Thirty years ago today, Mark David Chapman shot John Lennon in the back because he couldn't find anything else to read. If he hadn't been cruelly forced to read Catcher in the Rye over and over again perhaps Lennon might still be alive today, war might have been abolished and the Beatles might have reunited to record England's World Cup song in 1998.
Unfortunately the mischievous book managed to convince Chapman to bring it everywhere with him and finally, after months whispering in Chapman's ear, he got him to carry out the final stages of J.D. Salinger's evil plan: murder John Lennon and elope with Yoko Ono.
Chapman was originally on track to completing this successfully but after the shooting he realised what he had done and decided he couldn't let Salinger complete his evil plan.
However, he feared reprisal from the brutish novelist whose notorious temper was the stuff of legend, so he decided to turn himself in, and feigning instability, cited the book as the reason he did it.
The authorities misinterpreted what he meant by claiming the book was responsible, but one of the arresting officers was on Salinger's payroll so he was unable to explain himself properly.
In the end though, Chapman had done enough. Salinger's name was now permanently linked with Lennon's murder and any attempt of his to try and court Yoko would have caused a media shit storm.
"Catcher in the Rye" continues to sell consistently to this day and up until his death last year Salinger had become rich from his plot to have Lennon assassinated. However despite all his gold chalices and fur coats (which he was known to parade around the bars of New Hampshire in) he was never ever able to befriend Yoko Ono.
He struggled with the past however in his later years, and he began to feel enormous guilt for what he had done to Lennon. On his deathbed, confessed everything to his son Matthew and begged for the world to forgive him.
His estate later officially apologised to Yoko Ono. Chapman had his sentence reviewed after the apology and was released from prison. He went into acting, most notably starring in "The Killing of John Lennon". Danny DeVito was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actor for his role as the book.
*It's worrying what can come out of your mind sometimes. By way of an apology for these nonsense ramblings here are some of my of favorite Lennon songs.
John Lennon
9 October 1940 - 8 December 1980
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