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DISCUSSThe Prophet Was Ready
03/03/2008Editor’s note: In the same issue in which The Door interviewed Larry Norman in 1976, we also interviewed fellow Christian artist John Fischer, known as “a musician’s musician,” during a music festival in Estes Park, Colorado. That interview is reprinted here, and below are John’s thoughts about Larry’s early death last week.
By John Fischer
Some say he was an outlaw, that he roamed across the land,
With a band of unschooled ruffians and few old fishermen,
No one knew just where he came from, or exactly what he'd done,
But they said it must be something bad that kept him on the run.
Some say he was the Son of God, a man above all men--
That he came to be a servant and to set us free from sin,
And that's who I believe he is, cause that's what I believe;
And I think we should get ready, cause it's time for us to leave.
--Larry Norman
Well, maybe not time for all of us, but most certainly time for Larry to leave. He's already gone, in fact. He left this earth last Sunday morning at 2:45 a.m., and the world has lost a prophet.
There are undoubtedly those who would challenge me on that last statement, but I will not recant. Sure he had enemies among his friends, and he created much of that. He was an enigma--an iconoclast. He could be so far off you wondered if he was only visiting this planet, but he could be so on the mark that you could only credit the truth and light of the Holy Spirit for it.
Indeed, the first verse of his song "Outlaw," quoted above, could have as easily been written about him. No one knew where he came from, but many wished he would go back to wherever that was. He was an outlaw to everything established, and for that he embodied the renegade nature of Christ's first coming.
When you think of it, a guy with shoulder-length blond hair who sang about "sipping whiskey from a paper cup," "gonorrhea on Valentine’s Day and you're still looking for the perfect lay," and "shooting junk till you're half insane," is probably not going to go over very well with the 11 o'clock Sunday-morning worship crowd, especially 35 years ago. But then again, he wasn't speaking to those folks anyway. And to his credit, he never adjusted, like the rest of us did, to the Christian culture that grew out of the movement he helped found. He never compromised for a living. He stayed an outlaw until his death.
For these and other reasons, I have always likened Larry to John the Baptist--a non-conformist living in the desert wearing funny clothes, eating weird foods and hearing voices no one else heard. After having the dubious distinction of being the one to baptize Jesus and prepare the way of the Lord, John lost his head for sticking his neck into King Herod's private life. Larry stuck his neck out lots of places where people didn't think it belonged. It's a wonder he hadn't lost his head sooner.
In a time of spiritual revolution, Larry Norman carried the torch. He was and will remain, through his enigmatic music, a voice crying in the wilderness. I celebrate Larry's final one-way trip to heaven, and if I know him well enough, I would guess he would want us all to make sure we were ready to leave ourselves.
One way, one way to Heaven, hold up high your hand.
Follow, free and forgiven, Children of the Lamb.
Good article. Yes, Larry was indeed a prophet, much like Elijah or JTB, standing outside the mainstream, standing at the margins, standing with the marginalized, calling the establishment on their stupid crap. Lord, don't we wish his like would arise again!
The article left out one of Larry's clearest statements in song about the rumors that circulated about him:
I've been knocked down, pushed around,
People scandalized my name,
But here I am, talkin' 'bout Jesus just the same.
They say I'm sinful, backslidden,
But like a moth drawn to a flame,
Here I am, talkin' 'bout Jesus, brother,
Here I am, talkin' 'bout Jesus, sister,
Here I am, talkin' 'bout Jesus just the same.
Well, I'm writing from Quebec, up north, from the middle of the occasionnal snow storm, roads closed, wind and all. A friend just sent me a note about Larry Norman's death and I got back to you at Wittenburg's.
You know here we speak french (most of Quebecers don't speak english really or have a hard time with it, ...which is my case). 85% of us are "still" catholic, in name at least, and very unfamiliar with evangelical movements or even the Gospel. It's very hard for an american (worst for a southern american) to get a wiff of what's going on around here. And, even if Quebecers think they understand American, ...they don't have a clue, really. In the information age, it's a "miracle". Enough of that.
I'm 52, came to the Lord at 21, attended a Pentecostal church since then (beeing a very weird person as such, since evangelical are less than 2% of the population here). In my first time as christian, in the midst of actual pressure and "mild" persecution, I was in desperate need of support. As long as I took drugs, made (only) Rock'n Roll and was into political subversion and contestation, I was OK here. Being a christian was going too far, loosing it. You can understand that 3 pieces suit preacher were not able to provide a "viable bridge" for me to get "into Jesus" and discipleship. ...Larry Norman was.
I had "In another land" in vynil, then in CD. My 4 children were raised hearing it, they know Larry. Their children will know him too. They are all christians, ...but not very "churchy". They want truth, not gimmick. They know Jesus is serious stuff and that human nature need a miracle. They know only God, by the work of Jesus and the Spirit, can get us trough. They know the Church is no picnic, but we have to hang on and trust the Lord to make something out of us. They know life can be beautifull, full and adventurous, even as we go on toward heaven. They know everybody on this earth is the target of the love of God, as precious as us, as anyone else.
...and they know that Rock'n Roll and good music does not belong to the Devil !
Larry never knew I exist, my children exist, my friends exist. But he made a "hell" of a difference in our lives, being who he was. We heard about hard times, strang acts on his behalf. Well, we had hard times and strange choices too, ...that's all I can say about this.
But, I think he showed us a "viable bridge", a way to be an honest, true to God, christian in this contemporary world, in the continuation and connection to all those christians in the history that were "for real" and made a difference, ...in the end!
Thanks Larry! See ya!
In the fall of 1974, I attended my first Larry Norman concert. It was also my first Christian Music Concert. The only other concerts I had been to was John Denver, and the Vienna Choir Boys I was a Baptist Preachers Kid attending a Christian College about 500 miles from home, and pretty naive of what was going on in the Christian World, outside my Baptist experience. My impressions of the concert were mixed. I was shocked, amazed, apalled, overjoyed, angry, offended, shook-up, blessed, and Changed for ever, for the better. I was at first unerved by Norman's non-religious Faith. It didn't fit my baptist sensibilities.
Over the years after having experienced great bokeness and recovery, I think at 52 I can rejoice in my own Non-religious faith in Christ. I love His bride the church, but as Larry showed us in his music, we don't necessarily have to approve of how she dresses herself all the time. Larry gave us a picture of real faith, which was raw and in your face, and dared to ask questions, and demand more of our devotion to Jesus then just going to church, and singing hymns, and calling it a day.
I know Larry's life wasn't easy. Some would call him a chief among sinners. He struggled with his flesh like the rest of us, but he never stopped "...talkin about Jesus just the same". I look forward to meeting Larry in heaven. How will I know him? He will be the long Haired dude walking to the different beat of a Drummer, right along side Jesus. Thanks for the ride bro.
Thanks John, what a tribute to this truly remarkable brother. I first heard Larry's music in college and had the privilege of seeing Larry perform in concert 4 times. Larry's lyrics were instrumental in my journey. He truly was was a voice in the wilderness. So much of the Christian Music has been watered down for marketing purposes. This band sounds like this popular singer, this one sounds like that one. Larry stayed true to himself. A lot of people probably never got Larry's music, but I for one believe that Larry had a gift. He was never afraid to step on toes, and truly reached out to a fallen world. Larry's music wasn't geared for the church. One of my favorite lyrics was "There’s nothing wrong with what I play./’Cause Jesus is the rock and he rolled my blues away.”
Larry took on the Vietnam war, hunger, poverty, the space program, the Church, infidelity, broken friendships, and so much more than the fluffy music of his Christian peers. Larry was human, he had flaws like the rest of us. That is what made him endearing to his fans. Larry never did the 80's hair band thing, or the spit polished church thing. Larry truly was his own person. I thank God for Larry, and will always be grateful for what he contributed to God's kingdom. Larry, well done, I hope I see you in Heaven.
The best inspiration comes from the wierdest places. Anyone who has been to or done ( as I have ) an outreach concert in San Francisco, knows that "How great thow art" dosn't fly.
Heaven & Hell
Some say God is one of us
Some say he's a slob on a bus
Some say call him on the telephone
when you feel so all alone
some say God does not exist
it's all a lie so they insist
but heres the truth I'm here to tell
it's up to you it's heaven, its hell
ONE WAY
NOW THAT ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I saw Larry in concert but never really met him, except how he impacted me as a youth.... his music spoke volumes to me, and encouraged me to seek Jesus with all my heart. He and Randy Stonehill, I believe, have encouraged more people than they will ever know, at least not here on earth. Larry's passing has effected my emotions more than I would have ever guessed it would, deep down I am in mourning, but rejoicing in his new found freedom. There aren't any social ills in heaven so I imagine he is like a carefree child in his new found home. I'm excited for him, and a little jealous. But I do want to encourage you, God's saints here on earth, that God has a job to do through you or He would have called all of us home too. Keep seeking His will, Keep doing His work, Keep living the life that He has called you to!
Peace through Christ, Ray (ReceivingRed)
http://www.myspace.com/RayBurg
I grew up going to Larry Norman concerts 'up in Canada'. It was one of the great treats of my life when my band opened for Larry. My cousin, who took his own life after years of struggling with depression, would befriend bikers and get them to listen to Larry Norman because he expressed a message that they could understand. Larry's message challenged us all in unique ways; it was a message that extends well beyond the man.
John, thanks for a great tribute to Larry. I remember reading that original issue of the Door in 1976. But my memories of Larry Norman go back to 1969 when we had our first March for Jesus down Hollywood Blvd. (Dec. 12, 1969) on a Sunday afternoon. There were 10,000 of us marching down the blvd. and somewhere along the way, I found myself alongside this "guy" with long blond hair. I put it that way because I had to do a doubletake to make sure that "he" was a he. After all, this was Hollywood, even in 1969!
Shortly after that, I worked with Larry at the Hollywood Free Paper. He wrote a column, and I did most of the artwork and layout.
Larry was an enigma to me. One day at the small little house that he rented just off Sunset Blvd, he showed me his new album that he had just finished. When I asked to hear it, he proceeded to play it on an old portable GE stereo that only had one speaker working. I thought to myself--this is insane! He is this guy making great music and we can't even hear it because he's too cheap to buy a decent stereo. Larry was full of contradictions (aren't we all?). Another time, he had finished telling me about how Randy Stonehill had come to know the Lord just the night before in his kitchen, and then we went for a walk down Sunset Blvd. with Larry singing a SEARS jingle, "Sears has everything."
I will always be thankful to the Lord for the opportunity know Larry Norman and call him my friend.
I'll never forget the first Larry Norman concert I attended in a high school auditorium in Victoria, with the opening lines in his first song "Had a baby out of wedlock, her father's got me in a headlock". From there he proceeded to demolish my comfortable world of "churchianity" & challenged me to get out of my "holy huddle" & get out into the "real world" of tough social issues & ills with the love of Christ. A few years later I had the opportunity to be a sound guy at an outdoor Jesus festival (Lodestone 74) in Vancouver. During most of festival, the majority of the audience sat behind our sound booth to listen to the various Christian bands play, but when Larry came to the stage, I was amazed to see the hundreds of people behind us quietly get up & move past us to get as close as possible to Larry. To me this was a "moving" testimony to the impact Larry was having on so many people at this time.
I pray that there will be others who take up the "mantle" of this enigmatic prophet to further build God's Kingdom!
I absolutely love playing some of Larry's tunes for Sunday morning entry/exit music. Always a combination of dirty looks and affirming head-nods, he challenges us to think beyond our comfort zone and remember realities beyond our walls, of which we should be an active part.
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