John Lennon was killed on December 8, 1980 -- exactly 30 years ago today. Already this year, the late Beatles legend has been remembered with commemorative coins, toilet auctions and lavish birthday celebrations. Now, to further recognize the anniversary of his death, Rolling Stone has released the full transcript from his last major interview, recorded three days before his death.
Some quotes from the conversation ran in an issue of Rolling Stone published just after Lennon's death, but this marks the first time the Q&A session has been published in its entirety. The full transcript will be out on Friday (December 10), and you can hear audio excepts here.
The interview was conducted soon after Lennon ended his five-year musical hiatus, and he talks at length about growing older and his frustration with fans. He refers to critics as "little turds" and speaks of his disenchantment with revolutionary creeds, insisting, "It doesn't fucking work! The thing goes on anyway, and all you're doing is jacking off, screaming about what your mommy or daddy or society did."
He also claims to still believe in the Beatles' motto of peace and love, saying, "You know, give peace a chance, not shoot people for peace. All we need is love. I believe it. It's damn hard, but I absolutely believe it."
Perhaps the most poignant part of the interview comes when Lennon lashes out against the media, saying, "What they want is dead heroes, like Sid Vicious and James Dean. I'm not interested in being a dead fucking hero. So, forget 'em. Forget 'em."
Take a listen to Lennon's words over here.
Some quotes from the conversation ran in an issue of Rolling Stone published just after Lennon's death, but this marks the first time the Q&A session has been published in its entirety. The full transcript will be out on Friday (December 10), and you can hear audio excepts here.
The interview was conducted soon after Lennon ended his five-year musical hiatus, and he talks at length about growing older and his frustration with fans. He refers to critics as "little turds" and speaks of his disenchantment with revolutionary creeds, insisting, "It doesn't fucking work! The thing goes on anyway, and all you're doing is jacking off, screaming about what your mommy or daddy or society did."
He also claims to still believe in the Beatles' motto of peace and love, saying, "You know, give peace a chance, not shoot people for peace. All we need is love. I believe it. It's damn hard, but I absolutely believe it."
Perhaps the most poignant part of the interview comes when Lennon lashes out against the media, saying, "What they want is dead heroes, like Sid Vicious and James Dean. I'm not interested in being a dead fucking hero. So, forget 'em. Forget 'em."
Take a listen to Lennon's words over here.