Help me understand John Coltrane .... seriously.

+1 gormdane!
My experience exactly

gormdane

Nice post- precisely. (2) distinct periods for JC- the drug addiction years and post addiction years.  Brilliance,  during both periods no question about it.

Happy Listening!

If you are serious about this, listen to some of his interviews on youtube. It helps to understand his intentions and goals. Also, there is a good book of his interviews, "Coltrane on Coltrane". 

Maybe start with something easy: Ballads, W/ Johnny Hartman, Coltrane & Ellington. Blue Train, Prestige recordings w/ Red Garland, Elmo Hope, Mal Waldron, etc. I have a hard time understanding why some people don't understand John Coltrane. I started buying his records when I was 18, loved them so much that for a couple months 25% of my net pay went to buying Trane LPs. It could be that if someone hasn't "gotten" Coltrane by a certain age, that's just something that's not going to happen. It's music that's understood on an automatic, intuitive level, not something that's an intellectual exercise, such as calculus. If your tastes run to Steely Dan, Eagles, F. Mac's Rumours, the odds aren't too great that Coltrane's your bag. That's just how it is, straight, no chaser.

I would also avoid starting with a Love Supreme.  I would suggest the stuff with Miles Davis (Kinda Blue), Johnny Hartman and one of my favorite tunes, Equinox which is based on the blues progression.
I think people feel they have to like certain artists to truly be fans of Jazz but you really don’t. Don’t force it, like what you like.  Like a friend of mine said, Coltrane is not casual listening.