A handful of days ago, on October 9th, John Lennon would have turned 75. And while there isn’t much that can be said about the man — arguably the most famous pop star of all time — that hasn’t been said a dozen times before, the truth is, even 35 years after his death, there is still so much to be explored, mulled over, and picked apart. Which, of course, illustrates perfectly the undeniable power of Lennon’s myth.
The 2010 documentary “LennoNYC,” an episode of the PBS TV series “American Masters,” has arrived online to take another long look at the megastar. The doc focus on the artist’s post-Beatles life, and attempts to flesh out Lennon as a man, a human being with a family and flaws like anyone else. But it also takes a look at the genius lurking within, and the perilous balance between his two lives: the public and the private.
Written and directed by Michael Epstein, “LennonNYC” features miles of archive footage of Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Elton John, as well as loads of interviews with many of the key players on Double Fantasy, Lennon’s final album, released only weeks prior to his murder. And while not all of the landscape explored in “LennonNYC” is new territory, it is an enthralling look at some of the many sides of Lennon: his outlandishness, his kindness, his family life, his love life, his brilliance, and even the strange, disconcerting interest the American government had in him. But, above all, it’s the story of a musician and his music.
Check out the Peabody Award-winning “LennonNYC” below and let us know what you think of the doc in the comments.