Quotes from Larry Kane

Well, the first reaction was, What smoke? When I looked and saw it, and we all ran to the back where we were far away from the flames-cowards as we are, you know-all sat around the emergency door and even tested the emergency door, ready to jump out. Of course, I said, Beatles and children first.

He felt extremely responsible for his fans. That's why, instead of showing the best side of himself to them, he went the other way. He said, 'No, I have to be honest -let them know what I am made of. I'm not all that perfect or anything and they have to know that.' (Larry Kane quoting Yoko Ono about John)

But what made John Lennon different from all but a few superstars was not just his willingness, but his insistence on sharing his life with others. He shared the moments of doubt, pain, humiliation, and discovery -in all their glory and pathos- with his fans through his songs.

Harry Bluebond, then 24, was among the crowds of people who came to see John Lennon that Friday: 'John was signing autographs and taking donations. I was fascinated by his presence, because it was really so different from what I expected. It was not the performer I was watching, not the man I idolized as a teenager and young adult, it was a real person. He was so natural. He was as real as you can get.