Going through a Beatles phase. Sunday morning is Breakfast with the Beatles on WUMB. Must be serendipity. Ringo on the cover of the new AARP magazine and I'm reading "George Harrison-The Reluctant Beatle". And as I sit at my desk, I look at a poster of all the Beatles albums from "The Beatles" (1963) to "Let It Be" (1970). Viewed Ron Howard's "Eight Days a Week", watching McCartney 3-2-1, and waiting for Peter Jackson's "Get Back" to arrive.
If I had to pick a Beatle that resonated the most, it was probably Lennon. This was true both while the band was intact, and after the breakup. Unfortunately, John did not live long enough to create a more substantial legacy of music and art.
I did not follow George post-Beatles in a significant way, so this biography was an eye-opening in numerous respects. For so many years, he operated in the shadows of Lennon and McCartney, but ultimately, he may have been the most successful of Beatles for his activities post-breakup.
Besides being a Beatle, George was a Wilbury. The Traveling Wilburys could be the coolest band ever. How could a band that included George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne, not be accorded that tag? A short-lived group with limited output, but man, name another group who has these bonafides?
Are you a "Billions" fan? Season 3, Episode 3 has a great exchange involving the Wilburys. Axe and Wags are discussing who is or is not a Wilbury, and what are the qualifications. According to Wags, a combination of wit, cool, and credibility are Wilbury requirements. Spyros desperately wants to be considered a Wilbury, but is clearly not, and both Axe and Wags are all too glad to point this out. The actual dialogue follows:
Axe: Do you know whose life has always amazed me, Spyros? George Harrison's.
Wags: Ah, that Beatle.
Axe: Yes. Because Harrison wasn't only a Beatle. He was also a Traveling Wilbury.
Wags: And it was no mean feat to be a Wilbury. Legends only need apply.
Axe: Dylan and Petty used to make a game of it, in fact. They used to throw a name out there, and decide, in an instant, if that person was or was not a Wilbury.
Wags: It required some ineffable combination of wit, cool, and credibility. Like Jack Nicholson, for example.
Axe: Wilbury.
Wags: Richard Dreyfuss...
Axe: Great actor...
Wags: But not a Wilbury.
Axe: And you Spyros. It has become clear. Are not a Wilbury.
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