What's so great about John Lennon!?

A neighbor dropped in the other day. I was showing her my record collection and as we perused my Lennon LPs, she asked me, 'What's so great about John Lennon?'. She didn't mean it as a 'dig' at Lennon. She's actually a big music fan and pretty knowledgeable. She was simply, and innocently, asking me to explain something that I take for granted.

For a few moments, I didn't know what to say. Finally, I said 'Well, the Beatles were his band. So it's kind of like asking what's so great about the Beatles? He was their leader, the best singer and best writer, and all around the most interesting.'

And while 'singer' and 'writer' are things we can analyze and discuss using a combination of facts and personal tastes, the 'interesting' part is more complicated. But let's just say he was the funniest, the smartest and the most rebellious. And whereas Paul McCartney has always craved the love and accolades, Lennon didn't really give a damn. He knew he was genius and said so.