Gimme Some Truth: Essential books and films to remember John Lennon
For those of us who were too young or not even born when John Lennon was alive, or for those who just want a refresher course, the best way to celebrate what John Lennon was really about is to go straight to the source. On this day, 30 years after the tragic death of John Lennon, we highlight the best John Lennon interviews available through books and video.*
Of course, John Lennon’s music was magical and inspirational, but it goes further than that. The more as time goes on, we realize how rare John Lennon was in terms of his honesty in expressing his personal and political beliefs and his courage to take a stand in what he believed in. Very few entertainers or politicians are willing to take a stand these days. We not only miss John Lennon’s words and music, we miss his courage.
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Here are some books, videos and films to help illustrate what John Lennon was all about:
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A set of three candid interviews from 1971 and 1972
The September 11, 1971 show was the first US TV interview John gave after the breakup of The Beatles.
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From 1972, a five-episode set where John and Yoko essentially took over The Mike Douglas Show in 1972 serving as guest hosts and choosing the guests for a full week on the daytime show.
Originally released on VHS, now hard to find on DVD
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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myW96tojeLU]
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This documentary chronicles John and Yoko’s 1969 Peace Bed-Ins and Protests. Even people who were alive at the time may learn a lot from watching John and Yoko’s campaign for peace and realize how ahead of their time they were.
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Book: Lennon Remembers
This in-depth interview with John was conducted for Rolling Stone in 1970 by the magazine’s publisher, Jann Wenner
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Also known as the Playboy Interviews, conducted in 1980 by David Scheff
Now available on Kindle
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In December 2010, Rolling Stone published one of the last interviews conducted with John Lennon from December 5, 1980 – you can also read the interview online here
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Essential John Lennon movies include:
Imagine, the biographical movie produced by Andrew Solt released in 1988, now available in a deluxe DVD edition;
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Backbeat, the movie about the Beatles days in Hamburg, Germany which focused a lot on John;
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Nowhere Boy, the fascinating film about John Lennon’s teenage years;*
Lennon NYC, the PBS film exploring John Lennon’s New York years.
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And of course there’s John Lennon’s entire solo catalog, just released in a Signature Box. The John Lennon Box of Vision features all of the album art from John Lennon’s solo albums in a hardcover book format.
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In conclusion, the best tribute you can give John Lennon is to follow in his footsteps–search for and demand the truth, and give peace a chance.
“War is over, if you want it”
–Trina Young
Very good selection of DVDs. Remember watching John and Yoko on Dick Cavett, David Frost, A PBS program with Elephant’s Memory (during which John performed a new arrangement of, ‘I Am The Walrus’ with Elephant’s Memory, along with the airing of footage from ‘Fly’; and a very funny Flight event with the audience, using a ladder), Mike Douglas, The One To One Special with Geraldo Rivera, and The Jerry Lewis Telethon; during the 1970s. Also Lennon performing on the Lew Grade Tribute. There are some additional books mentioned in the essay, ‘A Meditation On Hendrix, Lennon and The Counterculture’, on my blog.
Very good selection of DVDs. Remember watching John and Yoko on Dick Cavett, David Frost, A PBS program with Elephant’s Memory (during which John performed a new arrangement of, ‘I Am The Walrus’ with Elephant’s Memory, along with the airing of footage from ‘Fly’; and a very funny Flight event with the audience, using a ladder), Mike Douglas, The One To One Special with Geraldo Rivera, and The Jerry Lewis Telethon; during the 1970s. Also Lennon performing on the Lew Grade Tribute. There are some additional books mentioned in the essay, ‘A Meditation On Hendrix, Lennon and The Counterculture’, on my blog.