john lennon died 30 years ago today.

i still can't believe it;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n73GFvAy ... r_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfoMQN0MnEI&NR=1

I don't think any of us can, renny.

It was indeed an awful moment. I'm not much of Baetles fan but I remember that day vividly and it still makes me angry that it happened. Senseless.
Also, today is the anniversary of the tragic slaying of Dimebag Darrell on stage, one of the finest guitar players ever (I think it was 6 years ago), another sickening, upsetting senseless act.

http://wcbsfm.radio.com/2010/12/08/from ... as-killed/

This link has 4 audio clip sections from coverage on WNEW-FM 102.7 (New York's great rock station at the time, for those who don't know). This is how I heard it......was up all night listening to the station and heard all these recollections/calls.

Chilling stuff to hear some 30 years later. Vin Scelsa was so raw and emotional and you can hear his despair and sadness as he talks about Lennon.

So where were you?

I had just got home from night school and turned on MNF in our kitchen, I was making spaghetti. I heard the announcement during the game. One of my most shocking moments for sure.

Watching Monday Night Football, got the bad news from Howard Cosell.

There must have been millions of people that found out from Cosell.

Heard it from Cosell as well.

yep, MNF was an institution back then.

How come football is even more popular now than back then, but back then everyone had football on?

There were 3 choices for what to watch back then.

ESPN did a cool report about how MNF and ABC got the story and reported it.



An ABC producer was in a motorcycle accident that evening and was taken to the emergency room at Roosevelt Hospital, and was being treated when Lennon was brought in. He called the report in from a pay phone in the waiting room. Something very cool on this report, and stuff that I don't think has been made available publicly before - start at about 7:30 into this, and they talk about how they decided whether to report it during the game or not. They have the audio of Cosell and Gifford discussing whether to report it and how to work it in.

Mike Greenburg, on Mike & Mike this morning, said you have to remember what the times were like, and that people in their 20s and younger have a hard time realizing what it was like - no Internet, no Twitter, no Facebook, no cell phones, no cable news networks. Something like this only broke on the three major networks. A very different time - you'll notice that they confirmed the story before they even told the booth. No guessing, no throwing unconfirmed reports out without getting the facts first.

Alan

You'd think since everyone was baseball fans back then, they'd have whatever's opposite MNF.

In December?

More Innocent times back then. Your right, no cellphones/ no internet/ no messaging......you had to find out about this the old fashioned way. Via televison or AM news radio.

Today it would hit the Net seconds after it happened.

Same here Jimbo. I was working nights (3rd shift at midnight start) and I was just about to leave for work when I heard the news. I was so sickened and shocked I couldn't remain at work.

Many of my co-workers, knowning my strong interest in music were coming up to me one after another to talk about it and at one point this red neck mgr I had challenged my, I don't know, manhood or whatever. Well, I wanted to take him out. I was so angered and hurt about this senseless murder I just told him straight out, "I'm outta of here, you do what you need to do and I'll do what I need to do."

My understanding is that my co-workers put up an excellent defense for my actions inthat the next night that manager never said a word to me about the incident. Well that manager is long forgotten but John Lennon will never be far from my heart or mind.

Rick A.

I'm not a big sports guy so I didn't know about it until the next morning when I picked up the paper. I remember reading the headline EX-BEATLE JOHN LENNON and before my eyes hit the next few words it flashed through my mind, "Oh lord, what has he done now?"

The saddest thing about all of this (beyond what it must have been like for his family) was that he was just starting to make music and do interviews again after a long period of inactivity. It would have been interesting to see what musical directions he might have taken in the future, not to mention getting his take on politics, society, etc. over the last three decades. I'll bet he would have surprised us. He always did.

I listened to those clips last night.

Sobering stuff.