Intimate, never-before-seen 8mm film footage of John Lennon and Yoko Ono Lennon captured at home in 1968 has been paired together with the brand-new Ultimate Mix of “Look At Me” for a thrilling new video. Filmed by camera operator William Wareing and his crew, the video features black and white and color footage on “home movie” Standard 8 film filmed between takes of John and Yoko’s films, “Film No. 5” (“Smile”) (conceived by Yoko) and “Two Virgins” (conceived by John and Yoko).

When released in 1970, “Mother,” the stark and startling album opener of John Lennon’s first post-Beatles solo album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, signaled a change in John’s songwriting, away from third person narratives and towards a more autobiographical, confessional style. Inspired by the primal scream psychotherapy he and wife Yoko Ono had been practicing with Dr.

From the haunting, funereal bells and emotional wails of opening track “Mother,” it was immediate – John Lennon’s first solo studio album was unlike anything he had made before. Recorded in 1970, shortly after the demise of The Beatles, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band saw John stripping away the artifice and ornamentation for a visceral artistic exorcism that was confessional, raw, painfully honest, and revelatory.

This past week was astonishing, and frankly I still may be in a state of paralysis. Disturbing images of January 6th will be etched into my memory similar to the IRA bombings in the 90's; Londoners covered in blood and marked with silvers of glass. The unbelievable scenes of jumbo jets plowing into iconic, NYC buildings on 9/11 as office workers jumped from 60+ story windows and most personally the haunting visuals of a discarded shoe, open curtains, pool of vomit resulting from the repercussions of suicide.

Today, October 9, 2020 would have been John Lennon’s 80th birthday. His contributions to music, culture, activism, social justice, art, and fashion resonate to this day.

TOMMY EMMANUEL, the acclaimed and Grammy-nominated acoustic guitarist, singer and songwriter, has today (October 9) released a newly recorded acoustic instrumental of John Lennon’s classic “Imagine” as a limited edition 7-inch vinyl single exclusive for independent retail on November 13 in the U.S. and December 18 internationally. A video for the Nashville-based artist’s stirring version of “Imagine” has also been released today, the same day Lennon would have been 80 years old.

Today, October 9, marks what would have been the legendary John Lennon’s 80th birthday. Although gone for nearly 40 years – the same amount of time he was on Earth, the musician, songwriter and peace activist’s timeless and beloved music -  with The Beatles, his collaborations with his widow Yoko Ono Lennon and his acclaimed solo works – continues to thrill, inspire and lately resonate more than ever.

The Empire State Building will shine its world-famous tower lights in sky blue with a white peace sign rotating in the mast tonight, Thursday, October 8, 2020, in partnership with the John Lennon Estate and Universal Music Group to celebrate John Lennon’s life and legacy ahead of what would have been his 80th birthday, Friday, October 9. The lights will illuminate at sunset (approx. 6:25 pm EDT) and stay on until 2 am EDT.

In honor of John Lennon’s 80th birthday, the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus and the John Lennon Songwriting Contest (JLSC) have announced a partnership with Gibson Gives--the iconic American instrument brand’s charitable arm--to support musicianship, music education and songwriting for people of all ages.

In everything he did, John Lennon spoke his truth and questioned the truth. An incomparable and uncompromising artist who strove for honesty and directness in his music, he laid bare his heart, mind and soul in his songs, seeing them as snapshots of his current emotions, thoughts and world view. Believing the one quality demanded of himself as an artist was to be completely honest, he did not disguise what he had to say or conform his messages to be more in line with what he felt others thought they should be.