John Lennon and me

[TomInTib]

Every year about this time I am reminded of this...

The time was in the early '70s and I was in Houston at the Federal Building on San Jacinto to appear in some sort of trial. I cannot remember the exact circumstance, but I am sure it was related to my service in the Military. I seemed to be, at the time, in a perpetual State of Trouble.

So I am sitting, wasted, in a chair in the hall outside of this courtroom waiting to go in and testify about whatever it was when this really familiar looking guy comes out of an adjoining courtroom. He sat down in the chair next to me and asked if I had a smoke, seems as if his wife had his in her purse. Told me he was attending a custody trial (Yoko and her ex were fighting about their daughter) and it was driving him crazy. And we shared some hazy conversation

That's when I realized that he was John Lennon.

So I gave him a Kool and we sat there smoking (one could do that back in those days) as the media horde came blitzing down the hallway.

The tv people came up, all kinds of light and confusion, shouting all manner of crap and Lennon said, "Can't you see I am having a conversation with my good friend Tom?", and he waved them off.

They all went away and we sat there and talked for quite some time.

I remember standing at the counter at Hank Wagner's hardware store in Houston many years later when the word came over the radio that Lennon had been killed.

I stood there with tears running down my face.

I was a hard guy in a soft place.

Tom

[Sugar Smack]

1. What an amazing story. He was so loved...

there was one guy, a bouncer, that he tackled once on the sidewalk. The guy loved him so much he was just glad to have been tackled by John Lennon.

RIP, you man of music. Yoko, peace to you.

[Liberal Lassie]

4. I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL.....REALLY

Back in the day I accidently met Andy Warhol and we talked for about half an hour. It was when he had his famous soup can art displayed in the Smithsonian. I turned a corner and saw the display and back of a man standing near the art work. I nearly fainted when the man turned around and it was
Andy himself behind the velvet rope. He let me in under the rope and we chatted about the times and what his art meant to him. He said "It is what it is. It's a statement thats important to me." I still don't know what that means but he was a gentle and interesting man.

[Sugar Smack]

8. OMG!!!! That is so NEAT. Welcome to DU!

:D :hi:

What a rush that must have been. For example, if I ever met Courtney Love, I'd fall to my knees. Or if I met Yoko, for that matter!

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

14. and i always thought andy, though i'm a huge fan, would be a jerk in person

nice to know that wasn't the case

[newyawker99]

22. Hi Liberal Lassie!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[MrMickeysMom]

2. That's such a great moment

This is totally how I would imagine him to be, too. Thanks for sharing it.

I wonder if you'll ever be able to find any footage on this?

[Botany]

3. Thanx for the post!

From one Tom to another.

That awful day in Dec of 2000 .... I friend and I were out driving and acting stupid ...
there is a cemetery north of where I live with a real neat headstone .....

It is an oak tree w/ hundreds of critters, birds, and other things in it. We used to drive
up to look @ it a get high ...... my headlights just hit it ..... then the radio played
Imagine .... then the news.

I kept saying, "No not John .... no not John."

I can almost picture Lennon playing the reporters for fools and telling them
about his "good friend Tom."

[bleever]

12. He really looks

like a Quarryman in that picture.

[bleever]

13. .

[Manifestor_of_Light]

5. Hi Tom!

Back in 69 or 70, Yoko was indeed in a custody fight with her ex, Anthony Cox, over her daughter. Apparently Cox lived in Houston so that's why they had jurisdiction. I remember the pics in the Houston Carbuncle. That was when John & Yoko both wore white suits.

The Family Law Center is where all Domestic Relations cases are handled.
Its alternate name, as told to me by a civil district judge is "The Palace of Perjury". :rofl:

The really old Federal building is right next to the Family Law Center. I can't quite figure out how you would be in the Family Law building if you were having a military problem. So you must have been in front of a J.P. or a County Criminal Court judge in the Family Building.

thanks for the story Tom!

(I'm a broken down retired court reporter who used to work in all the Harris Co. & Fed. Cts.)

[aka-chmeee]

6. Always knew he was special

Some years ago, my brother-in-law, knowing how I felt about John Lennon, gave me a book about him.
Haven't read it yet...something happens to my eyes making it impossible to read every time I try.

[Patsy Stone]

7. Thanks for sharing that.

I miss him.

[ClassWarrior]

9. Now that's a memory to cherish.

To John. :toast:

Imagine... and...

Never Give Up.

[ms liberty]

10. K&R - Great story...sounds like John n/t

[JeffR]

11. Proud to give this its fifth rec

Thanks for sharing this story.

[bleever]

15. My friend Tom,

he said in all truth.

:thumbsup:

[TomInTib]

17. Thankee, bleever...

Life is curious, ain't it?

[Imagevision]

16. John Lennon is much like Presley & JFK. - With or Without Music, I'm always there on the anniversary

JFK. MLK. RFK. all brought to us by the people who delivered 9-11, and then recently reading where FDR. set up the Japs for their hit on Pearl Harbor so Franklin could announce to the world; "The US was at war with Germany" Churchill, was bloddy gaga after December 7th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Here come the Marines)

[bridgit]

18. that's a lovely remembrance, Tom...

:hug:

[TomInTib]

19. I was at my grandparents' house in Houstom

When I saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show.

Thank the hell heavens, because we did not have teevee at our house.

I saw those guys singing and all of that sceaming and decided that I would never again cut my hair.

And the rest is...

[OneBlueSky]

20. the difference today is that the press wouldn't have backed off . . .

great story . . . and I had pretty much the same reaction when I learned of John's death from none other than Howard Cossell (I was watching Monday Night Football -- and I've often regreted having heard the news from Cossell rather than, say, Cronkite) . . .

[progressoid]

21. ...

[Jade Fox]

23. Check this out....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rj-eskow/turn-me-on-dead-man-26_b_35894.html

[Patchuli]

24. Thanks for that, Jade Fox!

That was a great piece. I miss John so much. It will always be that way. I will never forget where I was; my boyfriend and I were watching Mork and Mindy and they interrupted the show to tell us. We just sat there numb with tears flowing...How dare/could anyone harm a BEATLE?!!!! :cry:

[OzarkDem]

25. Great story, thx for sharing n/t

[johnnie]

26. Very cool!

Thanks for sharing the story with us. I sure miss that dude.

[dogday]

27. Houston resident who is digging this story

Thought you would like to read this article which backs up what you said...

http://www.fullenweider.com/about/articles/Hou%20Bus%20Jou%201991.htm

[TomInTib]

28. Interesting link.. Harlan Crow...

In the Summer of '03, I was at a party at Harlan's house in Turtle Creek (Dallas).

Harlan was drunk and bragging about buying that statue of Hussein that was toppled in that bs staged square deal.

Saying he was going to put it in his sculpture garden once Iraq "cooled down".

I told him Iraq was never going to cool down.

[puebloknot]

29. Just saw U.S. v. John Lennon with my daughter.

Sat there remembering how it all was back then, the way we were. And the parallels are amazing between then and now.

There were only about 25 of us in the theater. We started singing "All We are Saying is Give Peace a CHance" right along with John, and a lot of us were crying.

Someone remarked about the timing, and her hope that the film, coming out in such a timely way right now, will rouse the masses. Seeing all those people marching in the streets made me wonder if we have it in us to resist that way anymore.

Your memory of that time with John Lennon must be very precious to you! Thanks for sharing it.