My website is www.PaperbackRocker.com. You can find the podcast archives there. Find my books on Amazon by searching my name, Matt Syverson. Follow me on Twitter @PaperbackRocker. Email me at [email protected]. Thanks for listening!
The show notes are as follows:This episode begins with Howard Cosell’s Monday Night Football announcement of the assassination of John Lennon. You know John Lennon’s story and his music. I’m going to tell you about Mark David Chapman.
MDC was abused as a boy growing up, as was his mother. As a teenager, he fantasized about some imaginary little people living in the walls of his bedroom. In 1971, he became a religious zealot. He worked as a YMCA counselor and was well liked. A friend recommended “The Catcher In The Rye” to him.
Chapman went to an evangelical college with his girlfriend, but he cheated on her. He flunked out, and she broke up with him. He became a security guard. He attempted suicide in ’77, but failed. He was admitted to a hospital for depression and later got a job there. In ’78 he traveled around the world, imitating a movie. He married his travel agent.
He started drinking a lot and the little people came back, having board meetings in his mind and deciding his fate. He wrote a letter to a girl saying he was going nuts. He idolized John Lennon, but he decided that Lennon was a phony and he was infuriated by Lennon’s comment about the Beatles being more popular than Jesus.
Holden Caulfield is the arbiter of phoniness. That’s why MDC identified with him so much. Lennon was living in the Dakota Apartments, an extravagant lifestyle anathema to all he preached. MDC was obsessed with many other celebrities, but Lennon was easily accessible because he walked the streets of NYC.
MDC went to New York two times. The first, he backed out of killing Lennon, but went back. He accosted James Taylor on the subway the day before the murder, ranting about John Lennon. The next day, Chapman left his personal items at his hotel and bought a copy of “Catcher”. He was Holden Caulfield now. He spent the day outside the Dakota and got Lennon’s autograph.
When Yoko and John were returning from the studio, he shot John four times in the back. I explain some things about the book Chapman was obsessed with.
Next, I tell the story of Dimebag Darrell Abbott, the guitarist for Pantera. He was killed onstage. I saw them early on at Cain’s Ballroom in Oklahoma. The lead singer, Phil Anselmo, kicked out the security and we all got on stage. Darrell used to be nicknamed “Diamond” Darrell, but he changed it. Dimebag and his brother Vinnie Paul had a band called Damageplan after Pantera broke up. Numerous people were killed at their final show by the gunman.
Everyone loved Dimebag, including Eddie Van Halen. God Bless John Lennon and Dimebag. Rest in peace.