In town
Birth of Beatle
to be celebrated
You say it's your birthday,
It's my birthday too — yeah.
Imagine — it's Johnny's birthday
and there are many many Walrus,
assorted glass onions, Lucys in the
Sky and Fools (from the hill) in at
tendance. The #9 Band cranks up
a scorching version of "Come
Together" as the Walrus, assorted
glass onions, Lucys and Fools take
to the dance floor. The light show
fills the hall with fantastic colors,
like a trip across the universe.
You may say it's a dream — but
not on Sunday, when a large por
tion of Eugene's ageless
Beatlemaniacs will celebrate John
Lennon's 43rd birthday at 7 p.m.
in the W.O.W. Hall at 8th and Lin
coln Streets. Tickets are $3 in ad
vance, $3.50 the day of the show.
"Ob-la-di Ob-la-da, life goes on."
This is the third annual John
Lennon Birthday Celebration, but
the first held at W.O.W. Hall. "It'll
be one hell of a party," according
to a W.O.W. Hall source.
The Lennon birthday parties are
the brainchild of Jessica Johnson.
Johnson admits to this very day to
being a Beatlemaniac.
"The Beatles were an integral
part of my youth," she says. "I was
a total Beatlemaniac. I have 30
scrapbooks of Beatle clippings at
home."
But, like so many other fans of
the Mop-tops, it was more than
just the* music. There was one
Beatle that stood out.
"For me the Beatles were an in
credible influence on my life. John
Lennon was always my favorite,"
Johnson says.
The great-publicity-machine en
dowed each Beatle with certain
traits to attract fans. Paul McCart
ney was nice and cute. George
Harrison was quiet. Ringo Starr
was kindly but slow. These three,
dressed in Edwardian-cut suits,
were essentially harmless. But
Lennon, even in a matching suit,
wasn't. He was called the
"intelligent Beatle" as a means to
smooth down his rebellious
edges.
Johnson also saw the rebel in
Lennon, as well as a man of deep
convictions.
"He was an honest man," she
says. "He was not afraid to stand
up for what he believed in. There
are a lot of messages in his
songs."
The shooting of John Lennon on
Dec. 8,1980, by Mark Chapman in
stantly shocked a nation, and
perhaps the entire world. Similar
to the day Pres. John Kennedy was
assassinated in Dallas, people can
readily recall where they were
when they heard Lennon was
shot.
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Local Beatlemaniacs will come together at the third annual lohn Lennon
Birthday Celebration this Sunday at W.O.W. Hall.
Johnson was posing for a pain
ting the evening Lennon was shot
and killed. When she went home,
she heard the news.
Many millions of Americans
heard sports commentator
Howard Cosell, during a telecast
of Monday Night Football, break
into the play-by-play and relay the
news Lennon was dead.
"When he died the world really
came together over him,"
Johnson says. She adds the world
was "stunned" much in the same
way they were stunned by Ken
nedy's asassination.
Johnson's impetus for organiz
ing the Lennon birthday bash was
to "celebrate John Lennon and his
beliefs."
"Some people ask why not on
December 9," Johnson says. "I
look at it like Christmas and
Easter. I'd rather celebrate a
birth."
At the first Lennon birthday par
ty 200 guests painted a scroll and
sent it to Yoko Ono and Sean Len
non. She hoped for, but didn't ex
pect a response.
"The following year, '82, in the
spring, I got a Xerox copy of a let
ter (from Ono)," Johnson says.
The letter thanked all those who
had expressed their sentiments
toward her and Sean. While not
personal, "it was a response,"
says Johnson.
The Lennon birthday party this
year is the biggest and no doubt
the best so far. A masquerade con
test, in which celebrants come
disguised as any Beatle song and
win a prize, might prompt some
interesting interpretations of Len
non's music. There may be a few
Mother Superiors in the crowd.
There's the # 9 Band of which
Johnson and Bill Preib of the
Cashiers are members. They'll be
playing Beatles songs exclusively.
■ "Beatle music is incredibly com
plicated," says Johnson. "We've
been rehearsing for months."
Also playing in the live musical
portion of the festivities will be
the Church of the Latter-Day Len
nonites Choir. To Johnson's
amazement this group is planning
on singing "Power to the People"
and "Whatever Gets Your
Through the Night" acappella.
While the bands play, a full
spectrum light show by the
Original Phantasmagoria will
dress the dark walls with dazzling
colors fit for the Fillmore West.
Speakers will include the ir
repressible (always sure to turn
up) Ken Kesey reminiscing on Len
non. The Reverend Jive Guru Dave
will also be a featured speaker.
Probably the piece de resistance
of the evening will be the showing
of rare Beatle videos in the
W.O.W. Hall basement. Johnson
says a collector has provided
videos of the Beatles' first ap
pearance on the Ed Sullivan Show,
Yoko Ono videos, a "Beatles
Around the World" video (circa
'65) and a video of Lennon's "One
to One" concert in New York.
Other videos will be the classic
"Complete Beatles” and a
number of promo-films.
The last chapter of The Beatles
saga was finished the instant of
Lennon's death. But he would ap
prove if he knew that the tragedy
of his death is being erased by a
party celebrating his life.
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