Imagining John Lennon

Wearing peace symbols and love beads and swaying to their own spirited rendition of “Give Peace a Chance,” about 100 people gathered on Vine Street Monday, where 60 birthday candles surrounded John Lennon’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

It was one of many 60th birthday celebrations worldwide for the late artist, who continues to articulate the aspirations and frustrations of people of all ages. Many of those who attended the party on Vine Street, organized by the Alliance for Survival, seemed as quirky and spontaneous as the superstar himself.

Among them was Rob Robertson of South Carolina, who made a point of participating in the event while on vacation.

Standing nearby were Caitlin O’Conner and Jennifer Maurice, both 15.

“When I was in kindergarten my mother insisted that I listen to the Rolling Stones,” recalled O’Conner. “But I refused and got into the Beatles. For me, Lennon’s the greatest of them all.”

Then there were Karen Garcia, 46, and her daughter Jennifer, 24, who have not missed a major Lennon commemoration anywhere in the nation since he was assassinated two decades ago. If anything, they have made a lifestyle out of Lennon’s life and times by scrimping to afford annual vacations in Lennon’s hometown of Liverpool.

On Monday, they showed up in clothing emblazoned with airbrushed visages of the man and jackets festooned with Lennon badges and buttons.

On the night of Feb. 9, 1964, Garcia was 10 years old and pacing the floor of her home in a Santa Ana trailer park in feverish anticipation of watching the Beatles on the “Ed Sullivan Show.”

She had promised her parents extra household chores for three months in return for permission to watch the program on a school night. When the rock idols finally appeared and kicked into “Love me Do,” she recalled, “I thought John Lennon was so absolutely cute I burst into tears.”

Sixteen years later, on Dec. 8, 1980, she was watching Monday night football when Howard Cosell interrupted the game to announce that Lennon had been shot. “I just collapsed in tears,” she said. “My 4-year-old hugged me and said, ‘Don’t worry, Mommy, John’s in heaven now,’ and I completely lost it.”

Today, she has a Lennon quote for every occasion. During a recent disagreement with her boss, Garcia responded with a line from “Strawberry Fields Forever”: “Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.”

The party was capped by a solo performance of the song “Imagine” by Gaynell Mixon, who said, “It took me two days to learn that song. The words are really, really beautiful. I can hear them all the way down in my heart.”

The day reminded rock drummer Jim Keltner, who played on some of Lennon’s first solo albums, of how much he misses the wit and bite of Lennon’s work almost as much as the man.

“John could be very forceful and emotional about his music in the studio,” he said in a telephone interview. “But, then, all the great guys are picky about their songs.”

Lennon “also had an extraordinary sense of rhythm; as a drummer I pay attention to that,” he added. “For me, playing with John was the easiest thing in the world; his songs practically played themselves. But he told me many times that Ringo Starr was his favorite drummer of all.”

Like many Lennon fans around the world, Pete Howard, editor and publisher of ICE magazine, planned to commemorate Lennon’s birthday alone Monday night, listening to the songwriter’s first solo album, “Plastic Ono Band,” and the Beatles’ American debut album, “Meet the Beatles,” among others.

“Lennon’s early death just added to his myth and legend,” he said.

Howard ranks Lennon among the top tier of 20th century musicians, along with Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley.

What would his life have been like in the last 20 years? It’s a painful thought, Howard said. Even if his artistic output had faded as he aged, he said, Lennon would have been venerated and sought out for his political and social views.

“If he was still alive, he’d be one of the most in-demand social commentators in the entertainment business. What would his take on the Internet be? His take on world peace with all these conflicts now?”

Martin Lewis, a writer and Beatles historian, said Lennon’s lure has little to do with nostalgia. As host of annual Beatles fan festivals in Los Angeles and New York, Lewis said 75% of the crowd is under 25 years old.

“Ultimately, Lennon evoked the noblest part of the human spirit: the part that yearns for the world to be a better place,” he said. “That’s what resonated, especially with young people.”

Victor Adagio, 49, an employee at the Los Angeles public library, believes that Lennon would have continued to be a potent voice as a social activist.

“Would Lennon--the angry, intellectual philosopher--have toned down after all these years? I don’t think so,” Adagio said. “He thought of himself as a revolutionary. At 60, he would still be a working-class hero.”