Thursday, March 26, 2015

New photos from 1980!



I found these gems on ebay.  They look a bit familar, but I think the top one at least is brand new to me.   Oh how exciting!

21 comments:

  1. John was so very thin in 1980

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    1. I agree. I think the macrobiotic diet John was on during this period took its toll on his body. When I first became a Beatles fan at the age of 11 after John's death in 1980, seeing pictures of the 40 year old John then meant little to me. He just looked older and different to me than in the Beatles pictures.

      Now, at the ripe old age of 45, when I see pictures of John at 40 it saddens me a little to see how old and frail he looked for what is a relatively young age. In some of the pictures on this site from earlier in 1980 when John had long hair and no glasses on, he looked at least 10-15 years older than his age ad severely under-weight.

      Such a shame, and such a loss.

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    2. I think it had a lot to do with John's "all-or-nothing" disposition. When he discovered he liked the effects of LSD, he took hundreds of trips. When he wanted to escape the image of being a Beatle, he married Yoko, a woman as far removed from the others in appearance and demeanor as possible.

      It also is the thing that drove the Beatles to the top. John would not have it any other way, and the sheer force of his personality (and yes, all of that talent) pushed the band beyond anything we have ever known.

      When he decided to lose weight he once again had no boundaries. He was sickly thin. I know there has been heated debates about this with those who believe he looked fine, and those who don't like to read anything bad about John. But, when you can count every rib because there isn't an ounce of body fat on a guy who normally had a husky build, something is wrong.

      I get the feeling that over time, he would have become bored with staying concentration camp thin, and gone back to his normal weight.

      In any case, I'll always love and be thankful for John Lennon.

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    3. I am the guy (ripe old age of 45) who posted the above comments about John's macrobiotic diet etc, that you have replied to. I couldn't agree more with what you have written, and am thankful that the first reply to my comments didn't see my post as an attack on the man, who I too have loved and been a fan of for almost 35 years now.

      I have been a part of those heated debates about how John looked in 1980. I tend to agree with you that as a man with an all or nothing disposition, eventually, and especially as he moved back in to the public eye and spoke of touring, John would have returned to his normal weight. The tragedy of course is that he never got the opportunity.

      What I do love about the John Lennon of 1980 is the music. Double Fantasy and Milk & Honey are among my favourite post-Beatle albums. I can identify with songs about love, family and hope for the future.

      Great post, great site too. Glad I have found it recently.

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    4. So glad that you found the site, anonymous 46 year old. I hope you are enjoying the photos and stories as much as I enjoy sharing them.

      John's weight in 1980 is always something that baffles me. In some photos he looks scarily thin and in others he looks very healthy. I am not really sure what he weighed in 1980. He does look almost sickly in some of the photos I see and it makes me sad. Although he does look happy in those photos. I just think it is so rare to see a new photo from 1980, because that is all we have. And you are right...the music from that time is great! But then I am a John fan and I think just about all of his music was great.

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    5. Hi Sara, 45 year old anonymous fan here again (please note I am not yet 46, lol). I am loving seeing all of these photos that I have never seen before and reading the stories that accompany them. Your site is inspired and I hope you are justly proud of it.

      I do agree that regardless of how John was looking at various points in 1980, he does always seem to look content and at peace with the world, especially when pictured with or around Sean. I also of course agree with you that just about all of John's music was great.

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  2. greatttttttt sara , by the way I found this today.: the Fab Four’s biggest fanbase may lie in Mexico City.
    http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/whats-on/la-beatles-fab-four-more-7622715?utm_content=buffer26483&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

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  3. I had not seen any of these before and let me tell you that I have almost 100 pictures of john from 1980 in my files. regards luis from mexico.

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  4. I love the second photo. People admiring the architecture and potted plants at the Dakota, as John walks by unnoticed.

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    1. I don't know who took any of these photographs. They are listed on ebay.

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  6. I hadn't seen any of these before - Sara, you are an amazing photo detective!

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  7. Great stuff! There are loads more new ones from 1980 coming - all part of the Kishin Shinoyama book. Do you plan on posting any, Sara?

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  8. we miss you John - was wondering today what his music would be like now in 2015

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  9. I think he looked pretty good, just a bit thin. He didnt look unhealthy. Fat makes you look younger because it stretches out the wrinkly bits! lol

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    1. He was too thin, his hair was receding due to those diets.

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    2. A receding hairline is *not* due to dieting. At any rate, his hair in these photos looks about like it did in 1976. I think he always had a naturally high forehead.

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    3. Family DNA is the primary cause of men's hair loss. Not diet choices.

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  10. He was very busy. Barely stopped to eat a bite.

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  11. No doubt John and The Beatles were a force of nature, yet we forget what Julian Lennon, his own son thinks about the man. After all he was the closest to him as anybody could. One thing is the mighty musical Lennon, another the person he was.

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