement. During his honeymoon with Yoko, the two staged Bed-Ins for peace. The pair (and friends) also recorded the famous anti-war anthem Give Peace a Chance. The controversial Beatle inspired American youth and helped fuel their protests of the Vietnam War. Naturally, in 1972, John Lennon became pop star #1 on Richard Nixon's infamous "enemies list".

Tricky Dicky sicked John Mitchell, Strom Thurmond, the INS and J. Edgar Hoover after John Lennon. They tapped his phones, tracked his movements and bugged his house. They tried to revoke his green card and keep Lennon out of the USA. It wasn't until 1975 that John finally won his right to stay in the country and the city (NYC) that he loved. In 1975, he released an album of oldies entitled Rock n' Roll. He also co-wrote and sang back up for David Bowie's first hit Fame. Then, he made the most daring move of his career. John Lennon retired from music to raise his new son and become a house-husband.

Five years later, Lennon came out of retirement with the album Double Fantasy. At age 40, this new John was happy. Hope was on the horizon and all seemed right with the world. Then on December 8, 1980, a psychotic wannabe shot Lennon in the back, in front of his apartment, before the eyes of his horrified wife.

Many say the spirit of the sixties died with John Lennon. He might have given old Ronny Reagan lots of crap. He might have protested that administration's war against the poor or its secret slaughter of innocents in Central America. Lennon might have helped keep Reagan from a second term. He might have prevented George Bush Senior and Junior from ascending to the Presidency. We'll never know.

John Lennon's present-day counterpart?

YOU

If John Lennon taught us anything, he taught us the folly of hero worship. Don't look to rock stars. Don't look to politicians or grieving mothers to get us out of this mess. As John would say:

"It's all down to you, mate."