Happy Birthday, George

George Harrison would have been 64 today. I miss him. As the years pass, he feels more and more like the most substantial Beatle, with his serious interest in Hindu spirituality, his study of Indian music, his career as a movie producer, and his charitable work. And his easy and successful collaboration with other stars, ranging from the comic artists of Monty Python to his fellow Traveling Wilburys, suggest a personality comfortable with his own talent and neither ego-ridden nor self-aggrandizing nor defensive (in this respect, unlike either John Lennon or Paul McCartney). Had he lived, George would probably have been the most interesting among the foursome in his old age, and he certainly would have been my choice as the one I'd most want to spend an evening or a weekend with. I hope he is at peace, and I suspect he is.

Tags: George Harrison, Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Monty Python, Traveling Wilburys