Further Reading For Mark David Chapman
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Mark David Chapman is the assassin that shot and killed John Lennon on December 8, 1980 in New York City. Chapman shot Lennon 4 times in the street outside Lennon’s apartment and then sat, waiting for the police to arrive. He read The Catcher in the Rye and has said on many occasions that the book is his manifesto and motive for killing Lennon.
Chapman was a Beatles fan until Lennon’s famous “more popular than Jesus” remark clashed with his deeply religious views. In the intervening years, leading up to the shooting of Lennon, Chapman became obsessed with the music of Todd Rundgren, which is understandable. It’s pretty good. But he also formed an obsession with JD Salinger’s signature novel, The Catcher in the Rye, identifying closely with its protagonist, the seriously cynical and insufferable teenager, Holden Caulfield.
Chapman was moved to murder Lennon for what he saw as hypocritical actions that clashed with his lyrics of world peace and harmony. He wasn’t wrong, either. Lennon’s lyrics appealed to the popular hippie mindset of the time but his lifestyle reflected an attitude of spoiled indifference. Chapman has also found himself at the center of CIA MKULTRA conspiracy theories due to the involvement of The Catcher in the Rye, a book sometimes cited by shooters alleged to be acting under mind control.
Chapman, against legal advice, would go on to plead guilty and continues to serve his sentence for Lennon’s murder.
Episodes: 315 & 316
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