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Appreciation: George Harrison
With David Segal
Washington Post Music Critic
Friday, Nov. 30, 2001; 5 p.m. EST
George Harrison, 58, died Thursday of cancer at a friend's home in Los Angeles. The Beatles lead guitarist, songwriter and later solo artist, who was known as the "Quiet One, was the youngest of the group and became a defining influence in pop-rock through his pensive compositions about love, drugs, mysticism and peace.
Pop Talk's David Segal will be online Friday, Nov. 30, at 5 p.m. EST, to take your comments and questions about George Harrison.
A transcript follows.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
David Segal: Greetings everyone. Let's mourn the passing of George Harrison.
Bethesda, Md.:
Growing up and listening to my mom's records of the Beatles, I have to say that Harrison was the quiet one, but he spoke volumes in his music ... he will be missed but not forgotten.
David Segal: Very true. I was listening this morning to All Things Must Pass. It sounds very much of its moment -- indeed the album shaped the sound of the 70s to a very great degree. But it'll last a very long time. And his work with the Beatles was extraordinary.
Alexandria, Va.:
Did George ever repudiate his belief in Hinduism and association with the Hare Krishna movement?
David Segal: That's a good question. I never heard of him renouncing any of his religious beliefs.
Alexandria, Va. 22315:
Did George leave behind any children?
David Segal: Yes, he had a son with his second wife. I believe the lad's name is Dhani and I think he's about 18 or so now. He co-wrote Harrison's last song, "Horse to the Water." That song has yet to be released in the U.S. so I haven't heard it. It's out in England and appears on a Jules Holland album.
Minneapolis, Minn.:
I recall a magical moment on Saturday Night Live in the mid-1970s -- George and Paul Simon singing together, with just acoustic guitars. They sang one another's songs; I remember George singing "Homeward Bound" and Paul S. singing "Here Comes the Sun." Has this ever been rebroadcast? Is it available on video anywhere?
David Segal: I missed that myself and would love to hear it. I'd check on Amazon, which sells past SNL episodes.
Silver Spring, Md.:
When John Lennon's death rocked the world 21 years ago, part of the sadness for many Beatles fans (myself included) was the sudden realization that the Beatles could never be reunited. Now that a second Beatle has passed away, does this put more pressure on Sir Paul and Ringo to make more joint appearances and do more projects together?
David Segal: Good Lord, I hope not. I hope that the two of them don't reunite and play. It would be like watching a guy sing without arms and legs. Harrison was right to resist McCartney's efforts to reunite after John had died. They were organically a genuine band. They weren't the Beatles without all four members.
Ratcliff, Ark.:
Abbey road is my favorite Beatles album. I have always wondered what was George's contribution to side two, I can hear the other three but I can't here George's vocals, if any. I wonder if you think as I do that he was a very underated guitarist, I have never heard anyone with his distinctive sound. His leads are the parts of the early Beatles that stand alone beside the vocals on each track. I have all of his solo albums, I am going to miss the music he would have made as I will always enjoy the music he did make.
David Segal: It's true that Harrison was less involved with Beatles in their later albums and he fumed that by the time of Sgt. Peppers he spent too much time sitting around watching Paul do all the work. But George does sing on the last half of Abbey Road. Not all of that guitar work is his, however. The solos at the end of Carry That Weight are actually all three guitar playing members of the Beatles taking turns. The final turn -- the one that leads to "The End," is Lennon, who was the least accomplished of the trio. He's basically just pounding on a chord.
Melbourne Beach, Fla.:
Please remember that George was so much more than an ex-Beatle; that he was so much an example to all peoples as a human being; that his joy was sure and confident and he showed some of us that all things are possible and that peace begins within each one of us and that the quest for peace and belief in love are neither futile nor cynical but a true way to change the world by changing ourselves.
Thank you.
David Segal: Well put.
washingtonpost.com:
Having some technical difficulties. Will resume momentarily.
Baltimore:
How did his fellow guitarists rate Harrison's technical ability?
David Segal: He was HUGELY regarded, not just because he was in the Beatles. George was a very restrained, refined and understated guitar hero, very much in the spare, less is more category. Many of the truly extravagant solos on Beatles albums aren't George at all. For instance, that blaze of notes on Taxman -- that's Paul. Ditto for the blaze that's on "Good Morning, Good Morning." George was smooth, deliberate and flash-averse. He was a role model in many ways because he was determined never to detract from a song, never to shine just for the sake of shining. To him, the song was more important than the players.
washingtonpost.com:
Having some technical difficulties. Will resume momentarily.
Alexandria:
George Harrison was pretty heavily involved in the film industry for awhile, running his own production company and producing the immortal Monty Python film "Life of Brian." How did he get into the movie business?
David Segal: He was friends with the lads from Monty Python. And I'd like to point out that as producer me backed "Withnail & I" which is one of the funniest movies ever made, for my money.
Burbank, Calif.:
Hi David:
Like so many long time Beatles fans, I am devastated to hear about George's death. Ease my mind please and tell us that as far as you know, he died peacefully and surrounded by his family...?
David Segal: The details about his death have been pretty sparse. In fact, he died yesterday afternoon, though news of his passing didn't reach anyone till very early this morning, far as I can tell. I'm afraid I know nothing about the details of his last days. I too hope he was surrounded by family and well wishers.
Erie, Pa.:
Why did John Lennon and Paul McCartney limit George Harrison to two songs per album? I actually think that Harrison was an underrated songwriter -- he provided some of the best moments on Revolver and Abbey Road, two of rock's greatest albums.
David Segal: Well, thing is that Lennon and McCartney were a pair of the greatest musical genuises of his century. I mean, George would show up with Within You and Without You and Paul arrived with When I'm 64, and Lennon with A Day in the Life. (That's on Sgt. Peppers, obviously.) Or he'd show up with For You Blue and Paul had Let it Be in his hands. Not easy.
But you're right -- Harrison wrote some amazing songs, and unlike his two more prolific colleages, he didn't have any collaborator. George Martin, the band's producer, would later say they overlooked Harrison, they slighted his skills. He regretted that and said that by the time "Something" was written, they should have realized that he, too, was tremendous.
Maybe nobody believed that lightning could strike three times in a group with just four members.
Washington, D.C.:
Did George Harrison and his lead guitar playing have an uncredited and sometimes dramatic impact on the musical direction that many Lennon-McCartney compositions took?
David Segal: Absolutely. And Harrison came up with a lot of the weird, amazing, wonderful sounds that you find in Beatles songs. One example: he came up with the amazing sound that starts "It's Getting Better." I believe that it's not a guitar, though it sounds like one. It's some kind of keyboard rigged to sound like a guitar.
New York City:
What is your favorite Harrison tune? (Beatles, Solo or Wilbury)
David Segal: I love "Here Comes the Sun"
Bethesda, Md.:
From the earlier question, I think it's safe to say his beliefs and convictions stayed with him all the way...
David Segal: Ok.
Capitol Hill:
While George Harrison died of cancer, his health could not have been helped by his being stabbed by a Beatles-obsessed lunatic a couple of years ago. How sad that two members of the world's most beloved band died, in part, because of the violence of unhinged fans.
David Segal: Very true.
Bethesda, Md.:
One thing thatI have not heard said is how he (I think) he really developed a unique, personal style of electric slide guitar. Just in the same way he pioneered the electric 12 string,
it seems around 1970 his lead work was almost always slide, with acoustic rhythm guitar backing. Around that time Duane Allman became well known, playing great slide and introducing it to the rock audience, but always keeping it close to the blues. George took it to another place ... textured, precise, and melodic. There are some triple tracked phrases he did that would take a fanastic ear and exacting placement of the slide to achieve.
His slide guitar was almost like a voice.
One my favorite slide breaks is in the live
version of "Cheer Down", with a full octave slide at one part ...
George, thanks for everthing!
David Segal: Yes, that electric slide sound was one of his great contributions.
Leesburg, Va.:
I loved the Beatles and I liked George Harrison, but do we have to lose touch with reality because the man has died?
He was not a genius, nor a major influence on rock music. There was no room in the Beatles for another genius.
"I Need You", "Taxman" (Lennon actually wrote most of this song), "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun" are great songs, but let's face it, the rest were crap.
As a lead guitar player, Harrison was awful. McCartney played lead on most of the "Help" album. Harrison was barely even a presence on Sgt. Pepper's, the greatest recorded collection of songs in music history.
Harrison's greatest contribution to music was how he occasionally improved Lennon and McCartney songs (the sitar on "Norwegian Wood", the base line on "Drive My Car", the bluesy touch to the third "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah").
Harrison was the straight man in a group that desperately needed a straight man. I mourn his death, but I think we should keep things in perspective.
David Segal: Without question, the Beatles would have been quite a different and not nearly as rich a band without Harrison. I know that Lennon worked on Taxman, but I've never him or anyone else claim that he wrote most of it. Great song.
Madison, Wisc.:
The performance of "Homeward Bound" by George Harrison and Paul Simon from SNL in 1975 is available on the Romanian Orphan Benefit album, "Nobody's Child," which was put together by the Beatles's wives in the early '90's. This record also includes tracks from The Traveling Wilbury's, Elton John, The Bee Gees, G 'n R, Eric Clapton, Billy Idol, Stevie Wonder and more. It is excellent.
David Segal: Thanks for tip.
Lanham, Md.:
I'll take issue with our moderator's claim that Paul tried to reunite the group after Lennon's death. They sometimes showed up after each other's records, but there was no overt effort by McCartney to effect some kind of permanent reunion.
David Segal: True. I meant that he tried to bring the band together for live shows.
Annandale, Va.:
With the passing of George, what comes to my mind are the lyrics to "My Sweet Lord." "I really wanna be with you. I really wanna see ya lord but it takes so long my lord." It would seem he's very happy now.
David Segal: Yes indeed.
Washington, D.C.:
I was a little too young to fully grasp the import of John Lennon's death, and I know his death shocked so many by its tragic and abrupt nature. But, to me, the death of George Harrison has its own significance apart from his personal legacy. The fact that he was the first Beatle to die of natural causes, I think, gives me a greater sense of the passage of time and the passage of an era than Lennon's death, I imagine, would have. Do you feel that at all?
David Segal: Well, he did died of natural causes, but far too early! I mean, the guy was 58. I've got a grandmother who is 92 and she can still do the new math. I can't really believe that Harrison died of old age, you know? He was doubly cursed with cancer and a brain tumor.
Scottsdale, Ariz.:
When I learned, very early this morning, of his death, I paid a very small tribute to him by playing the first cut on side 2 of Abbey Road (Here Comes The Sun), which he wrote -- in Eric Clapton's garden, of all places] and on which he sings lead. Pretty significant contribution to side 2, wouldn't you say?
David Segal: A great contribution. Like I said, that's my favorite Harrison tune.
Arlington, Va.:
From billboard.com:
Harrison died at 1:30 p.m. yesterday (Nov. 29) at a friend's Los Angeles home following a battle with cancer, longtime friend Gavin De Becker said late yesterday. Harrison's wife, Olivia Harrison, and son Dhani, 24, were with him.
"He left this world as he lived in it, conscious of God, fearless of death, and at peace, surrounded by family and friends," the Harrison family said in a statement. "He often said, `Everything else can wait but the search for God cannot wait, and love one another.'"
With Harrison's death, there remain two surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. John Lennon was shot to death by a deranged fan in 1980. "I am devastated and very, very sad," McCartney told reporters outside his London home today. "He was a lovely guy and a very brave man and had a wonderful sense of humor."
"George has given so much to us in his lifetime and continues to do so even after his passing, with his music, his wit and his wisdom," Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, said today. In a statement issued from Vancouver, Starr said, "we will miss George for his sense of love, his sense of music, and his sense of laughter."
David Segal: Thanks for this.
From the Post:
Harrison died at the Los Angeles home of longtime friend Gavin de Becker, a Hollywood security expert. "He died with one thought in mind –- love one another," de Becker said. Harrison's wife, Olivia Harrison, and son Dhani, 24, were with him when he died.
David Segal: Thanks for this too.
Falls Church, Va.:
Did George own his song catalog or will having "Something" played in the background of car commericals? Paul often beamoans the fact that he doesn't control his old catalog.
David Segal: He did not own his back catalogue, I'm afraid. He was understandably bitter about that and would later say that he and his pals had been robbed courtesy of a fountain pen. They had signed away rights without any idea of what they were giving up.
Stafford, Va.:
I heard George was recently in the studio to record a song. Was it released? Will it be? And funny, McCartney was on local radio yesterday fielding cards, and when asked, said that George was doing great and was in good spirits. Keeping the PR hounds away.
David Segal: George did record a song a couple months ago. It's credited to RIP 2001 Ltd., an example of Harrison's very dark humor.
Jim in Richmond:
David -- I just wanted to thank the poster in Wednesday's chat for the tip that George's demise was imminent. Even being aware of his health situation, it was a little less surprising this morning than it would have been otherwise. The Beatles were my introduction to real music, coming along when I was 10 years old, and they have been a constant in my musical life for 37 years. Thanks for your great rememberance.
David Segal: Thank you.
Evanston, Ill.:
I have to disagree with you about George Harrison's guitar abilities. As John said, every solo was based on a very particular and very specific approach. His early solos were almost rigid in their structure. Even later on, there wasn't the kind of breadth of sounds that even Lennon came up with. What do you think of that?
David Segal: Everything that the Beatles did was very planned out, particularly when it came to their solos. They weren't about making stuff up on the spot, or long improvisations. They were focused on the song. They were not formulaic. And in early days, Harrison had to come up with an amazing variety of solos -- Latin stuff for Besame Mucho, jazz riffs for Till There Was You. Later, he accompanied a harpsichord on "Fixing a Hole." He did everything and he did it in a way that was always melodic almost self-effacing low profile. A bit like the man.
Adams-Morgan:
Weren't George Harrison and Eric Clapton buddies for awhile? I know they played on each other's records and that Clapton wrote "Layla" about Patti Boyd (then Harrison's wife, later Clapton's) and that Harrison wrote "Savoy Truffle" to tease Clapton for his love of candy. Did they remain friends or did they have a falling-out?
David Segal: I think they remained friends. Harrison even went to Clapton's wedding, when Clapton married Harrison's ex. George said something like, "Well, if she's got to marry someone it might as well be someone I like."
Not telling you my city:
Agree about "Here Comes the Sun". It's hard to think of a more perfect recording. Pretty good lyric, tight musicianship, first-rate production, very clean sound. Mountain of sound built around a very simple guitar lick. I love it. Listened to it this morning and teared up a bit. God bless you George Harrison.
David Segal: Thank you, Not telling you my city.
Richmond:
I happened to have "Rubber Soul" at the office today, so I've been playing it and thinking of Harrison, and how I saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show when I was all of 6. When I get home, I'm going to play all my other Beatles and Harrison solo stuff. Just think of all the people all over the world who are doing the same thing right now in honor of George Harrison. Quite a legacy.
David Segal: I'll be doing the same thing.
Arlington, Va.:
After waiting all day to come home and download "What is Life," I also came across the version of "Homeward Bound" by Paul Simon and George Harrison mentioned above. I just downloaded both songs from Aimster in case anyone else is interested in a quick fix.
David Segal: Thanks for idea.
E-Guy:
Perhaps we could mention some of the bands that have paid tribute to Harrison's artistry by covering his songs. Galaxie 500 does a nice version of "Isn't It a Pity."
David Segal: Not familiar with that version, but like the concept.
Alexandria, Va.:
The Stones were "forever a step behind"? They were just hitting their stride by the time the Beatles crumbled.
David Segal: It's amazing how the Stones consistently trailed the Beatles. The Fab Four do Sgt. Peppers, and soon after the Stones put out the technicolor Her Satanic Majesty's Request. But by then the Beatles were into the spare sound of the White Album. The Beatles juked but the by the time the Stones juked, the Beatles had jived.
Alexandria, Va.:
50 years from now what what Beatle songs do you see being still influential and popular?
I do miss George. "Here Comes the Sun" has to be the most beautiful song -- it's like you always get a new begining.
David Segal: There are so many Beatles songs that'll be still be huge. The list would go on and on. The group demonstrated exactly how to arrange things, led the way in experimentation, tested the limits of the studio, reimagined pop through a range of instruments, churned out a staggering amount of music, established the wry, wise-cracking style of every band since, sang like everybody --including Tiny Tim -- and...I could go on and on.
Capitol Hill 2:
I was in the audience when George Harrison made an unbilled guest appearance on a Smothers Brothers show that was being done in the round in 1967 or '68 -- he came down to sing along with his friend Donovan, who was the billed guest. Has that show ever been released on tape or video? Since the person from Madison had the answer about the SNL appearance, I'm kind of hoping he or she will know this, too, as I would "love" to have a copy of that performance.
The word 'genius' is slung around so easily. Whatever he was, George was utterly lovely (I have a weakness for snaggle teeth to this day), spiritually serious, and funny. And his great solo double album, 'All Things Must Pass' really is a landmark of its era. Maybe the person who felt he was no great shakes as a musician hasn't listened to those recordings. --
About his influence -- if you were alive then, you could see it better -- rock went through a period of experimentation with Eastern instruments and sounds (most famously the sitar), and also time signatures, that were derived from Central and South Asian music. That influence was directly traceable to George Harrison personally.
Thank you for this nice forum to think about him in.
David Segal: And thanks for this post.
Westfield, N.J.:
I'll have to agree with the moderator on the guitar issue ... in the late 60s the whole concept of lead guitar was basically hijacked ... the long, improvisational, virtuoso stuff was OK, as far as it went --
but ensemble lead guitar was and still a valid approach -- although I'll go for the other style. Plus people have to realize that all Beatles music is 31 to 38 years old! It's amazing that it has held up so well ... why?
It's all in the song, not the solos.
David Segal: The Beatles created magic that defies all explanation. Really. You think maybe it was George Martin, but nothing George Martin touched sounded as good. You think it was the Beatles, but separately they never could equal their output as a band. It was alchemy. They all needed each other and when they had each other, it worked.
Doug:
David,
Great appreciation piece. Really terrific!
David Segal: Thanks.
Gainesboro, Tenn. (70 miles east of Nashville):
Did anyone ever ask Harrison what he thought of the Eric Idle Neil Innes 'Rutles' parody of the Beatles?
David Segal: He loved it. And he actually appears in the Rutles. He's a reporter asking questions of people as they loot Apples offices in London.
Washington, D.C.:
Re: your point about George being held in high regard for his playing, it occurs to me that George's interaction with Eric Clapton produced three of the great guitar songs of the era: "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (George invited Eric to the studio), Cream's "Badge" (ditto, in reverse), and of course, "Layla" (well ... you know).
David Segal: Yup.
Silver Spring, Md.:
A lot has been said about his later songs,
>but I thought his early songs,
Don't Bother Me
You like me too much
Think for Yourself
were great.
As far as disparaging remarks made a short time ago about his guitar ability -- I'll just say that some latter-day conceptions of what lead guitar is all about, are really narrow -- complete tunnel vision.
David Segal: Indeed.
Washington, D.C.:
The stories in the Washington Post and NPR all state that George's wife and son were with him when he died. Something of a comfort.
David Segal: Glad to hear that.
Dupont Circle:
It is a sad day, indeed, and it's no wonder that it was gray outside for much of the day here in D.C.
What make you of the tabloid (TV and newspapers) reports of George's quick demise from the brain tumor well before more respectable papers picked up on it. Was there any form of media hush-up from the Harrison family, his publicist, or anyone else to keep mainstream media relatively silent on George's health?
David Segal: I don't know. I think the guy just wanted some privacy. Who can blame him? It's hard enough to die. Dying in public must be even harder.
Racine, Wisc.:
900,000 people get macheted to death in Rwanda and it gets hardly a peep of media coverage. Today, some Baby Boomer pop icon kicks off and you'd think the world was coming to an end. Don't you think it's about time this generation rethought their priorities?
David Segal: Oh, I don't know. There's been a whole lot of journalism about Rwanda. It's time, at least for the moment, to remember a guy who made so many people very very happy.
M Street, D.C.:
David,
NPR did a nice story this morning about George. They played some acoustic versions of 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' and 'Something.' Do you have any idea where those cuts came from. They sounded so wonderful.
David Segal: I'm afraid I don't know where those songs were from.
Ok, folks. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and recollections and gathering here to mourn a bit. Go home and get out "Revolver" and just spin that sucker for a couple hours. You'll feel good all under.
Bye now.
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