December 8th 1980 was a defining moment for me. Until that point, my sixteen year old self thought only political leaders and violent heads of state could get murdered.It was all to hard to understand. John Lennon was a rock 'n roll star who was a member of my favorite band, who wrote and sang mostly about peace and love. And then one day, was murdered, shot by a deranged assailant as he and Yoko return to the Dakota after a recording session.

I could now relate to my parents when they would speak of the assassinations of JFK, RFK and Martin Luther King. I knew about these men, all cut down in their prime. I studied them in history. But they didn't speak to me.

John Lennon not only sang to me, he spoke to me.

December 8th 1980, assassinations, were something I read about about. December 9th 1980, I felt every letter in that ugly word.

Three months later, an attempt would be made on President Reagan's life, 2 months after that, Pope John Paul II would be shot. Goodbye innocence.

Looking back, though, sixteen years isn't such a bad run.

 

More From WSHK-WSAK 102.1 & 105.3 The Shark