In 1987, George Harrison Said He Was Amazed He’d ‘Gotten This Far’
In 1987, George Harrison said he was amazed he’d “gotten this far.” He’d managed to get through 10 hectic and sometimes dangerous years as a Beatle and navigated his post-Beatles life successfully.
George Harrison thought it was ‘quite remarkable’ that The Beatles still had their sanity and sense of humor
As George told Rolling Stone, The Beatles did a hit-and-run. One minute they appeared, made tons of hits and albums, toured the world, met everyone, and did everything a rock star did. The next minute it was all over, and each of the Fab Four was going their separate ways.
George said they came out of the 1960s “shell-shocked.” Later, what frustrated George was that no one understood that. So much had happened, and once it was all over, people wanted the group to reunite. George kept his head down into his solo career, which he never actually pursued.
He tried to keep a low profile and decided to make music when he wanted. He simplified everything. By the 1980s, George’s life had settled down. In a 1988 interview, Film Comment said it must have been hard establishing a post-Beatles existence.
George spoke for him and his former bandmates. “I can say that the fact that we do have some brain cells left and a sense of humor is quite remarkable,” George said. “I’ve had my ups and downs over the years, and now I’ve sort of leveled out. I’m feeling good. I don’t get too carried away or too down about anything.”
George liked spending time in nature. That was how he grounded himself and connected with God. He also liked spending time jamming with friends and being with family. “A lot of funny little diversions that keep things interesting,” he said.
“In the late Seventies, I just sort of phased myself out of the limelight. And then all the new generations come up. You get older and change your appearance, and they forget what you look like.”
George was amazed he got as far as 1987
During an interview with Good Morning America in 1987, George said he sometimes felt like a survivor.
“Sometimes, I’m amazed that I’ve got so far,” he said. “You know, sometimes I feel pretty good and that I’m still in pretty good shape, considering all the wear and tear that’s taken its toll on the old body. Other times, I feel like I’m 5,000 years old.”
By the time George was first diagnosed with cancer in the late 1990s, he’d washed away all his battle scars.
The former Beatle called his scars ‘instant karma’
Toward the end of his life, George didn’t let anything affect him negatively. During an interview with AARP, George’s wife Olivia said he called his scars “instant karma.”
She explained, “He said, ‘I speared a fish. It was so little. It looked so big through the mask. I threw it back, and it slashed my fingers. I had to squeeze lemon on my fingers.’ He called the scars instant karma.”
According to George’s son, Dhani, George bore no physical or mental scars by the time he left his body in 2001. Dhani said his father was like a yogi.
