The Tribute Drummer

Imagine Last Night

I trailed after him, lost in the compound. I couldn't even see the studio building now as we went through another set of heavy gates. A cottage loomed out of the jungle of plants surrounding it.

"It's nice, home for now, yea" Lennon, John Lennon spoke.

We entered and I had to take my sunnies off. Funny, I can't even remember putting them on. It was dark, the curtains drawn. He saw me trying to find my way in the darkness and opened up a couple of drapes.

"Better?"

"Yea suppose" I followed him SLOWLY into the kitchen I suddenly had a revelation "That was, that was you- Imagine last night, slammed the lid down on the second verse!?"

He looked at me like I had two heads then remembered his night's activities. "Where the hell were you?!"

"I walked down last night to the front gates and back to Abe's"

"You shouldn't be walking round at night. Look what happened to you the  last time" He gazed at me rubbing my shoulder and strapped wrist.

"Bit rich coming from a dead man, perhaps you shouldn't be smoking on the porch and playing Imagine"

"Arrr but you didn't know it was me, did ya"

"Well I suppose I did really, I just thought I was going mad" He looked at me over a glass of scotch he was about to take sip of, I swiped it out of his hand and sculled it down.

"Would you like a drink?" He said but the straight whisky was long gone.

"Yea I'll have another, keep 'em coming" He raised a slightly amused eyebrow and I ignored him.

"What do you mean – suppose you did?"

"Huh? Oh well like they say- there is only one John Lennon, can't misplace that voice, nothing like it" I realised I was fangirl-ing and sculled the next drink.

We finished the bottle on the porch. You could see the ocean over the trees. I sat on a cane armchair, he sat in front of me on the steps, his back to me.

He hasn't spoken for over half an hour now. Just smoking and gazing away.

"So, I best be off. Nice meeting you, I suppose" I stood up and he finally turned around.

"Sorry forgot you were there"

"Thanks for voting me miss 'guest of the year'..."

He jumped up and walked in the cottage, expecting me to follow. I did, where else was I going to go in 'his' house. "Want another?" He offered another scotch and I shook my head, I saw the vodka and loaded a glass instead.

"You like a drop then"

"I like a drop too much, Abe will flip his lid when he see's me"

"You had a bit of a scare love"

"A scare- love. Here's to the understatement of the year! Cheers"

"Cheers"

"Where's Yoko?"

"Ummm well... I'm dead"

"She. She doesn't know!"

"Oh she knows. She set it up with the FBI. Still not sure why she agreed to it"

"Ummm bulk insurance money, no more putting up with you! Now that would probably have been a selling point" I smirked at his facial expression it was somewhere between needing to go to the loo badly and a million Beatle scruffs pounding on his door "Why the FBI? Are you under witness protection?" He slammed the drink down but only laughed.

"FBI were all over me for coming into the country back in the early 70's you know. Then there were a few death threats around the end of 1980 they were directed at me BUT directed at me while I was going to be in public so it became a major threat to life and limb."

I listened to him, well I was actually watching his every movement like an undercover FBI agent trying to get a persons nuances down pat so they could impersonate them. 

I was really 'drinking' John Lennon in- the real one -alive and as Lennony as you thought he was or, should now say, is! He continued explaining to me, going on about deportation and the FBI goonies all out to get him waving his hands around smiling and scowling in equal measure while I was sipping (hahaha not) three more rather large glasses of vodka.  Finally I made to leave- again. 

He blocked the door "Here ring him. Abe wont mind. There's the number. You can kip on the couch" John muttered shoving the phone in my lap.

How does a day go from me waking up alone then driving to my imagined meeting with Macca to finding out one late great music icon is far from dead but walking.... talking.... alive! .....

And standing right in front of me. 

I don't really know but I just got invited to a sleepover with John Fuking Lennon!