Do you ever play Beatles albums, George?
"No, I haven't played one for years."
How do you remember them when you look back?
"The Beatles? Oh, I think the Beatles were, or are, (long pause), very good. One of the points everyone should remember about the Beatles is that we did work hard, you know, and we made a point of trying to broaden our own experiences on our own, to overcome as many limitations as we could. And there were quite a few restrictions in those days, like four-track recordings and all that sort of thing. And we used to play in those huge places with 30-watt amplifiers. I think the Beatles generally were very, very good. On reflection, the music was okay, and we kept improving. But then, you know, the days were different. The musicians around today have so much more to listen to. They're bound to end up sounding different because they're exposed to so much, not so much innocence around now. Probably trying to come through and make its mark."
(60s musicians talk of groups. 70s musicians refer to bands.)
Individually, though, how do John, Paul, George, and Ringo stand up to comparison with the Beatles?
His answer was slow and deliberate. "I suppose to look at each one of us individually now. Even if we were rated as big solo artists, each one of us may not be as heavy as the Beatles were collectively, but at the same time, no less heavy than any heavies who are around. We probably didn't even realize ourselves how heavy we were. I mean, it's only now, when you study the documentaries, that you realize how big it all was. At the time, we were going through it, and we were cut out from so much."
But he stressed that he liked what the Beatles stood for, today, even if at the time, he had reservations about the life they led, being buffeted from hotel room to concert hall to airplane. "The Beatles did put out great songs, good music, good innovative stuff, all the way. We knew our next album would sell a lot just because it said 'Beatles' on the front. But it didn't stop us trying. The albums went up in levels of improvement. Musically, even though I haven't much desire to relive it, it stands up pretty well. I should imagine. The Fab Four fan club -- Great!"
Did he feel competitive towards the other three, and that each was trying to prove a solo point?
"No, I don't think so. I'm always pleased when the other three do something good. We were always a little bit attached to each other. We all naturally watch what the others are up to -- and not very easy. now John's got himself locked into the States.
Does the label of an ex-Beatle hanging around his neck for the rest of his life worry him, as he was the least enthusiastic Beatle and always sought stature apart from the fame?
"I didn't like it, no. That was the point when we all split up, when we grew older and realized the restrictions from every point of view -- as people and as musicians. The only thing I have against being an ex anything is that it doesn't give me much thought to the present. That's all. I mean, I'd rather be an ex-Beatle than an ex Nazi! But more than anything, I'd rather just be here now, not so much as an ex.
Was it, then, the teenagers' adulation, which finally drove the Beatles apart, for it was certainly George Harrison's pet hate.
"It was nice at first, but the mania seemed to get out of proportion. That wasn't what I was looking for. Some people like that sort of thing. I like to be successful and popular. But then there comes a point when it's unhealthy that people think you're something you're not, and the next thing is that these fans get out on a trip and limit what you may be, in their eyes. You know, it's just a concept they create, a concept of what you are, and then they start the bit that says, 'Aw, they're not what they used to be.'
"Well, I used to say this, and I say it again now, we might not have been what we used to be. What those fans mean is we're not what THEIR concept thought we were. People put you into a pigeon hole, and you've got to fight your way out of it for their good as well as your own. All I ever wanted from that scene was to remain an individual, and of course, being a Beatle placed a severe restriction on individuality in the eyes of those screaming fans."
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