George Harrison s inspiration
will keep us rocking forever
In 1970, George Harrison sang
the words “My sweet Lord/I re
ally want to see you/1 really
want to be with you/1 really
want to see you, Lord, but it takes
so long, my Lord.”
For Harrison, the wait is finally
over. His dream has come true. Last
Thursday, the lead guitarist for The
Beatles, solo artist, spiritual seeker,
mystic and humanitarian, died of
cancer at age
58.
To say that I
love The Beat
les is an under
statement. To
say that I am
obsessed with
The Beatles is
equally incor
rect. The Beat
les are my reli
gion. The
Beatles are life.
My parents
were hippies,
and I grew up on a steady diet of clas
sic rock from the 1960s. Which means
that I was singing “Sgt. Pepper’s Lone
ly Hearts Club Band” and “All You
Need Is Love” long before I knew any
thing about “modem” music.
I’ve been a guitarist since before I
was a teenager. Who taught me to
play? What better place to start
A A A A A
Depper
In Stereo
than Harrison’s dazzling leads
throughout “Abbey Road”?
One of the first movies I ever re
member seeing was “Yellow Sub
marine,” a cartoon classic that’s
great for kids as well as their par
ents. I can probably still quote
every line from that movie.
In my freshman year of college, I
was infatuated with a girl who
lived in the dorms next to me. I was
really shy, but I knew that playing
her a song on the guitar could cer
tainly help my odds. So, one sunny
day in May, I sat her down and
played Harrison’s classic ballad
“Something. ” She was my girl
friend for the next year.
I heard about Harrison’s death
this morning while at work. A fel
low employee told me about it, and
I went numb. My lip started to
tremble. For the next hour or so, I
attempted to do my job the best I
could, but I couldn’t concentrate.
My heart was broken.
I finished what I had to do and
walked out the front door, and in
stantly the tears came pouring down.
I had lost more than a rock star, more
than a face on a record album, more
than an idol. I had lost a friend—and
a very close one at that. Maybe now I
can understand an inkling of what
my parents felt on Dec. 8,1980, when
John Lennon died.
I ran outdoors and called my dad
from a pay phone. We talked for
quite awhile about what Harrison
had meant for us, and for the world.
The Beatles have always been a vi
tal link between me and my par
ents. When we start talking about
them, the generation gap just melts.
My dad pointed out that Harri
son and Lennon are probably rock
ing out somewhere in the cosmos.
I’ve neyer been much of the reli
giousdype, but this thought
brought the first smile of the day to
my face.
Throughout my life, The Beatles
have been a vital support system to
me. This past term has been a diffi
cult one for me, scholastically and
emotionally. But no matter how
down and out I get, I can always
play a Beatles album to make me
feel better.
But listening to The Beatles isn’t
going to make me feel better today. I
think that I’m going to go home, put
on the “White Album,” and celebrate
all that Harrison gave to the world.
Wherever you are, thank you,
George. Your kindness, good na
ture and indomitable spirit have
been an inspiration to us all.
Emerald webmaster Dave Depper can be
reached at davedepper@dailyemerald.com.
His opinions do not necessarily represent
those of the Emerald.
George Harrison
Former lead guitarist of The Beatles died Thursday at age 58
Personal
Bora, 1943, in LiverpoolJngiand
1956 Marries Path Boyd; divorced in 197?
1979 Marries his former secretary, Olivia Arias, with
whom he has a son, Ohani
Career
1959 Joins The Quarry Men, a band led by John Lennon and Paul
McCartney
1960 Sand changes name to The Beaties
1962 Ringo Starr joins the group
1970 Beatles break up; Harnson is the first Beetle to record
a No. 1 solo record (“My Sweet Lord”)
1971 Introduces concert fund-raising with his benefit for
Bangladesh
1987 Releases hit album “Cloud Nine”
1988 Forms The Traveling Wilburys with Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy
Orbison, Jeff Lynne
Health
1998 Diagnosed with throat cancer
1999 Suffered punctured lung in stabbing by a psychotic
2001 Undergoes treatment for cancer, but dies in Los Angeles
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