2 minute read
GEORGE HARRISON INTERVIEWS
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mong the Fab Four, fans labeled Paul the cute one, John the smart one and Ringo the lovable one. This left George Harrison with the simplistic role of “The Quiet Beatle”.
In George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters (Chicago Review Press, Aug 4, 2020), Grammy-winning music writer Ashley Kahn dispels this misnomer through Harrison’s own words. Kahn collects and arranges interviews and articles spanning Harrison’s career, from the Beatles’ first radio interview in 1962 to online chats in 2001, the year he passed away. Included is the full breadth of Harrison’s remarkable career, featuring interviews with TV hosts David Frost and Dick Cavett, and noted journalists from Rolling Stone, NME, Billboard, the Village Voice and many more.
Harrison’s words display his true nature, refuting his reputation as an introvert to reveal an artist who wasn’t merely outspoken, but wellspoken, and prescient about topics and ideas that remain relevant today: the role of music and spirituality; social justice and responsibility; humor and humility. Through Kahn’s chronological arrangement, Harrison shares his life story in real time, allowing readers to witness the personal and spiritual growth of an icon.
Kahn’s research unearths rare insights covering the entire spectrum of Harrison’s life: columns written by Harrison for the Daily Express in 1964, his first US interview, which ran in a high-school newspaper in southern Illinois in ’63, a BBC Radio encounter from ’79 with a young Michael Jackson and conversations with his swami, Sri Prabhupada. In many cases, Kahn discovered interview tapes that were never shared publicly in-full, and includes them here unfiltered, without bias or interpretation. George Harrison on George Harrison does justice to its subject, providing The Quiet Beatle with a platform to be heard.
Harrison’s interviews and correspondences illuminate the impact of his legacy beyond music. He was a pioneer in using celebrity to advocate for those in need, a champion of multicultural collaboration and a dedicated leader of his film company. His words, delivered raw and direct, reveal the complexity of his character. Wise but at times naïve, sensitive but also self-deprecating, and always refreshingly, unabashedly human.
About the Author: Grammy-winning author Ashley Kahn has received widespread critical acclaim for A Love Supreme: The Making of John Coltrane's Signature Album and Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece. His other books include The House That Trane Built and, as cowriter, The Universal Tone, Carlos Santana's autobiography. He teaches at New York University, and his articles have appeared in the New York Times, Rolling Stone and other publications.
