One of my favorite all-time New Yorkers (he lived here for most of his thirties, until he was shot by that deranged
mother f@#ker in 1980 whose name I will neither write nor speak) is John Lennon. First off, I have to say that if
there is/was any single cultural figure alive or dead who I would most like to meet and hang out with, it would be John
Lennon.
Several years ago, in fact, I even produced a fairly in-depth multi-media package on Lennon and his life in New York
for ABC News.com. I got to talk to Yoko, interviewed his mistress May
Pang, and chatted with a lot of other folks who knew him. It was exhilarating and brought me about as close to the
man himself as I could have gotten after his death. The package was, I will add, a
runner-up in that year’s online journalism
awards.
In fact, and this is mere coincidence, but wonderful coincidence, my apartment is basically next door to 105 Bank
Street, where Lennon lived for the first year or so of his life here. It’s odd, too, because hardly anyone knows he
lived there, and yet as I understand it, that apartment was the location of many late-night jam sessions with the likes
of Dylan, Clapton, etc. Big-time history took place in that little, non-descript apartment on Bank Street, and yet
there’s no plaque, nary a mention in guidebooks, and so on.
So if you are a Lennon fan, and have plans to come to New York, or even if you live here. I figured I’d point out a
few cool Lennon spots you may not be aware of….and some of them you will know right away.
The Dakota Buiilding is where Lennon moved
after Bank Street. The building sits right on Central Park is is also famous for the many other famous folk who live
there (like Lauren Bacall). Yoko still lives there. Lennon used to grab coffee and breakfast often at
Cafe La Fortuna on West 71st Street.
Strawberry Fields “Imagine”
memorial is very near the Dakota inside the park. It’s a cool place to hang out and have a cup of coffee and watch
folks come and go.
Even though he had been out of the limelight for a while, Lennon did a major benefit concert at
Madison Square Garden and appeared with Elton John.
The two sang Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. It was his last public performance.
Lennon recorded Double Fantasy at the Hit Factory on West
54th Street which, sadly, has
since closed. But you can go by and look at the space. Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, Tony Bennett, Madonna, U2,
Donald Fagen, Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, Billy Joel, Jay-Z, Beyonce, and hundreds of others also recorded there
over the years.
You might also remember that Lennon recorded a record called Some Time in New York City, that was loud and
political, and not, in my opinion, one of his better works.
And here’s some very recent Lennon news: that famous Rolling Stone cover with the naked Lennon spooning Yoko, well,
that just won an award as the best magazine
cover of the last 40 years. The photo, if I remember correctly, was taken that same morning by Annie Liebowitz.
It’s nice to see John in the news again. Lennon lives.