George Harrison

["And I Love Her" by The Beatles]

Narrator: That's the lead guitar artistry and Beatle-mania of George Harrison. Although it's not documented, George Harrison was probably born with an amused smile on his face, and if he has his way at the end, he'll go out in a similar manner—amused or an attempt to stifle a yawn. Harrison, whose deadpan expression makes the sphinx jealous, didn't join The Beatles until 1958, but if he were ever asked, "Why?" he'd probably say, "Because nobody asked me." In his teens, musical intеrests were cеntered on Buddy Holly, but sports interests dulled early attempts at a serious musical study. George is an interesting combination of beat and blasé, but takes his music seriously. To get an angry response out of George, you'd probably have to be his tailor, for clothing, next to music, is his only concern. As for a personal glimpse into Harrison, he is alternately analytical and casual...

Narrator: George, you might say, is the unsung hero of the group. Although he doesn't do most of the songwriting or lead-singing, he's very proud of the job he does do. As for his specific role with the Beatle group, Harrison says: "I play lead guitar and sing a couple of songs and I sing a couple of bits on songs that people don't think I sing on..."

Narrator: Blasé with a beat. That's pretty much the story on George Harrison. Guitar-playing and singing are not George's only interests. In his own words, "I like parties and a bit of fun, like anyone else, but there's nothing better, for me, than a bit of peace and quiet, sitting around a big fire with your slippers on and watching the tele—that's the life." George's idea of life is a far-cry from his real life. Like the rest of The Beatles, his home is often surrounded by dozens of female fans. "They don't worry me, though," says George. "In fact, I rather like it. I'd be dead worried if those girls weren't around and if their screams died away... In any case, we aren't home very much these days." George did have one chance to go home over the past year. It was during a two-week vacation recently; the first the group has taken since their phenomenal rise to stardom. Instead, he took off for America "to see the ordinary side of The States," he said, "the shops, the airports, the trains, the garages, and the way people seem to live in general." Despite the novel hair-do and the new approach The Beatles have to music, George feels that the main reason for the phenomenal rise of the group is because, in his words, "We're a different generation, and so are our fans." Born in Liverpool, George left school to become an apprentice electrician. He said he stopped trying to become an electrician though because... he kept blowing everything up!

Narrator: But how successful did Harrison feel the group would be when he first joined? When asked if he ever thought that he and the members of the group would ever be as big as they are today, Harrison, in down-to-earth fashion said: "Well, I'm still only 5-foot-11 you know..."

Narrator: George Harrison is the youngest of The Beatles, born February 25th, 1943, and he's the one with the longest hair. "As for my starting the haircut, that was completely by accident," says George. "We'd been swimming. When I came from the pool, my hair dried into what is now the Beatle hair-do. Not having a comb or brush, I did not comb it afterwards, and then it looked as it does now. We decided we liked it and it has remained." George's thoughts are closely allied to those of his fellow Beatles. He doesn't think much about the future. In his own words, "We're too busy today to talk about tomorrow." And he's disinterested in many other things that older people consider worthwhile. He's completely at ease and looks at the prospects of the group quite realistically...

Narrator: True to his unhurried approach to life, Harrison is candid about the early aims of The Beatles, measured against that which has happened since. "We didn't sit down and think, 'We're gonna be stars and gonna have funny haircuts.' The only thing we wanted to do is make a record."

Narrator: And make-a-record they did. And since, in every field of their endeavor in entertainment, broken all existing records...