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John Lennon at 80: Paul McCartney talks about bandmate during SiriusXM event

Jimmie Tramel
Oct 8, 2020

 

John Lennon (center) holds his forehead as 5-year-old Debbie Fyall of London, England, sits on his shoulders at New York’s Central Park in 1964. The other two members of the Beatles in the photograph are Paul McCartney (left) and Ringo Starr. Lennon, who died in 1980, would have celebrated an 80th birthday in 2020
AP file

 

The Beatles Channel on SiriusXM satellite radio is commemorating what would have been John Lennon’s 80th birthday on Friday, Oct. 9, with exclusive programming featuring special guests Paul McCartney, Alec Baldwin, Sean Ono Lennon and others.

Weekend-long programming will feature McCartney reflecting on Lennon in a conversation with Alec Baldwin. The special will air at 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Friday on SiriusXM channel 18 and on the SiriusXM app. The special will also air multiple times on The Beatles Channel throughout the weekend and will be available on demand via the SiriusXM app after its debut.

 

Among excerpts from the McCartney-Baldwin chat:

“The three others of us in the group were massive fans of John because he was that kind of guy. He was, I mean, we always used to get asked, ‘Who’s the leader of the group?’ and I’d go, ‘Me,’ and John would go, ‘No, me.’

“I have to admit ... that it was sort of John, just his personality was a leader’s personality. Luckily, it didn’t matter. We were — we all had an equal vote and so it always worked out without worrying about that.”

“It’s lovely to think he would have been 80. And, you know, ... it’s nice to imagine him at 80. I think he would be very literate. I think he would be writing, uh, not necessarily just music because he was starting to get into (writing books).”

 

 

“When he met Yoko, she was so different. And the two of them were such a sort of tight little unit that they — she was showing him new things in life and a new kind of life. And John had always had strong women in his life.

“When Yoko came along, she was very influential, and he was very happy to be influenced. It caused a bit of problems with us till we sort of realized that he had every right to do what he was doing because he was in love. And you don’t just do what everyone expects if you’re in love. And he was really sort of mad, keen on her.”

 

Following is a schedule of specialty programming that will air during the weekend:

Sean Ono Lennon Guest DJ: Musician, songwriter, producer and the only child of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Sean Ono Lennon joins host David Fricke in a two-part series, sharing memories of his dad, along with his favorite John Lennon songs, both with and without The Beatles — part 1, noon Saturday; part 2, 11 p.m. Sunday.

The Ballad Of John And Yoko: 1969: Listen to John and Yoko talk about their lives and thoughts on many topics in their own words from 1969 — 10 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Sunday.

Eight Songs A Week, Times Two: Beatles fans are giving John Lennon a special birthday playlist composed of their 16 favorite songs with John on lead vocals — noon Friday, 9 a.m. Saturday, noon Sunday and 11 a.m. Monday.

Imagine Special: Bill Flanagan explores John Lennon’s “Imagine: The Ultimate Collection” in a two-part series. Hear the original masters, alternate versions and interviews with those who were part of the creation of the album — U.S. special, 5 p.m. Saturday; U.K. special, 2 p.m. Sunday.

Magical Lennon Maxi Concert: In honor of Lennon’s birthday, The Beatles Channel has imagined the greatest Lennon concert ever — 8 p.m. Saturday.

Fab Fourum: The Beatles Channel’s weekly live Fab Fourum talk show, hosted by Dennis Elsas and Bill Flanagan, will be dedicated to John on his birthday and feature special guests, as well as phone calls, plus the chance to win an Epiphone guitar and the new “John Lennon: Give Me Some Truth” deluxe edition box set — 6 a.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday.

Northern Songs: Beatles historian and author Bill Flanagan puts together a themed playlist of hits and rarities by the Fab Four for this weekly audio adventure. This week, it’s all about John Lennon’s songs with The Beatles — 11 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday and 5 a.m. Sunday.

Peter Asher: From Me To You: Asher, a musician, host and friend of The Beatles, explores the connection between John Lennon and legendary author Lewis Carroll, plus an “Imagine” set and more — 8 p.m. Thursday, 4 p.m. Saturday, 7 a.m. Sunday and noon Tuesday.

 Dark Horse Radio: In this weekly show dedicated to the music that George Harrison wrote, produced, sang and loved, musician and host Laura Cantrell will explore the relationship between George and John Lennon — 2 p.m. Thursday, 10 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.