Love One Another~George Harrison

The nicest thing is to open the newspapers and not to find yourself in them ~GH

Love One Another -- Those were the final words of George Harrison, The Quiet Beatle, fifteen years ago this November 29th. George is my favorite Beatle. His ability to stay so positive enlightens me.

George didn't write much as a Beatle - but, I personally think he wrote some of their best songs: Something, While my Guitar Gently Weeps, and Old Brown Shoe. It wasn't until after Beatledom that the real George Harrison was revealed - he was funny, true to his beliefs, a talented gardener and he could write beautiful, meaningful songs.

He beat Bob Geldof to the first "super concert" for humanitarian relief. The Concert for Bangladesh was held in August of 1971 at Madison Square Garden with Starr, Clapton, Dylan, Preston, Russell, and Badfinger. He used the power of music to do something good (this good also included trying to keep Clapton alive for one more weekend).

When I get angry, frustrated, uptight, usually all three when I am on the subway, I throw on some Harrison. I wonder if he knew what impact his life and music would have on others. He gives me peace on earth -- and my fellow subway riders should thank him.

The recent documentary on George is  a revealing glimpse into this Beatle. There was  also a preview in Rolling Stone that included and interview with his son Dhani, whom at one point in his childhood was convinced his dad was just a gardener:

             He's probably laughing at me, says Dahni, saying "That's what it's supposed to look like. You don't build a garden for yourself, right now - you build a garden for future generations". My father definitely had a long view.

The love and light that George Harrison brought into this world is definitely seen in The Concert For George. His many friends gave the perfect tribute to this man, this musician and even comedian.

When I think of George Harrison - I think of love and of peace. I also see someone who would have been happy just tending to his garden. I also think of the final scenes of Goodfellas (had a deja vu moment with this in Bay Ridge -- but that is another blog post).

I am partial to this Harrison song -- this version is one of my wedding songs: