Excess, destruction, mysticism, and dark stories seem taken from a twisted fairy tale. Beyond the music, if someone were to ask what rock is made of, surely the answer would contain at least one of all those elements, for to be one of the genres that have contributed the most heroes to modern history, it takes more than resounding chords and wild rolls.
Among the most famous myths is that of the relationship between rock, blues, and the Devil, as many musicians claim to have sold their souls to the Dark Lord to get the fame they were looking for. One of the bands that have given the most to talk about concerning these mystical themes is undoubtedly The Beatles.
Since 1966, after a car accident, the rumor of Paul McCartney‘s supposed death began to spread, and an almost magical atmosphere governed each of the members of the band. Thus, with the arrival of Yoko Ono in the life of John Lennon -who is undoubtedly one of rock and roll’s most acclaimed heroes- this mystical halo was considerably enhanced.
Both John and his wife were assiduous followers of esotericism and the ancestral techniques of divination that it carries with it, so much so that on a trip they made to Athens, they decided to visit a famous astrologer whose prophecy that dictated the future of the musician was not at all encouraging. As if he were a tragic hero, this sort of modern oracle warned him that he would be “shot on an island.”
Upon hearing this, the couple decided not to visit the Greek islands, not even to sail around them in a boat they had at their disposal; all this so as not to risk John’s life. But like any hero about to fulfill his tragedy, the musician thought he had outwitted the sage’s predictions and did not hesitate to head triumphantly for his apartment in New York City.
Needless to say, we all know what happened on December 8, 1975, outside the Dakota Building; however, now it’s worth asking what exactly ended the life of the ex-Beatle. Indeed, it was all caused by the four bullets that Mark David Chapman fired at Lennon. But what would have happened if John or Yoko had remembered that Manhattan is actually an island?
“We would never think of Manhattan as an island in that context. I totally believe that some people are psychic, and the message comes through some people. In our case, he told us that, but we weren’t careful in the way we should have been. We were careful, but in the wrong way, because we didn’t go to the Greek islands,” said Yoko Ono after the tragic events.
Hours before the assassination, Chapman approached Lennon for an autograph. This photo captures just the moment when John and his would-be assassin exchange a few words.
Whether it was ignoring his fate or his geography classes, John Lennon’s death was another event that made the gigantic collective myth that surrounds not only The Beatles, but rock in general, grow much bigger. A lifestyle that despite the inclemencies to which we have subjected it in recent decades, continues to generate legends surrounding its protagonists.
This story was originally published in Spanish in Cultura Colectiva
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