Most people know James Patterson for his fictional works, but together with Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge, Patterson presents us with a phenomenal account of John Lennon's early days with the Beatles and his last days on earth in "The Last Days Of John Lennon." Quoting lines from songs that represent a history of rock and roll to begin each chapter, Patterson blends the formation of the Beatles with Mark David Chapman's quest to become famous. Copywritten in 2020, the edition I have has an added chapter of Lennon's and his mates' inspiration that was added in 2021.
I couldn't wait to begin this book to see how Patterson was going to handle the real story of a rock and roll legend as opposed to a fictional tale about Alex Cross. I hated each time I had to put the book down. I obviously know how his story ends but Patterson made me feel like I was personally outside the Dakota or in the apartment when Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach arrived to comfort Yoko Ono and was asked to play with little Sean. I would also be lying if I said tears didn't form in my eyes as other luminaries received the news of Lennon's death.
Just as he is able to do in his other stories, Patterson had me hating the mere presence of Chapman in New York and actually wishing he would have gotten on a flight back to Hawaii before December 8th. When I heard the news of Lennon being shot while as a younger man working at Macy's while still in college, I was hit hard. I couldn't believe that someone who sang about peace could be killed at the hands of a man with a gun. There is some irony in this! I did save the articles from the Daily News when this happened in December of 1980. The headlines of the stories read: "No Lennon Funeral - Yoko: Pray For His Soul," "John Lennon Slain Here," "Weep For Man Who 'Epitomized Peace'," "Charge Ex-Mental Patient As Killer" and "Killer Takes Infamous Route To Celebrity." The articles went on for days after the incident!
One of the articles I read stated that Chapman logged out on his last day at work as "John Lennon." The book reflects on this when Chapman tells a police officer "I killed myself." He would often refer to himself as John Lennon. John Lennon's life was cut way too short because he was gunned down at a time when he felt inspired to write new music again.
Besides the days that led up to Chapman pulling the trigger, there are many beautiful and historical moments in the book. The "Jesus" comment that led up to the burning of Beatles' records was covered, as well as Frank Sinatra's respect for Lennon having written one of the best love songs of all time. Yoko Ono literally throwing Lennon at May Pang while they were experiencing problems in their relationship is talked about. It was during his time in California with Pang that Lennon was partying hard as a member of what Alice Cooper referred to as the Hollywood Vampires, later creating a band many years after the fact with the same name. Micky Dolenz of the Monkees was one of their drinking buddies!
Patterson fills the pages of this book with interesting tidbits about his time with the Fab Four and as a solo artist. He definitely did his homework. If you are a fan of Lennon, or just rock and roll, this is a must-read book!
