I'm sorry to see the Olympics end, but I have to admit that something really irked me about that closing ceremony. They had a children's choir come out and start singing John Lennon's Imagine, and then big screen came on with him singing the song. This was part of the big musical part of the ceremony, and of course the mere image of John brought the house down. What bothered me was that in both the opening and closing ceremonies neither George Harrison nor Ringo Starr were mentioned---even when they played a Beatles' song, they only pictured John and Paul!!! Now what gives? I'm sorry, but the Beatles' would not have been the band they were without their lead guitar and their drummer, and to exclude one half of Britain's greatest rock band of all time is really disrespectful.  Not to mention George Harrison is in the rock and roll hall of fame, so to not even mention or picture him at all???? This upset me. It was a glaring omission, and I bet I'm not the only Beatles' fan who noticed. Thing is, as solo artists, the Fab Four music is good, don't get me wrong, but when they were together, the music was on another level. Just look at how much music they still continue to sell today, fifty years after they first hit it big.
And I think John would have had issues with how he is lionized. If there were secular saints, Rolling Stone magazine would have made him one. And it's not that I have anything against him. I think he was a brilliant man. He really had a way with lyrics (see, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds") and he was a great singer. But I wonder if he had lived, if he hadn't been cruelly gunned down at the age of forty, if there would be as much idol worship of him as there is today. McCartney doesn't garner the same respect, though he really has an awesome way with a melody (see "Yesterday"). Harrison, who also died too young (of cancer), doesn't get anywhere near the same amount of respect, and he wrote the great tunes "Here Comes the Sun", "Something," and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" among others. And poor Ringo! He's gotta be the most underrated drummer of all time. Who do you think was holding the band together when they couldn't hear each other because of all the screaming? (I bet the Beatles were the reason why they invented a monitor, which allows musicians to hear themselves.) I know this is supposed to be a joy blog, but I had to get this off my chest. I actually get a kind of joy out of being able to write about these things. To the Beatles', I noticed!!! I noticed that they didn't quite respect you they way they should have at the Olympic Ceremonies!!!