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The Manbottle Library  :  Trivia  :  Music  :  ANSWER

ANSWER


In 1969 Timothy Leary decided he wanted to run for governor of California, and asked John Lennon to write a campaign song for him. Leary's campaign slogan was "Come Together".

In a 1980 interview, John Lennon talked about his attempt at writing a campaign song: "I tried and I tried, but I couldn't come up with one. But I came up with this, 'Come Together'." Many people have attempted to make sense of the lyrics, ascribing a wide variety of meanings and interpretations to the song, but according to Lennon, it's just "gobbledygook".

Didn't really matter, since Timothy Leary's bid for governor was cut short in February 1970, when he was sentenced to 10 years in prison on drug charges. By the time the election rolled around in November, Leary had already escaped from prison, and was living in Algeria with Eldrige Cleaver and the Black Panthers. From Algeria, Leary traveled to Switzerland, and later to Afghanistan, where he was captured by US agents in 1973 and returned to prison. He would be released three years later.

In case you were wondering, Leary's campaign platform included plans to legalize marijuana, charge a $1,000 permit to cultivate it, and a five year plan to "eliminate all money from California society and return to a barter system".

Ronald Reagan was re-elected governor of California in 1970.



WHO GOT IT RIGHT:  Marc Quinlivan, Bob Milligan, JP Weigt, Robin Campbell, Marika Thiessen, Scott Flaxman, and Aric Kutsch.



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