July 22, 2001

10:35 AM

[George] Harrison 'knows he will die soon.'
posted by o2b (37 comments total)

I think I'll setup my turntable and un-earth my "All Things Must Pass" box set today. What else can one say about this?
posted by machaus at 10:55 AM on July 22, 2001

There are worse ways to go. It will be a natural death after a long and happy and productive life, with a spouse who loves him. We should all be so lucky.
posted by Steven Den Beste at 10:59 AM on July 22, 2001

Q: "Have you a tribute that you would like to pay to Mr. Epstein?"

JOHN: "Well you know... We don't know what to say. We loved him and he was one of us."

GEORGE: "You can't pay tribute in words."

machaus, I'm going home and I'm going to play that record, too
posted by matteo at 11:41 AM on July 22, 2001

Ah, but in between, his life was incalculably better than any of ours will ever be.

Hmm, now that's a depressing thought. I was pretty happy too.
posted by justgary at 12:31 PM on July 22, 2001

You know, I really wasn't a drinker until I started coming here.
posted by dong_resin at 1:04 PM on July 22, 2001

You know, I've always thought of a "natural death" as one that occurred because you were simply too old to live anymore (i.e. natural causes) not one that occurred as a result of a metatasised smoking-related cancer.
posted by Dreama at 1:22 PM on July 22, 2001

You know, I really wasn't a drinker until I started coming here.

welcome to mefi, the anti-AA. please pick your poison upon entering.


and about george, poor bastard, between all the cancer and stabbings, I'll bet he's ready to go.
posted by Hackworth at 1:28 PM on July 22, 2001

hey! you! you been livin' too good! time for you to kick off!



give me a break.
posted by o2b at 1:28 PM on July 22, 2001

Doesn't this press release strike anyone as a little odd? No direct quote from George or his Doctor, just Martin telling everyone in a nutshell to not be surprised when he dies this year or somesuch.

Not that I'm very skeptical that George is on his way out, but it looks like Martin was just shooting his mouth off and there will probably be an official press release on George's health this week.
posted by skallas at 2:14 PM on July 22, 2001

Here's a link to pages about the health of Harrison.
posted by timothompson at 2:37 PM on July 22, 2001

You know, I really wasn't a drinker until I started coming here.

Pick a cancer, any cancer...
posted by insomnia_lj at 3:15 PM on July 22, 2001

his life was incalculably better than any of ours will ever be.

Speak for yourself, paleface. I don’t even like the Beatles.
posted by capt.crackpipe at 5:08 PM on July 22, 2001

Thank you, capt.crackpipe. Although we often disagree on issues, it is somewhat refreshing to know that we agree on not liking the Beatles. One or two good songs, at best ("Taxman" springs to mind).

Sad about George, though. I did enjoy his top 40 song "I've Got My Mind Set On You" back in 1987. Cute.
posted by davidmsc at 6:30 PM on July 22, 2001

heh.

speaking of drinking, i toss back a 40 oz, come back here, and think the headline is "[George] Harrison 'knows you will die soon."

ugh. i need to go out more.
posted by jcterminal at 7:00 PM on July 22, 2001

One or two good songs, at best ("Taxman" springs to mind).

You are certifiably insane.

I can understand not liking the Beatles, but to pull "Taxman" out as one of their finest is beyond my (admittedly feeble) comprehension.
posted by jpoulos at 7:04 PM on July 22, 2001

Troll You Need Is Love
posted by ParisParamus at 7:43 PM on July 22, 2001

Saying you don't like the Beatles is like saying you don't like air. The Beatles are Western pop music. You're soaking in them. That said, I don't feel a burning need to listen to their works over and over, since in the past thirty years others have advanced pop far beyond where they left it.
posted by kindall at 7:45 PM on July 22, 2001

Americans are secretly wishing for the three remaining Beatles to die already. They want to sell all their Beatles stuff on eBay to "commemorate" the celebrities just like they have with that redneck car accident Dale Earnhart.

We're very tacky for a country founded by Puritans...

Oh, and kindall. I really don't like the Beatles either. I can't tell you why, I just don't. Kinda like the same way I don't like bananas. I just don't.
posted by Spanktacular at 7:49 PM on July 22, 2001

...it just keeps trolling along...
posted by websavvy at 7:53 PM on July 22, 2001

Dreama, I consider Harrison's death "natural" by comparison to how Lennon died, or how Harrison himself nearly died two years ago.
posted by Steven Den Beste at 8:19 PM on July 22, 2001

Dreama, I sincerely hope that no one in your family dies of cancer that is related to habits they picked up when they were younger when not as much information was available then as we have now.

George was my second-favorite Beatle (after Paul). In The Beatles Anthology, he spoke of The Experience of dropping acid for the first time, John Lennon at his side. He often said that because of this "experience" that he and John shared a bond that none of the other Beatles were privy to. Now it seems that he and John may have another experience to share.

hincandenza: George was actually 15 when he started with the Beatles.
posted by likorish at 9:04 PM on July 22, 2001

I don't really like the beatles.
They're okay, they're no Quiet Riot.
posted by dong_resin at 9:33 PM on July 22, 2001

I consider Harrison's death "natural" by comparison to how Lennon died

What about in comparison to how Paul died?
posted by kindall at 9:42 PM on July 22, 2001

I don’t like much pop either. The last album I bought was Gorillaz. Come to think of it, I sang Murder City Devils songs last night with a punk rock girl, while her boyfriend stole and drank display beer.

Oh Lord! Don’t set my fields on fi-yure!

(He replies, as a NOFX track ends and DJ Assault’s “Ass & Titties” starts.)
posted by capt.crackpipe at 10:54 PM on July 22, 2001

I wonder how Ringo will feel, being the only Beatle left. I can only imagine his reaction:

"Ha ha, I have outlived you all!"
posted by DragonBoy at 11:37 PM on July 22, 2001

If Harrison does bite the dust, then it will be sad to see him go. But look at the bright side. If there are only two Beatles left, then more attention can be drawn on the real pop phenomenon of the 60's.
posted by ed at 2:41 AM on July 23, 2001

ed: You must have made a mistake. Here is the proper link to the true pop phenomenon of the 60s.
posted by davidmsc at 3:38 AM on July 23, 2001

"The former Beatle was almost killed in the attack at his home near London in late 1999. He was saved by wife Olivia, who hit the attacker on the head with a poker and table lamp."

It's a good thing for George that Olivia never missed a Murder She Wrote episode.
posted by pracowity at 4:45 AM on July 23, 2001

scuse me - I'm not going to comment on whether or not I like the beatles, but I have to point out that Paul McCartney is not dead.
posted by hannahkitty at 8:14 AM on July 23, 2001

Funny, as I'm reading this thread upon getting to work, the radio (KFOG, San Francisco) started playing possibly my favorite Harrison tune by the Beatles: "Here Comes the Sun".
posted by msacheson at 8:59 AM on July 23, 2001

We were talking about that at work. My boss's husband is a radio DJ, and he was thinking he'll be playing "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Here Comes the Sun."

At least George has had time to come to terms with it.
posted by gramcracker at 9:06 AM on July 23, 2001

of course john/paul always get the credit for the beatles, but you folks DO realize that george was quite important to what they have become. he was the spiritual one... he brought the beatles into their "wierd" (and now groundbreaking) phase via his collaborations with mahareshi yogi and ravi shankar. where do you think john got all his ideas for all that peace and love stuff??? what do you think was the inspiration for john's "tomorrow never knows," which was the bridge between their pre-revolver pop success to their even more groundbreaking experimental success of sgt pepper's? george's spirituality.

george was more important to the beatles than most people realize...
posted by afx114 at 10:09 AM on July 23, 2001

Harrison denies near-death report. Apparently, the National Enquirer made it up. Nice one.
posted by prolific at 11:16 AM on July 23, 2001

I don't think cancer just "goes away."
posted by ParisParamus at 11:22 AM on July 23, 2001

I don't think cancer just "goes away."
posted by ParisParamus at 11:22 AM on July 23, 2001

Steven -- well, compared to a bullet, cancer is indeed "natural." I was simply stating that "death of natural causes" usually implies something very different than a death from cancer.

Dreama, I sincerely hope that no one in your family dies of cancer that is related to habits they picked up when they were younger when not as much information was available then as we have now.

Too late, been there, done that. 12 times in the last four years, three times that in my lifetime (including two of my grandparents) and two more that are going to happen sooner rather than later. Want the roster? Spare me the vitriol.
posted by Dreama at 11:56 AM on July 23, 2001