I Met the Walrus_ How One Day With John Lennon Changed My Life Forever - Jerry Levitan [40]
Surprisingly, it did not take me long to adjust to the breakup. All of the Beatles produced volumes of solo material to keep me busy. Ringo released his Sentimental Journey album, covers of love songs, a few weeks before McCartney. George released his spectacular and massive All Things Must Pass in November 1970 and quickly became the best-selling solo Beatle record at the time. In December, John released his John Lennon album, the product of primal therapy with Dr. Arthur Janov, along with the historic Jan Wenner interview in Rolling Stone magazine, in which he debunked the myths and the glitter of the Beatles and vented graphically and brutally. My prediction of the Beatles saga, and records, was coming true. Even in their time of discord, we all followed intently the biggest storybook of all, the story of the Beatles. Their ups and downs, their trials and tribulations, were all part of the greatest pop story of all time. And all the while, rumors continued that they would get back together. What no one knew at the time was that the Beatles’ story would not end with a reunion but instead take a dramatic and historic turn.
On December 8, 1980, while giving a bottle to my son Daniel at midnight, I turned on the radio. “(Just Like) Starting Over” was playing from John and Yoko’s Double Fantasy album. Released a couple of weeks before, it was John’s triumphant return. He had been reclusive, focusing on his family and like me, his young son, Sean. He had been absent from the music world for more than six years, and this was the first album of original John Lennon songs since Walls and Bridges. It was climbing the charts and I was happy to have John back. “Beautiful Boy” on that album was his song for his young son Sean, and I would sing it as a lullaby to mine.
I was happy and content, looking into Daniel’s drowsy eyes. “Starting Over” was coming to an end. “John Lennon,” the announcer said, “Dead at forty. Shot by an assassin’s bullet.” Stunned beyond words, I held my sleeping son in my arms and wept.
4
EPILOGUE
After John Lennon died, life continued with the usual ups and downs. Like always there was good and bad, but the optimism that I felt from the moment I first saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan was a bit tarnished. Within two years my Dad died. So did my Uncle Mike. In 1994 everything changed. My mother passed away after a long illness. I was suffering under the pressures of a busy law practice and my marriage was collapsing. All of it combined proved to be too much for me. Despairing and defeated, I spent my forty-first birthday in a psychiatric ward.
In retrospect my breakdown was the sort of catalyst I needed to get my life back on track. And as usual it was music—the Beatles and John Lennon—that was my salvation. My daughter Rebecca brought me my guitar, and I would play Beatle songs. I also began writing some of my own.
When I was released from the hospital I began the difficult task of rebuilding my life. My brother told me about a new Beatles project about to come out that was just the salve I needed. The Beatles had produced a three-volume collection of never-before-released versions of their songs called Anthology. It would be accompanied by a three-part ABC television special. And two new Beatle songs were on their way: “Free As a Bird” and “Real Love,” both written by John and with his voice singing lead.
Four months after being released from the hospital, I watched the first episode on November 19, 1995. There they were, my old friends John, Paul, George, and Ringo, telling their story with rare footage and their personal narratives. It was comforting to see that the surviving Beatles clearly still loved one another, and there was no trace of discord.