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12/22/2020
By David Perry

Forty years after John Lennon was gunned down outside his New York City apartment, his enduring听legacy as a Beatle, peace activist and solo artist drew fans from UML鈥檚 community together for a panel discussion, 鈥淚 Read the News Today, Oh Boy: Remembering John Lennon.鈥�

For two hours, the panel 鈭� John Wooding, professor emeritus of political science and former provost; Paul Marion 鈥�76, 鈥�05, retired executive director of community relations for UML; and a pair of Distinguished University Professors, Robert Forrant (history) and William Moylan (sound recording technology) 鈥� discussed their recollections of Lennon and their perspective on his impact on music and culture. They were joined by an audience of more than 120 at the Dec. 8 event, which was held via Zoom.

The evening began with a photo/video music montage prepared by Moylan 30 years ago, for a program on the 10^th anniversary of Lennon鈥檚 death.

Each talked about their favorite Beatle and Lennon songs. Their remembrances were deeply personal, even emotional.

Forrant was a big fan of the music, but he recalled Lennon鈥檚 legacy in terms of his activism. Marion remembered the group鈥檚 鈥渟paceship-like鈥� descent onto American soil on Feb. 9, 1964, and its instant infusion into American culture. British-born Wooding spoke of growing up in England as a working-class kid and finding these musicians 鈥� particularly Lennon 鈭� who spoke for him.

Both Moylan and Wooding credited Lennon with leading them to lives as committed pacifists.

Moylan, as a musician, recording engineer and producer, spoke with authority of Lennon鈥檚 musical contributions. He said he couldn鈥檛 listen to the song 鈥淐ome Together鈥� for a decade after the shooting because of the 鈥渟hhh鈥� sound Lennon makes at the beginning of the song.

鈥淚f you listen carefully with a trained ear and on a quality playback system,鈥� Moylan noted, Lennon actually says 鈥渟hoot me.鈥�

Forrant recalled singing 鈥淕ive Peace A Chance鈥� at anti-war protests in the late 鈥�60s. He spoke of Lennon鈥檚 awareness that music could be a force in politics, and his willingness to use it. He said Lennon鈥檚 activism earned him FBI surveillance, and delayed him from getting U.S. citizenship.

Marion was 10 when the Beatles made their live U.S. television debut on 鈥淭he Ed Sullivan Show.鈥�听

鈥淢y life changed in a night. Something happened to me being exposed to that sound. The look was important, too,鈥� Marion said. 鈥淭hey had the key to my emotional lockbox. The sheer joy of their music was something new to me.鈥� And it has never left him.

Wooding recalled how the Beatles gave working-class kids like him pride.

鈥淟ennon in particular was such a refreshing role model for us,鈥� he said.

Lennon鈥檚 iconic round glasses helped many people see more clearly, Wooding said.

鈥淚n the 1960s in England, if you were a kid and needed glasses, you got them through the National Health Care system,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he little round glasses sort of marked you out as being poor or not very wealthy.鈥�

But Lennon wearing those glasses made it possible for working-class kids to wear them and be cool.听

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if that was deliberate on his part, but it certainly changed how people think,鈥� Wooding said.

The program was sponsored by Lowell City of Learning, UML鈥檚 Department of Music and the university鈥檚 alumni Virtual Village.