'God is a concept by which we measure our pain'. So argued John Lennon in one of the best 'gimme some truth' attempts known to date. The white and unblinking sought-after that only the fiercely-looking and thin-voiced apostle of Peace could have mastered.
The Freudian-style revelation had come from the lips of the right persona. For none other than Doctor Winston O' Boogie himself had played for years the mocking parody of 'god' to the day-trippering millions he never actually belonged to, or with.
The veritable icon of the 'In' movement, John Lennon was heavily in the 'Out' tray. Ever the jester, he took his well-worded put-downs to a head when he sang 'Imagine' to a mildly amused ticket-buying audience in Vegas, the 'fat Elvises' that he reportedly despised.
The dream over, the money still good. They gave the man a lukewarm bow-out by putting the sacred image in a brown paper bag when the suddenly calm Beatle John last appeared in public on the cover of 'Playboy' mag in December, 1980.
John Lennon ought to have come to Russia, the one country he had never been to. Better for him. Better for us. Because, the lay don't see God. They use Him as a concept.
Neil Young was dutifully slugged by the late John Lennon for proclaiming, 'It's better to burn out than to fade away'.
Well, John: the dream is not over yet. It keeps fading away quite peacefully, amidst more faking and money making. The latest of the multibucks to trickle down the ears, was the abominable idea of a virtual Beatles re-union gig, with all four original members to appear. Both ghostly and ghastly. I wonder if the concept to measure our purse was panned out by the commendable 'soap impression of his wife' and Sir Well-You-Know-Who-I-Am-Talking-About.
Should this happen, and were I John, I would really come with my trousers off, as he once was quoted as saying. That wouldn't break the myth of course, but the old Edgar Allen Poe kickers would sure be tickled to death to hop in the aisles to Sir Paul doing 'I Am The Walrus'. And the late great John Lennon adding timidly, GOO GOO G'JOOB!
Because, John Lennon isn't playing benefits.
'I'll say it again'