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| the quiet beatle... |
Hi girls, George Harrison here,
lead guitar. I'm not taking any notice of
course, but the other three are skipping around the room,saying,
"Hi girls! George Harrison here, lead guitar." Well,
I've got to introduce myself some way, haven't I? One thing about us Beatles is that
we're just as nutty now as we ever were. Our chart success hasn't
changed us, thank goodness. I remember the first time I ever met
Paul was on the bus home from school. He was sitting laughing to
himself. I thought, "We've a right case here,"and then
I realised he could see his own reflection in the window. Well, I
thought, that explains it! John, I recall, was eating fish
and chips, but his hair being so long kept getting in the way!
Ringo, who I met in a club, looked moody. Then we started talking
he explained he'd been talking hard and the effort was too much
for him. He can't help it, poor lad. I was never officially introduced
to myself. In accordance with the natural custom I was born, at
the time being fairly small (about twenty inches long). My mother
insists that I was brought into the world singing and playing a
guitar, but I think she's joking. My sister Louise and brothers
Peter and Harry make up the rest of the family, whose motto is,
'Live and let live,' and who live at Hunts Cross. After I was born I started to
grow. (Pretty lucky, 'cos I'd have looked a bit of a Charlie if
I'd stayed twenty inches tall all my life). By the time I was
five I could walk and talk and knew my name was George.
(Brilliant really.) My mother and the local schooling
authorities, decided it was time I exercised my great brain and
sent me to Dovedale Primary School. At that time I measured about
three foot six inches, weighed about a stone, and resembled a
garden rake. In an attempt to expand my body I took a great
interest in the school sports. I was mad keen on soccer, cricket,
athletics and swimming. When I was fourteen, Paul and I
went to Paignton in Devon on a hitch-hiking holiday. That was a
bit of a laugh too, because we ran out of money, and had nowhere
to sleep. "I've got the answer," said Paul. "We'll
sleep on the beach." "Great," I agreed,
"the sand will be as soft as any mattress." How wrong I
was. Sand is hard as concrete when you lie on it all night.
Another year when we were hitch-hiking in South Wales we did
actually sleep on concrete. We ran out of cash again, and Paul
had the idea. We could sleep at the police station. "'Evening all, can we sleep
in one of your cells?" we asked the three policemen. "No, you certainly can't,
they're for criminals. We aren't a hotel,you know." "But we don't know where to
sleep." "You can sleep in the
grandstand of the football club," one of the policemen said,
"only be careful of old Fred who's the watchman. He doesn't
take to strangers." >With great difficulty we climbed
the wall surrounding the football ground, and with even greater
difficulty we got to sleep on the concrete steps of the
grandstand. Just as day was breaking I woke to see a small fierce
man standing over me. "Whoops, trouble, Paul, wake
up!"I said.And added, "'Morning, nice weather we're
having, Fred." "What are you doing in my
grandstand?" Fred demanded, ignoring the pleasantries. "S-sleeping," Paul
croaked. "Well,you're not any
more!" shouted old Fred. We didn't need telling twice. Hitch-hiking is great fun for
boys, but I wouldn't like a girlfriend of mine to do it, and I
hope if any of you are thinking of trying it, you'll be very
careful. Right now there are about a
hundred girls outside the dressing room window, and Paul's waving
to them. When we first started as The Beatles and success looked
like coming our way, we were always nervous before a performance.
Ringo would be very quiet, and John very serious, while Paul and
I used to gag pretending ourselves that we didn't care at all.
But we did. Nowadays we are different. We don't think about
performing any more, we just do it. I think we've all grown up a
lot in the last few months. The thing is that we don't really
have time to think about things. We rush from one show to another
and are so busy in between that we don't get time to analyse the
act. Tell you the truth our act really isn't an act at all. It is
just us - Paul, John, Ringo and George - standing onstage playing
instruments and singing. The thing we really care about is
sincerity. We don't play up to a theatre audience, or try to hog
all the camera in a T.V. studio. It is the same sincerity that
influences our way of dressing. We've always worn our hair long,
and dressed the way we do now. Maybe the quality of the cloth and
the cut of the clothes has improved, but basically we look the
same. The boys are trying to tell me
something, but I'm not listening. Ringo looks as though he's
going to have a fit, and Paul keeps rushing in and out of the
room. After all that has happened to us
we've not many ambitions yet unfulfilled. I have one though, to
design a guitar myself, and have it called 'The Harrison.' I'd
like to play as well as Duane Eddy or Chet Atkins. I wish I could
compose like John and Paul. Talking of John and Paul they are
doing their nuts at me now. "O.K. I'm coming." Apparently I have to go now.
Heck,I just got the message, I'm meant to be onstage, that's what
they were trying to tell me. "Sorry lads,I got carried
away."
"I'm George and I play a guitar!"
George's Story...Circa 1964!
GEORGE HARRISON
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