Lennon exhibit opens at Grammy Museum

You don’t have to hop on a plane to Penny Lane, Abbey Road or Strawberry Fields to get your John Lennon fix, thanks to the “John Lennon, Songwriter” exhibit now open at L.A. Live’s Grammy Museum.

The collection includes items ranging from Lennon’s original handwritten lyrics to a pair of his signature wire-rimmed glasses and exclusive interviews with widow Yoko Ono.

Visitors can get an interactive experience at the Beatles-era mixing console where musically inclined (or not) Lennon lovers can add their vocals to hits like “Beautiful Boy” and “Give Peace a Chance.”

On the way out, museum goers (including Ono herself) share their hopes and dreams for a better tomorrow on cards with the pre-printed phrase, “Imagine a world…” Many draw peace signs, hearts and jot down popular refrains like “All you need is love.” Others share specific dreams of equality for people of different sexual orientations and socioeconomic statuses.

In distinctly elementary school penmanship, one child writes, “Lennon lives on.” With this exhibit, he does.

The exhibit — which opened Oct. 4 in anticipation of what would have been Lennon’s 70th birthday on Oct. 9 — runs until March 2011.