George Harrison

When I was writing about John Lennon, it occurred to me that I have been rude to George Harrison. His death was no less of a shock to me; The Beatles exploded my life and I worship them. George died on November 29, 2001 and yet I do not mark that date in my brain as I do December 8. I will from now on. I cannot believe it has been ten years. Unacceptable.
Around the time he died, a DJ pissed me off to the point of murder. But I didn't kill him. I was agonizing over George's inevitable death from cancer. It was on everybody's mind when he got close to the end. On my way to work, radio on and this asshead said "We have a celebrity death to report AFTER THESE MESSAGES." He used death to keep his listeners tuned and he knew everybody was expecting it to be George. I was hurting AND furious at this idiot DJ. He came back from the break to report somebody else's death, I don't even remember who it was. What a microscopic bug of a fool.
George and John were the seekers, the thinkers. I am not diminishing Ringo and Paul; they are Beatles, they are Gods. My opinion is that George and John did enormous soul searching and questioning and learning; they were active participants in their own lives and they lived according to their beliefs. I think that is enormously impressive when you consider the size of their celebrity. They could easily have gotten lost and just drifted their lives away.
George got a raw deal. As a Beatle, he was lost in the shadow of John and Paul. He was younger than them when the group formed and was not really considered a peer. He was a magnificent guitar player and songwriter, but J&P would only allow him minimal exposure on their albums, limiting him for a long time to maybe one song an album. Eventually they lightened up and he contributed more, but the drawback was that a lot of people had no idea how talented he was. His first solo album was delicious payback. All Things Must Pass. A TRIPLE album. It was like all his pent up creativity exploded when he was given free reign. Exquisite stuff.
He was known as the quiet Beatle, which he was, but he had a wicked sense of humor. Go back and watch some of their early interviews where J&P are the focus, and listen to the sharp and hilarious comments made by George. Interviewer: "How do you sleep at night with long hair?" George: "How do you sleep with your arms and legs still attached?" He was close friends with the members of Monty Python and formed a film company that helped to finance Life of Brian. If you are keeping company with Monty Python you have to have a wicked sense of humor.
He was a guitar player's guitar player. Exquisite and emotional. That is always the ultimate compliment, when your peers look up to you, recognizing a talent that others cannot appreciate.  Clapton and many others worshipped him. But he did it quietly, he was not flashy, he was a very grounded guy who came into himself at an early age and kept improving upon that.
George discovered the sitar in the mid sixties, which he studied seriously and learned to play well. This led him to an interest in and exploration of eastern spiritual practices, which ended up defining his life.
He travelled to Haight Ashbury at the height of it's popularity and came back disillusioned. He went expecting a spiritual and cultural  awakening but came back with reports of teenagers exploiting the situation for sexual reasons and drug use with no concept of how to change the world in a positive way. They followed him around like he was a god, which drove him to get the hell out of there as quickly as possible. I was impressed that he criticized the movement in that way considering the times, and his role as a cultural icon.
George was almost killed by an intruder into his home in 1999. The guy broke a window, and while George's wife summoned the police, George wrestled with the man and was almost fatally stabbed. What the hell is it with people trying to kill Beatles?
George Harrison was an impressive human being who used his talent and intelligence to continually improve his life. He lived life the way it should be lived, seeking, learning, changing and evolving. And along the way he gave us beautiful music.
We needed George Harrison then and we need him now.