In Loving Memory The RMB Condolence Book for George Harrison |
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Dear Olivia and Dhani, We want you to know that we love George and his family very much. For over 35 years his music has been there for us. Now, we want you to know that we will always be there for you. Please know that even though we've never met, we are truly your extended loving family. Love You Too, Karen and Mike Contradictions. It seems we have them in all aspects of our lives. George himself was a living, walking contradiction. Imagine being just a "regular guy" and learning to play the guitar for fun. Imagine wanting to play the guitar with your mates, and then making a living doing what you love to do: making music and experimenting with different instruments. Imagine becoming so famous that to step out in public was to take your life in your hands. Imagine wanting solitude but being forced to endure unwanted adulation. Imagine sacrificing your nervous system to play a role in the insane lifestyle of being a Beatle. Year after year after year . . . Imagine being wealthy enough to leave it all behind, (if you wanted to) but still carrying on. Imagine the escape that India, with it's rich cultural, religious, philosophic & musical history, must have been for George. Imagine the egos, each wanting it's own space and satisfaction, what ever that was. Imagine the "professional nirvana" that each of these Beatle egos would require. Imagine all the George songs that never became Beatle songs. Imagine 1968 & 1969. Imagine how easily the "White Album" and "Abbey Road" albums might never have been. Imagine the end in 1970. Imagine four stars flying out into space . . . distant, yet strangely near. Imagine the end again in 1980. Imagine the awe and wonder of having two new Beatle singles released in 1995 & 1996. Imagine the end not being the end at all. Imagine the pain and suffering of Dec. 1999. Imagine the cancer treatments over the last 5 years. Imagine the strength and humour of this man as he met death head on. Imagine the fans wondering, "When will George come out with a new record?" Imagine the last meeting of the former FABS. (Oh . . . the humanity!) Imagine George awakening from this dream we call life and finding himself in the company of John, Jimi, Janis, Roy, Keith, Carl, Jim, Harry, Brian (Jones) & John (Bonham). Would that it could be so. Most importantly, in spite of the contradictions of fame, fortune & circumstance . . . Imagine the joy and inspiration George brought to the world. Imagine the serenity he brought to those of us who continue to cherish his gift. Death is the ultimate contradiction. I believe it's what gives meaning to this life. The death of an icon like George is kinda like "addition by subtraction." For, although it's difficult to accept that his passing is in any way a positive, I find myself to be reunited with the philosophy and comfort I long ago derived from George's music . . . and that's a definite positive! I can, in no way, deny the influence this man (and these Beatles) have had on my life and my philosophic outlook. I'll always keep my sealed LP copy of "cloud nine" right there on the shelf so George can keep an eye on me. (John's there too on "Rock 'N' Roll!) I've always loved the "cloud nine" cover pic of George. He's lookin' so fine (HA!) and happy . . . and his shirt is way cool! It appears to be covered with Lennon cartoon doodles . . . Thanks for everything George. The sum of your contributions is incalculable. Fare well, my old friend! We love you . . . JACK To Olivia and Dhani, My special condolences to you both, in this time of sadness. George was my favorite Beatle, of all. I heard them on the Ed Sullivan show, when I was in high school. I am 55 yrs old. Going by my age, you know they were a part of my youth, and adult years. In tribute to George, and as a way to grieve, I have put together a tribute page for you to view. http://d21c.com/dara/Tribute.html Love, Dara Olivia and Dhani, My sincere condolences on the passing of George. Through his music he shared his life and his love of his friends, family and God with all of us. He was a rare and special man. I will miss him. Jeff San Pedro, California Olivia and Dhani. George touched my heart, he touched my Soul. I'm truly thankful to him. "All Things Must Pass" but my love and respect for George. Now that he has found The Peace I pray to God that he gives to both of you the Faith and the strength you need at this time. God bless you both. Heloísa Maria Cardoso Belo Horizonte - MG Brazil George Harrison was like a God to me, silly as it may sound, not only musically, but as a person. He always had a feel for the guitar, that expressed so much emotion, other musician's didn't have, in his rhythm playing. Every album he made, always sounded different, from the one before it, and I loved them all. He had a unique voice, and his slide playing has always sent Chills, down my spine, especially when he used Nicky Hopkins, and Leon Russell on Piano. I can't even begin to put into words how much George meant to me. He was so sincere when he spoke, and I was fortunate enough to see him live in Denver CO, in 1974. I'm devastated that he died. He was my favorite musician, and I cried when he died, and I'll always Love, and miss George. The album he recorded that I had an obsession for the most was "Living in the Material world." His music always expressed how I felt about life, and it was a combination of Happiness, and well as sadness, as life is. Jeff Crabb Olivia and Dhani, You may never read this newsgroup, but in case you do, I just want to say that the majority of us here are decent people who are among the millions expressing our condolences and love for George. You got to spend most time with him so you know him much better than we ever could, but George's decency as a human being always shone through his music. I just want to say that there has been so much media focused on George Harrison in the past week, and I keep hearing all of these people now finally realizing what most of us already knew - how brilliant George was and is. I have been talking about how great he is as a musician and as a person since the early 1990s. Some people are just now getting on board, but I was among many of those who sang praises of George as much as we sang his songs. Olivia, I have no doubt that you will do a fantastic job of handling George's musical catalog and I just want to commend you on your dignity and class. Dhani, I sincerely hope that people give you a fair shake and treat you as Dhani Harrison instead of "son of former Beatle, George Harrison." You have musical talent and whatever endeavor you decide to pursue, I am sure you will do quite well. You both lost a husband and a father, but I lost a hero and a mentor. George was never a guru to me, but he was a mentor. He was very much like a teacher and he gave me a great education. He taught me to open up my mind and my ears to listen to Indian music and like it. He got me into transcendental meditation. He provided a lot of solace to me when I needed it, especially when I lost some loved ones, with his music and his never wavering spirituality. He helped me establish a better relationship with God than I otherwise would have. And he was someone I could identify with because like George, I am shy, humble and yet I also can be a witty, sarcastic person when I want to be. I never saw George as without fault or as perfect. I believe that he was a great man and he truly did God's work while here on Earth. If anyone ever had any doubt of the magnitude of George Harrison's influence, they can just take a look around. He may be dead in the physical sense, but look around and all you see is George Harrison. All you hear is George Harrison. He is going to live forever and his music will live forever, too. It goes without saying that I loved George as a person and I was heartbroken when he died. I could see it coming even though I prayed for him to get better, but I believe he is in a better place now. The word, "courage", is so overused anymore, but in this case, George Harrison displayed a lot of courage in dealing with this cancer. Some people think he ought to be Time magazine's "Man of the Year." I frankly don't care who gets it and I doubt George would, too. If getting named Time magazine's "Man of the Year" is that important to some people, then some people need to reexamine their priorities. George would want us to love one another and to remember him with smiles and a sense of humor. I said that George was like my mentor and in an odd way, I now feel it is advantageous to continue to spread the word of love and carry the torch that he carried for so many years. Sammy Davis Jr. said when he was dying of cancer for people not to feel sorry for him because he was 64 and lived the life of a 164 year old. He also made a gesture towards Gregory Hines as if he was passing a ball to Gregory and the message was clear. It's your turn now to carry the ball. I feel that way with George. Even though I didn't really know him, I felt very connected to him and I want to follow in his footsteps. It is a job I recommend highly and I realize I am not the only one doing it. It is an honor and I hope that when I die that I will be remembered with the same dignity and class that George Harrison exemplified. God bless you, Olivia and Dhani. Jeff Mills With much sorrow we mourn the passing of George Harrison. Thank you, George, for the music, for the fun and for your life. We love you. We'll never forget Godspeed. Steve Phillips Goodbye George, you were always my favorite Beatle. I will miss your big brown eyes and your sweet, gentle voice. Yes, I've gone through several boxes of Kleenex. But I know George, like all great artists, will live on through his music and songs. He will never truly die. Cynthia Marie "All things must pass" "Though the singer is silent, there still is the truth of the song" Thank you, even though I never met you... Well, we've lost another Beatle. I feel like I've lost a member of my family even though I never knew him. I think George is where he wants to be, at eternal peace, in the hands of his Lord. I am only 18 and never got to live through the Beatles generation. The impact they had on me is one that no one will ever understand. Yes, I shed my tears, but George will live in my heart forever... RIP George Harrison 1943-2001 A Great man has passed George Harrison is gone but his music will live on forever! Slavko Vorkapitch May his memory be eternal. The Lord loves the one who loves the Lord. Serge Rest In Peace, George Harrison You were indeed the Blue Moon. Thank you for everything. There Goes The Sun. Mr. Harrison you will be missed. Rest In Peace! Bichud Bon voyage Mr. Harrison Salut et merci pour tout. André Québec To a man who gave us such great music and so many memories you will never be forgotten. May you rest in peace for your music and your happiness that you gave the world will live on forever. My guitar gently weeps. Tony Asselta Life flows within you and without you Thanks for the music George. We gave our smiles and tears but you gave your nervous system. God Bless. George, Thanks for the last 38 years. It was great growing up to your music. I am sorry that we will not see you grow old. May God grant you eternal rest. Bryan Peace to George So now he's left this world for a better one. May whatever God exists welcome him and reward so excellent a mortal life. We will always miss him and his quiet dignity, his cheeky humor, and his unparalleled mastery of the middle eight. But we'll also always marvel at and enjoy his great songs and musicianship, and for a lucky few his spiritual quest will spur rewarding journeys in kind. George Harrison's work and example enriched my life in innumerable and sweetly profound ways. I think or at least hope I'm a better person because of that. In my thoughts he will always be one of the good ones. So to you George all my love, thanks and appreciation. I and so many others will miss you more than words can tell. Best wishes for the journey you've now begun. Jeffrey Pearson Thanks for the pepperoni What does music tell us about a man? What can we know about George Harrison from his music? Music is a language which moves us deeply, and yet not a language we can verbalize or a language we articulate, except in our feelings, or, of course, in music. Lyrics are more like hints, or helpers to point us in the direction, but George's songs still make sense to those who don't speak English. Or Indian: Hari Krsna, Hari Rama. So, how can we tell who George was from his music? He told us some things himself. He said that he thought he studied his instrument more than his Beatle friends. In addition to his well-known rock models George admired Segovia in his early years. We hear a touch of that in his nylon strong solo in "And I Love Her" and in his beautiful rhythm playing in "I Need You". George's "touch" on the instrument is often meditative even in the early years: he apprehends the moment when the finger and string meet -- something we hear in another of his models, Chet Atkins. In the mid-sixties his love of the fret board took him to the sitar and Ravi Shankar -- it was a new love so passionate that he simply forgot about the Beatlemania maelstrom raging about him. George had found a quiet space for his music and in that space he also found the lasting home for his spirituality, led there by Patti. In the late sixties he built another lasting friendship with a man and a new instrument: The friend was Eric Clapton, the *new* instrument was the guitar -- he returned to the instrument with a new passion and a new love and finally found his voice and blossomed. As the Beatles came to grips with the mortality of their band, George took on a job as a backing guitarist with Bonnie and Delaney. In this humble role he found his most distinctive musical voice: his truly glorious flying, swooping slide guitar that became a vehicle for his deeply beating heart. Slide is where George really opens up. George was a lucky man to have Ravi Shankar, Eric Clapton, Bobby Dylan and many, many others as teachers or friends, as he was a teacher or friend to them as well. All stayed with him, and that's typical for George: he was a man who built lasting spaces and friendships. How many of his best songs were written in the house of a friend? It's fitting that his last moments were also spent in the house of a friend. His last recordings were done at the requests of friends. George was a friend to many people who never met him as well, and he knew that. Paul McCartney says that George didn't suffer fools gladly, and the truth is he didn't always suffer us fans gladly either. He was his own man. His individual song writing traits are seen in his first songs "Don't Bother Me". His decision to record a rock song with an Indian combo on REVOLVER shows a self-confidence that borders on audacity. Quiet audacity -- that's George. Just as John has been called a mediator between pop and the avant garde, so George has been the named the father of World Music by others. "Within You, Without You", "The Inner Light" and WONDERWALL are amazing simply in the fact that he managed to pull them off. George really started working on his songwriting in 1968 when he returned to the guitar. His growth in 1968 and 1969 is phenomenal, culminating with ABBEY ROAD where he wrote Frank Sinatra's "favorite Lennon/McCartney song", "Something". We see his sense of space, and his quiet audacity, again in his first solo project: his #1 triple album ALL THINGS MUST PASS. The title and the songs tell us that George had a good view of the space of a life. George's second project, another triple album, was no less audacious. Some credit his BANGLADESH with inventing the rock benefit concert. The single begins "a friend came to me". I guess it's no coincidence that George's last recording begins with the same line. His last album came out not long after the passing of John Lennon. George has been at pains over the past few years to point out the depth of his friendship with John, speaking of their bond in the psychedelic years and reminding us that it was he, "the baby of the group", who taught Lennon to play guitar properly. We will never comprehend the bond between the Beatles and or the dimensions of the space that they shared together. Perhaps we can see a small part of it in the shared message and space that each carried alone after the break-up of the band. All of them seem to view a common horizon. Peace, love and understanding. Two of those friends remain today, to remember him, his work and his sense of humor. George wasn't so much quiet as not overly loud. He sang about his passions. He loved his home and garden. We hear that first in a song he wrote in Eric Clapton's garden, "Here Comes The Sun", but most of all in "Let It Roll" in which he captures all the mysterious beauty he saw in his own home. George sees the mystical symbolism in simply waiting for a friend in a borrowed house on a foggy night, where "losing your way" takes on a spiritual meaning. What George's music teaches me has to do with space and space has to do with knowing where you stand and who you are. George Martin says he was a creative gardener. He had an ability to visualize the space a song would occupy as he began writing -- nothing else explains his uncanny ability to always come up with just exactly the right bridge for a song. He could see a song just like he no doubt saw his garden. We see George in his songs in the same way that some might also be able to see him in his garden. Bernie Taupin's lines for John Lennon fit George perhaps even better: "a gardener who cared a lot". What does this music tell us about a man? It tells us everything, in the language of music, that he wished to say, and that should be more than enough for us. All we need to do is to learn the language, a rewarding task to keep us occupied within the limits of our own spaces. There's so much of him left with us that goodbye doesn't seem to an appropriate word. Perhaps that's what makes goodbye so difficult. So, farewell George, farewell. Thanks for the pepperoni. Ian Thank You Mr Harrison! George For everything to help make this a better world by sharing your musical talents with all of us! There will always be an empty place in this earthly world where you once stood! We still have Uncle Paul and Uncle Ringo but I hope you are now reunited with Uncle John in HEAVEN as I believe you two are! From "Do You Want To Know A Secret" to "Horse To The Water", your message and your love will continually be shared by millions (and millions) of friends and fans.........the many hours of enjoyment and LOVE will be shared for years (and years) to come........... WE LOVE YOU GEORGE! Brad Thomas he helped teach me to play the guitar, he turned me on to rockabilly, he inspired me to learn to play the sitar, when i put his records on, i think sometimes we were stoned together, he showed me how to believe in god, he made me laugh, he was my friend all my life, as long as i can remember, as familiar to me as uncle bill and aunt betty, and as close as the cat by my side, and in my mind, i'd like to think that he knew me too, i hadn't seen or heard from him much for a long time, but i knew he was there, and sometimes i wondered what he was doing, i'm gonna miss you george, old friend, thank you for being so much a part of my life, thanks for the light, may god bless you and yours Mr. Gripweed Love is all, all is love Goodbye... I wish I could have known ye... Goodbye sir. You music has given me many hours of enjoyment. From what little I could have known about you, I think you strived to shed your ego. Michael Burns Mystical One This was one kick-ass song (among many others). Thank you George for so much great music. Rest in Peace. Ralmat George, I know this life was painful for you at the end. I know you were in great pain. I'm sure you handled the physical pain admirably. It's the Psychic Pain of a callous, self-centered world that seems intent on bringing about destruction to All Living Things that was the true Killer. We all share in that pain with you. Thank God you've found relief from all that rot. I'm sure you've found a Higher Plane of Existence now than you ever had in the old Crackerbox Palace. George, you had wealth in this life, but I'm sure that you've amassed a much greater and more durable wealth in the Hereafter. Long may you run. And say hello to John for me. Life is here one second and then gone, so, relatively speaking, I'm sure I'll be seeing you very shortly. And your tireless and unselfish efforts were not wasted on me. Thank you for making me a better part of the Whole. Please send a few of those Mighty Atoms of Love this way. We sure could use them. Love, Doug 11/30/01 Can't forget how this man changed our lives. Can't forget his face, his expressions, his humor ... Can't forget the way he was trying to help John on some guitar tracks, this could be seen in Let It Be movie. Can't forget the way he was always ready to vanish himself when Paul thought he was better... Can't forget the man, the mate. We love you George and as long as there will be music, you will be here with us. So long my friend Andre from Belgium "Free" time is a relative concept but it may be our biggest available fortune, next to the capacity to love. My measurable free time is limited by the vagaries and complexities of modern life, something which doubtless affects a few other r.m.b.'ers as well. When I can squeeze time, or steal a spare moment that doesn't quite belong to me, I parcel it out amongst my varied recreational interests...one of which happens to be the Beatles. "Recreational"...that's a laugh. Anyone who knows me knows that it's far beyond a recreation. Some folks have accused me of pursuing it like a religion. No question, the Fabs (a name coined by George Harrison himself) have been in my mind and being almost thirty-seven now. Perhaps that seems odd. Perhaps it's rare to find a personal passion that's so long-lived. Possibly it's even more odd to keep these four men in my heart in a place reserved for those dearest to me. I don't do it deliberately. After all this time, it's natural, like breathing. I hear their songs in my head---seems like I always have---no matter where I go. I can conjure up their faces, their accents, their words and music wherever I happen to be, even in sleep. Occasionally they come by for a visit in dreams---usually impeccably dressed in their Cardin suits, tonsorially groomed as they were in 1963-1964; polite, funny, irreverent, charming. We have tea and they talk about their music; sometimes I ask John about his writing. Usually that's it; that's enough for dreams. The night before last I had a vivid dream that George was saying goodbye to me...not bodily but as a presence, with a kind of inexplicable acknowledgment between the two of us. Now why should he care, even his spiritual self? I'm just a fan given to occasional prosodic excesses, with not much else to recommend me other than a love of good compost. Nevertheless the vision was clear in my dream. Or rather I should say that I couldn't see George himself but I saw metallic and shimmering lights, much like the aurora borealis that I flew through once over the North Pole on my first trip to England. The lights didn't look like George of course but they had his very essence embedded in their visual fabric; somehow I knew this. Still the communiqué was meta-visual, meta-semantic, beyond any kind of interchange that I can describe. Like in any religion, there have always mystical things that have happened to me since the Fabs have been part of my life. I've always thought that being at the right age to hear them in their first-state glory is one such inexplicable miracle. Enlightenment comes via many paths. I wouldn't dare to suggest to someone that "worship"---however one wants to define it---is relegated to established religious avenues. My own interpretation of what the Beatles mean to me might well seem like blasphemy to a more orthodox believer in established faith. So be it; use "appreciation" if that makes more sense. I know the difference between George Harrison and Buddha/Zeus/Amon-Re/Adonai, even if my prose doesn't always show it. And it won't show today, faced as I am with saying farewell to someone I loved...someone I never met, someone (some might say) I had no right to love, given the distance between us. But distance can be illusory when something like the Beatles' artistry binds us all together. No one is *not* family at a time like this. Perhaps you'd say that art merely reflects religious truth, as provided through the grace of one's deity-of-choice. That's fitting. If life is part of a divine plan, then surely it's a holy act to create such art, in which the beauties of the universe may shine forth like the coming of the sun. And surely it's equally a gift to receive such harmonic beatitude---to appreciate the wonders of mankind through a mirror of human effort. If you believe in a God, then you may see God through such a simple thing as a song. The song isn't God; neither is its composer. You know that; I don't think anyone else in this forum is confused about it either. And surely George knew it too. I'm reminded of something John Lennon said all those years ago about religion in an interview that's often misread and misunderstood. John commented ironically on the fluidity of divine hysteria, mentioning that Beatlemania seemed more popular than Christianity, and that Christianity would eventually "vanish and shrink". Read his statement closely and you'll see a hint of John's despair that fans seemed to have lost their spiritual focus. That was crosstalk from John's *own* sense of loss at the time---his restless searching for something meaningful in the circus of his own circumstance. George survived this manic maelstrom that affected all the Beatles, thankfully, and his words suggest that he knew what it was all about. "For the Beatles", George said in "The Beatles Anthology", "our lives were a very heightened version of that: of how to learn about love and hate, and up and down; and good and bad, and loss and gain....Whatever happened is good as long as we've learnt something. It's only bad if we didn't learn: 'Who am I? Where am I going to? Where have I come from?' Is there any right or proper way to react when we lose someone who will never really leave us? If I couldn't find my voice, if I couldn't thank George Harrison for the years of joy which have been mine because of his music, I'm sure he'd understand. But if I write these words, do I risk being told that I've make a fool of myself? Perhaps. But it's important to say them now. I owe these four fellows more than I can express, let alone fathom, and I'll miss George more than I can say. The Fabs' songs have helped me through depths as well as heights. I owe them unbounded reverence. I'm here to celebrate---even to worship, if this comes closest to the truth---in whatever fashion I can manage, the marvelous musical expression of the human soul, and to thank George for all that he's given us. saki@ucla.edu George enriched my life more than I can say. He inspired me to embark on my own spiritual search, for which I'll always be grateful. With his music, humor, warmth and love, George touched the very core of what is eternal in us. His inner light will blaze forever. Thank you, Olivia and Dhani, for taking such good care of George. May God bless. Diana "There is a land of the living and a land of the dead, and the bridge is love." Farewell George. Your long, long, long wait is over. You've taken part of me with you. Ian To God, His own. -- Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. thank you for the music and love you shared, george... you touched my life and my spirit more than you will ever know. i'm going to miss you, but i know we will meet again in the great beyond. rest easy, dear soul, you're at home now. peace to olivia and dhani... pam You blessed this earth with love and peace, though musical prose and actions that speak. You will truly be missed by those that survive, your message will live though the eons of time. May you and your god now be one and the same. Joe C. Hecht Thank you, George for sharing your music with us. God bless you. Rest in peace. You will be missed. Say hello to John for me. peace, Captain Kundalini Holding George, Olivia, and Dhani in the Light. Lizz Holmans Salud, Hari Georgeson. Your gifts of sitars and thinking Eastern ways, the tabla and the drone note, the Rickenbacker 12 string: in my life I've loved them all. Len Richards You are called "the quiet one", yet your voice was always loud and clear. You are called "the dark horse", yet you always crossed the finish line in style. You are said to have languished in the shadow of your bigger brothers Paul and John, yet you wrote "the most beautiful Lennon-McCartney love song" ever. You were part of the craziest show on earth, yet managed to maintain a sense of calm and dignity through it all. Your favorite food was jelly babies, but you came to understand the importance of a real garden. You were the spiritual conscience of an era, and opened our eyes and ears to other worlds. You showed us the true art of living, and of dying. Thank you George. And farewell. -= rags =- To George Harrison, In the wild and wacky life that was The Beatles, you managed to keep it all in perspective. How could a mere mortal pull that off? You could have let success go to your head, but instead you decided to be yourself, and I will always respect and love you for it. The world will always be a better place - thanks to you, George. God bless you. John He touched the world with his talent, humor, grace, humility and heart and left love in his wake. Jimmy he was a very talented man and will be sadly missed. mary Farewell Georgie Boy I loved you and will miss you. Tom
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Love one another George Harrison |