Lennon scoffed at 'dead heros': interview

Rolling Stone on Wednesday ran unpublished extracts online from an interview with John Lennon, recorded three days before he was killed 30 years ago, in which he took a swipe at "dead heros."

In the interview with the US music magazine, which was published in part just after he was murdered, Lennon took on his critics with uncharacteristic harshness, as well as fans who had not accepted his withdrawal from the music world, five years on.

Lennon said that what fans wanted were "dead heros" like Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious and screen star James Dean.

"I am not interested in being a dead fucking hero ... so forget 'em, forget 'em," Lennon quipped.

And the former Beatles great did not rule out the idea of going back on the road to make music again.

"But there will be no smoke bombs, no lipstick, no flashing lights. It just has to be comfy, but we could have a laugh. We're born-again rockers, and we're starting over. ... There's plenty of time, right? Plenty of time," Lennon said.

The nine-hour interview was done three days before Lennon was shot dead.

The magazine is running the full interview with writer Jonathan Cott in its issue out Friday marking the 30th anniversary of Lennon's death.

The former Beatle died on December 8, 1980 after being shot four times in the back by Mark David Chapman outside the chic Dakota apartment block in Central Park West where he lived with his second wife, Yoko Ono.

Lennon had just celebrated his 40th birthday. Now every year on October 9, Lennon's birthday, and December 8, fans flock to the apartment block where Ono still lives to pay tribute to the Liverpool-born musician and mourn his passing.

Chapman, who was mentally unstable and just 25 at the time, had staked out Lennon's apartment and earlier in the day the musician had even autographed a copy of his latest album "Double Fantasy" for the man who would kill him.

Chapman eventually pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 20 years to life imprisonment. He remains in prison in Attica, New York.