Wheeler Dealer with Bruce and Rev. Kolleen Wheeler: Imagine

From a press release: "December 8: John Lennon Day, the anniversary of Lennon's death by assassination, Monday, December 8, 1980; commemorated by Beatles fans the world over."

~ Imagine ~
Words and music by John Lennon

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

"It was twenty years ago today…" December 8, 1980. Bruce and I were living in a 'railroad flat' in an old post-Victorian building on Filbert Street in San Francisco's Cow Hollow district. Bruce was the west coast regional marketing manager for Arista Records at the time, and I was a student at S.F.S.U., double majoring in psychology and art while working part time at U.C.S.F.'s psychiatric hospital. Gil Scott-Heron, an Arista recording artist, was in town. Bruce was having a hard time trying to pry Gil out of his hotel room to make a scheduled in-store autograph session at Berkeley's Tower Records that afternoon, part of the pre-concert promo for his gig at the Oakland Coliseum that evening. Gil was opening for headliner Stevie Wonder.As with all concerts where Bruce represented an Arista act, we had primo seats and all-access backstage passes. This concert was no different, so we hung out in Gil's dressing room for awhile prior to the start of his set, to say hello and generally hobnob at the always fun "scene" that goes on there. It was an exciting time because as much as we loved making the scene we loved the music even more, and tonight's concert promised to be magical in every regard.

However, this time the scene backstage was rather subdued. Stevie was cloistered in his dressing room, and Gil was withdrawn (not too unusual), and not much else was happening. Well, there was always the intermission between the sets to hang backstage some more, so we went out to the lobby to "press the flesh" and hang there. The lobby scene was always fun, too, because we knew tons of people and wearing a backstage pass made everyone want to know you!

I wish I could remember a little more about Gil's set; we had seen him perform a number of times, and he was always excellent on stage-such a handsome, powerful champion for black rights-an ever-inspired poet and songwriter. Gil was usually very talkative between songs, but tonight he was uncharacteristically quiet.

After the intermission, Stevie-always a true Wonder-arrived on stage, very late, and announces without further comment that this evening's performance was being dedicated to someone very special.

Wonder could never turn in a really poor performance, but this show is not as energetic or stellar as some of his we'd seen-it wasn't bad -- just not "over the top." As Stevie returned to the stage for an obligatory encore, he is joined by Gil and Carlos Santana -- what a line-up! Now we're really excited! Stevie stepped up to the microphone and says that he has an important announcement to make. And, as this was twenty years ago, I can't remember his exact words, but his announcement went something to the effect … "Ladies and Gentlemen, this performance has been dedicated to my good friend, John Lennon. I am very sorry to be the one to tell you, but John was shot and killed outside his New York apartment earlier tonight…"And with that, and visibly shaken, Stevie, Gil, Carlos and Stevie's band began the night's final song, Imagine. They all exited the stage immediately upon its conclusion.I'll never forget that time, and I've always admired Stevie's courage for doing the show at all. We learned later that he was so distraught that he didn't think he could, yet he did-he did it for his fans, but even more importantly, he did it for his friend.

Bruce and I returned backstage to say goodnight to Gil, and we found him in tears, seeking solace in a bottle. Everyone backstage was in an emotionally devastated condition, as were the fans who made up that night's audience, and, of course, as were we.

While driving home to Cow Hollow across the Bay Bridge, we listened silently to an interview of John and Yoko on the radio, one that had been taped in New York just the previous day by local Top-40 DJ Dave Sholin, and, as it turned out, Lennon's final one. The interview was interspersed with many of John's songs, and no commercials.

Once home we gathered up our precious basset hound, Sir Presley Pancake, and walked down to the S. F. Marina a few blocks away. Many mourners had already gathered, standing around spontaneous altars of flowers, candles, incense and pictures of our slain hero, to sing his songs, to hold onto one another, and to pay homage to someone the world will never forget.

Rev. Kolleen Wheeler