Can another John Lennon exist in a world with Facebook and Twitter? I think the constant access would destroy the mythos while simultaneously being necessary for global popularity.
Unrelated to the topic but related to Lennon - I have listened to the Beatles full discography at least twice. 'Hey Jude,' 'Blackbird,' and 'Let It Be' are some of my favorite songs to play and sing for my own benefit. I still don't understand the mass hysteria that John Lennon inspired. I understand the Beatles conceptually, where they fit in the history of music and mass culture in the 20th century, but I don't understand why Lennon specifically incurs so much strong emotion. Anybody have an explanation?
Cynically, because he was shot on a street in New York by a lunatic. If he'd fallen asleep while driving south on the M1 past Sheffield and drove into a tree, I don't think he'd be remembered in the same way. Tragic death causes different emotions, I think. My favorite Beatles song is Across The Universe. I won't say I'm specifically a George Harrison fan, but I think it's a better song than anything Lennon did.