Confessions of a political junkie

George Harrison: An ode

I’m sure many members of the media, including other writers here at The Rider News, will have written some sort of remembrance of the life of George Harrison. I would like to throw my two cents in as well. I’m not going to write a biographical column; I don’t presume to know that much about his life to do so. Instead, I’m just going to write some random things about Harrison that I find interesting or admirable.

George was called “the quiet Beatle,” but the man was not shy, merely mild-mannered. George was probably the deepest thinker of The Beatles and a great advocate of fighting for the rights of the downtrodden, perhaps even more so than John Lennon.

He believed all human beings had a responsibility to each other, to treat one another with kindness and generosity. Harrison once exclaimed during an interview in the early ’70s, “I’m just a person. If you treat me with respect, I’ll treat you with respect.” This was the way he lived.

His first wife, Patti, left him for his best friend, Eric Clapton. In fact, Clapton wrote “Layla,” arguably his most famous song, about Patti. Something like this would tear most friendships to pieces. But George bore no ill will toward his friend. Clapton and Harrison remained on good terms.

Harrison was also a vastly underrated guitarist. He was not allowed to be flashy, working within the tight song structure of Lennon/McCartney-penned tunes, but his brilliance still shined on Beatles records, and even more so during his solo career. He penned some memorable rock tunes, such as “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Here Comes The Sun” and “Something,” a song that was covered by Frank Sinatra, believe it or not.

It’s sad that it always takes a man’s death for people to truly appreciate his life, but it’s good to know the memory of Harrison’s life and music will live on. Excelsior.