George Harrison said he 'acted' as Quiet Beatle persona — but it wasn't really him
The youngest member of the Fab Four went on to say he "never" wanted to be a Beatle again - but that didn't mean he completely hated his time in The Beatles. George Harrison often said 'Beatles George' wasn't his true self.
Music legend George Harrison once confessed that he merely "acted out the part" of "Beatle George," suggesting it was a persona that didn't reflect his true self. As the youngest member of the Fab Four, Harrison was swiftly labeled the "Quiet Beatle" after the band skyrocketed to international fame in the early '60s.
Post-Beatles, though, Harrison frequently discussed the various pressures, uncertainties, and both physiological and psychological burdens of Beatle life. His salvation, his sense of grounding, was found through spirituality and the catharsis of creating new music, much of which he stashed away for future use.
In a candid conversation with David Wigg for a BBC Radio-One program in October 1969, Harrison expressed readiness to leave The Beatles behind. He had sampled this exit about 10 months earlier when he walked out on the stress-riddled Let It Be sessions, only to rejoin, albeit fatigued, some days later. During the discussion, Harrison articulated a detachment from the Beatle identity, viewing it as merely a role to portray. He stated: "All I'm doing, I'm acting out the part of Beatle George and, you know, we're all acting out our own parts. The world is a stage and the people are the players. Shakespeare said that. And he's right."
Probing further, Wigg inquired: "Do you expect another part, later?" To which Harrison answered affirmatively, "Oh, many parts. Yes."
Seeking clarity, Wigg then asked: "Is that why you've come to terms with it?" Harrison answered: "Yes, because you just do whatever you can do. I mean, even if it's being a Beatle for the rest of my life, it's still only a temporary thing. And, I mean really, all we did was get born and live so many years and this is what happened.
Source: themirror.com/Hannah Furnell
