I always wished that I was born in 1950, but the miracle actually happened in 1972. Sadly, that mistake prevented me from experiencing the Beatles firsthand. But it didn't prevent me from becoming a complete fanatic sometime in Junior High. The girls in school were obsessed with Madonna. The boys wanted to look like Billy Idol (Ok - I DID have the haircut for a while). But I wanted to be John Lennon. And even in high school, when groups like Act, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, The Cure, New Order and 808 State broadened my musical tastes, The Beatles still dominated my listening time.John Lennon was always my favorite Beatle for various reasons. Mostly because he was the unofficial frontman who wrote the best songs, but also because he was rebellious. He was also witty and warm, but could become instantly vicious with a glib reporter - and never back down. His characteristics were that of a man who, after being abandoned by his mother AND father, grew up to become exactly what he had dreamed of being. This adversity alone makes him the sort of classic protagonist that you can only read about in a Dickens novel.
Lennon's background is studied intensly in The U.S. vs John Lennon even though the film focuses mainly on the period in '70's when he and Yoko caught the attention of the Nixon administration. The only mention of 'Bush' comes from an interview with Gore Vidal, but the documentary makes it eerily clear that history is indeed repeating itself. Among the evidence was the wiretapping of John & Yoko's phone by the FBI and famous closet-case, J. Edgar Hoover.
Could we be experiencing a bend in the fabic of time?
There was also plenty of harrassment by Immigration officials, harrassment by the media, and harrassment of the constitution - all set in motion by the President. One of the more eerie moments was a clip of Nixon himself explaining why it was important that he not give a timeline for the Vietnam War.
Could someone please check the flux capacitor?
And how could I forget the interviews with G. Gordon fuckin Liddy. Yeah - he's still around.
Although I wish the film would draw as many as, say, Titanic, I know this won't happen. As if the L.A. audience of which I was a member is any indicator, this film will only appeal to those of the already-converted-Michael-Moore mindset who want to applaud at anything remotely anti-Republican. I'm all for that, but oddly enough, I didn't go to this movie because of the political overtones. But, I can only hope that some stray Lennon-loving Republican with the same intentions will go to see it and, in turn, see the light.
Actually, I went to see this movie because I'm a huge John Lennon fan. Every time I go to NYC, I make a special trip to the Dakota where he was shot, and then across the street to Strawberry Fields. He's still a hero to me and he's still incredibly valid - especially today. Afterall, he was the Beatle who thumbed his nose at religion by exclaiming that they were more popular among English teens than Jesus. That comment sparked record burnings in the South - and I still think that was SO cool. I still think about how great it would have been to be at one of those burnings only to be able to stuff a few bags full of records before they were tossed onto the fire. Man, if I could only travel back in time...
Oh wait...