I shake my head at much of the media coverage of the 30th anniversary of the death of John Lennon.
No one has been a Beatles fan longer, more consistently, and more devotedly – even obsessively – than me. But Lennon was a gifted songsmith, period. His political philosophy was puerile and as predictable as sightings of peace symbols in Haight-Ashbury during the summer of love. “Love” is not all the world needs, and whenever I imagine no possessions I see only a sanguinary free-for-all.
I’ll continue to enjoy Lennon’s music. But his political ‘philosophy’ is to human enlightenment what, say, a rock concert by Milton Friedman would have been to human entertainment.
(UPDATE: Mark Skousen, in an e-mail, righty points out that Lennon’s “Revolution” at least dissed Chairman Mao.)
