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DISCUSSLarry Norman: The Original Jesus Rocker Goes to Jesus
02/28/2008
Much of the world scarcely noticed when Larry Norman passed away last Sunday at 2:45 a.m., but thousands of music makers, both Christian and non-, mourned and wept. He spent his last week dictating notes and new song ideas to his sister-in-law Kristin and his brother Charles, and much of that time laughing and praying. His last public appearance was in October in San Jose, a reunion concert of his pre-Christian band People!, which toured with The Who and had a No. 14 hit called “I Love You.” He was 60 years old, a year for each of his albums, had lived with serious heart problems since 1992, and had a defibrillator since 2001.
Several people in the Wittenburg Door family knew Larry well. Bob Gersztyn, who discovered his music in 1971 and knew him personally, tells who he was in a personal tribute, "Jesus and Larry and Me," that was wrenching to write. McNair Wilson, the earliest living contributor to The Door, interviews members of Larry’s musical family (COMING SOON), who came out of the same Jesus Movement of the 1960s that also spawned this magazine. The Door first interviewed Larry in 1976, and that interview is so on target with Larry’s feistiness and hatred of bullshit that we’re reprinting it here. We're also happy to share an article from one of Larry's contemporaries, musician John Fischer.
We’re also linking to several other reminiscences, tributes and comments by friends, as well as a crappy piece about Larry on the 700 Club website that we’re taking note of because we think Larry would want everyone to know that even as he died, he was still able to make the stiff necks nervous. The appreciation by Chris Willman on Popwatch is especially nice because he makes the case that Larry would have been a superstar if he’d been singing about anything except Jesus. Other people on the web talk about how Larry was the first mature Christian artist, and a pioneer in being the first to embrace CD technology and the first to have a multi-platform website. And still others talk about Larry’s weird side, because he had one. The San Jose Mercury News carried a brief summary of his career, and The Oregonian followed up with an interview with his younger brother Charles. Upon This Rock, which is regarded as one of the greatest Christian albums ever recorded, is described here, and an album that has yet to come out is offered by his latest label here. Quite a few informal performances have been posted on YouTube,. Pollstar talks about his influence on younger musicians like the Pixies and Modest Mouse. And on Larry’s own website, you can read his final post, in which he tells everyone “I’m ready to fly home.”
A public memorial service will be held tomorrow, Saturday, March 1, at The Church on the Hill, 2707 Maranatha Court, in Turner, Oregon, just south of Salem, where he was born and had been living since 1994.
Enjoy your mansion, Larry! Rock out with the angels, dude! Down here, though, we'll miss you terribly! Thank you for letting us know that it's okay, in fact a good thing, to both love Jesus and rock your ass off. And thank you for not being afraid to piss off our parents.
All you rockers who love Jesus, keep singin' that sweet, sweet song of salvation, and let the tape keep rollin', dudes!
Larry Norman was amazing. He never compromised and always held the gospel high. He was honest and had no time for health, wealth and prosperity distortions of the gospel. We salute his memory.
Brian Graham. NORTHERN iRELAND.
"Several people in the Wittenburg Door family knew Larry well."
Really, who at the Door family knew larry well?
Check out the New Music for the Church from the first Christian Hymnal: The Odes of Solomon. It helps those who sorrow.
http://theodesproject.com/
Some say he was an outlaw
Who roamed across the land
With a band of unschooled ruffians
And a few old fishermen
I have a great appreciation for Larry Norman's music. During the ebb and flow of my life he has been a connection to Jesus that has remained constant. I'll never forget the sight of him stopping to preach in the middle of the crowd at an Icthus music festival years ago. Thanks Larry.
Who was 'Larry Norman'?
Lots of comments about him it seems, and two articles, but it seems to me that unless you were in a certain part of the world he was just another charismatic church type man with a guitar.
JW,
Just another charismatic dude with a guitar?????
Now way. He was the first. And he was willing to teach others how to take care of the spiritual and technical side of being a christian musician. He tried to set others up for success. Much of his time and effort was in Europe.
Years ago, while I was in college Larry was one of the few rock n roll role models who spoke and sang about his faith. Most of the rest of the music scene was strung out on drugs. He was someone to look up to. Larry should be canonized.
Al Schubert
So, let me get this straight...
For days now my comments haven't been posted due to something about their being "reviewed" and yet, Rev. Hughes continues to post unobstructed. Either I'm being persecuted or there's a glitch in the technology. Whichever, I'm calling in the ACLU to demand my free speech rights! What's that? It's not my right to post? Nevermind.
I bought my first Larry Norman album off the back of a truck in a church parking lot. It was in the mid '70's and I was in high school. Our church youth director had "connections" and shipped in a whole truck load of Larry Norman and Randy Stonehill albums. It was so cool to hear my faith expressed in rock and roll music, we felt so "radical." So long Larry, you will always have a special place in my heart.
I saw Larry play way back around 73 in Warren Heights Michigan.
Never forget how simple and how real he was.
Actually the guys at the center (Frank Majeski etc.) sort of kidnapped him from a nearby concert so Larry came in looking dazed and amazed. But he got the message across in no uncertain terms.
A true prophetic figure imo. He was never afraid to speak the truth even when it hurt. A lot of christain leaders didn't like him for it and made up nasty stories about him. But as he sang, "ya can't keep a good man down".
Larry was a pioneer rocker that influenced Pete Townsend and many other more famous players as well inspiring countless young "Jesus freaks" to pick up a guitar and rock out for God.
I used to play and sing his songs around eastern Canada back around those days on outdoor "witnessing" musical tours.
Here's to you Larry, and give my daughter a hug for me up there. ;-)
Did you ever attend the Fisherman's net, or know Alex the pastor, or Ozzie?
Wow, I hadn't heard Larry died. Saw him twice in concert, bought my first Norman LP in 1977, but was singing "I wish we'd all been ready" since 1972 in Bible Study. Seriously going to miss him.
You mentioned Frank Majeski and I think that must be the same Frank Majeski whose witness helped bring me to Jesus in the spring of 1973. Never heard anything else about him till now
I am agnostic and loved Larry's music. I agree he would have been huge if he had compromised his message. Though I don't have the gift of faith, I found his lyrical imagery beautiful and pure. To me he is in a class with Dylan, Miles Davis and Merle Haggard. A renegade artist.
Larry Norman was a prophet in his own right.
HE reached people who never would have considered going to church.
HE took kids who would have been very violent outcasts, and right in the middle of their most rebellious period of life, showed them it was OK to love Jesus and be cool at the same time; he took our pain and turned it into love - which made our parents, peers, and professors absolutely crazy - which was kind of what we wanted to begin with.
HE took our "ME" focus from the ME-generation and placed our focus squarely upon Jesus.
There is no disputation of that.
HE took music that had been robbed from God, and gave it back to Him, and showed us that we could too.
For some of us, Larry was the only church we could go to because an LP doesn't judge you or think you're stupid. It doesn't smile at you to your face, and talk guff about you when you're out of ear-shot.
For some of us, his music was the only sermon we ever heard.
Larry knew that.
Larry, my big brother, although I'm glad you're with our King, I ache for missin' you.
Come back soon...
Sam. That's a poignant thought and quite a tribute to this man. Very kind words indeed. Glad to have read them.
Thanks for this, and for reprinting the interview. I loved his music and loved Larry, my favorite evangelical (I'm an ex-e, now I guess a liberal episcopalian). But some of other links on this page don't work (it seems they just go back to this page!). Could you correct that? Thanks. Unless this is all a Door prank, in which case I've been punked. But you wouldn't punk us about Larry, would you?
Larry would hate all this crap you're all writing about him. Ha!
Peace...
AS EARLY CONCERT PROMOTERS DURING THE BEGINNING
WE ESTABLISHED A RELATIONSHIP WITH LARRY AND ALL
THE SOLID ROCK ARTISTS. IT WAS ALWAYS A PLEASURE
TO HAVE LARRY COME TO MINNEAPOLIS FOR A CONCERT, A
PLACE VERY DEAR TO HIM ONCE, NUFF SAID.
LARRY KNEW WHAT IT COST HIM, IT DIDN'T COST HIM A
THING, JUST EVERYTHING HE HAD.
HE ALWAYS GAVE BACK!
HE ALWAYS PUT JESUS FIRST
AND THAT'S REALLY ALL IT WAS ALL ABOUT BECAUSE WE LEFT
IT ALL SO LONG AGO, THE GARDEN
"Grab my foot take my hand, Lead me on to the promised land "
Goodbye friend. I shall mourn for years. Not without hope, but I shall still mourn.
His music kept me from dying so many times. And, while we knew that the signs were leading up to this, I would that he were still here.
One thing Larry said that really caught my attention and made a difference in my life was to feed the poor. I can't remember the exact words, but he was saying how, sometimes a "panhandler" might really need help, and how the Bible says to feed the hungry.
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