He got shot

I love him as a songwriter and as a Beatle but after years and years of reading articles, books, papers, essays, notes, watching interviews, statements, etcetera, the more violent and dark side of him begins to appear. How he was angry that bandmaster Paul McCartney had a woman sleeping over so he cut all of her clothes up and laughed when she became angry. He preached constantly about peace and love but did absolutely nothing about it except for lying in bed with Yoko Oh-No for days on end. He beat his wives and children and completely neglected them at the same time. I could go on. What are you opinions?

@fall_equinox, true. Thanks for your discussion. Lol

Bahaha glad I could contribute

He was complex. It’s hard to judge the man, he contradicted himself, often acted hypocritical, he was known to be a bit of a jerk, jealous, temperamental, he is an admitted and recorded (at various times) chauvinist who used violence and rage against women. But he also at least tried to some degree to be better than he was. He could be quite reasonable- like his first divorce: his wife caught him cheating and slept with another man. He tried to divorce her for adultery and take their child, but then relented and let her divorce him for the same, and keep custody. He had a mistress, at yoko’s urging, left Yoko for the mistress, then the mistress for Yoko. Lots to be said of his behaviors over the years. He wasn’t there for much of his kids lives- but he also may not have been the best to have around, especially when he was hard into LSD and the like. Examining anyone is tough. Conflicting stories, rumors, their own and others desires to save face or push an agenda skewing facts....

.... and the faliable nature of memory. These are all magnified when dealing with someone with the cultural status like what he had. He was young for much of the time he was biggest in the spot light, and if we judged people primariky on youth, well... we’d all likely be judged harshly. External factors like drugs and mega fame shaped him in his formative years, to the point that it’s obvious looking at his brief life, he was searching for who he was and some real meaning. He was obviously creative, arguably talented, and with all the factors like fame, drugs, money, his mega celebrity, the rose glasses people put on for pop icons and the dead combined, making any determination about who he was or what kind of human being he was are a little difficult. I think his spirit of trying to better himself and the world is a good one. I think his underlying curiosity and desire to explore was good. But I can’t say that his good deeds outweigh his bad....

To those who knew him, he is as they remember him, a different man to different people. To those fans and those touched by his music- that is how they knew him, that is who he is to him. To some, by virtue of deed or just the human nature we all sometimes feel to reject anything that achieves such popular status, he was a hack, or a traitor, an overly self indulged ponce, or a deadbeat with money and fame. If I had to sum up the man’s whole life in a simple judgment- I would say that good, bad, or in between he was interesting as a human. As a disclaimer- I Doubt I would have liked him, or much enjoyed his acquaintance. I am not a “Beatles fan” and though most of their songs are ok by me, none are on any playlist of mine, or are even songs I much care for. I don’t say they are bad, or diminish their cultural or musical contributions- I’ve just never been “in to” them or their music.