Rolling Stone has released an interview with John Lennon conducted 30 years ago, just three days before the musician was killed outside his New York City apartment.

The full interview will be available on Friday. Brief excerpts of the interview appeared in a special story about Lennon’s murder, but this will be the first time it has been released in its entirety.

Jonathan Cott, the original interviewer, said that Lennon “didn’t mince words” and that the interview is “joyous and vibrant and hopeful and subversive and fearless.” Yeah … that sounds like John Lennon.

The musician was, predictably, harsh with his critics. He said “they only like people when they’re on their way up … I cannot be on the way up again.”

“What they want is dead heroes, like Sid Vicious and James Dean. I’m not interested in being a dead (expletive deleted) hero,” Lennon explained, in statements that now seem eerie.

He talked about other artists in the industry, like Bruce Springsteen, and trying to be a good father to his son Sean. Lennon also talked about wife Yoko Ono, saying he had selected “only two people” to work with: “Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono … that ain’t bad picking.”

“I only put out songs and answer questions as honestly as I can. ... But I still believe in peace, love and understanding."

The interview was conducted at Lennon’s apartment and his recording studio, originally intended to be a cover story about his album Double Fantasy. The cover story was about Lennon’s death instead, an event that truly rocked the world … and still does.

Yoko Ono made a statement about the interview and the upcoming 30 anniversary of Lennon’s murder: "On this tragic anniversary please join me in remembering John with deep love and respect. … In his short lived life of 40 years, he has given so much to the world. The world was lucky to have known him. We still learn so much from him today. John, I love you!"