On July 24 1997, the Beatles’ George Harrison walked into VH1 studios with sitarist Ravi Shankar to promote the latter’s new album Chants of India. His then chat with John Fugelsang is widely considered as one of the last interviews of the pioneering musician before he was diagnosed with throat cancer that would rob him of his life.
Almost as if gripped by a premonition of his mortality, he spoke at length, uncharacteristically open, about life and death, eastern philosophy, being a Beatle and more. He mentioned about his warm relationship with Ravi Shankar and his increasing forays into the field of Indian music.
“I remember the first time I met Ravi. He was such a little fella, with an obscure instrument, at least from our point of view. But it led me to such depths,” he said.
He also spoke in detail about the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh. It was the first of its kind--a benefit rock concert for the refugees of the Bangladesh war. He had assembled an all-star array of musicians including Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston and Leon Russell. Organising the event was a nerve-racking experience, he says. “Eric had a bit of a drinking problem. That is why we had Preston, in case Eric did not turn out. I was not all sure whether Bob would arrive. Right until the concert started, I had his name name taped to my guitar, along with a question mark,” he said.
Before the concert was to be held, he had also consulted an Indian astrologer, revealed George. “I wanted an auspicious date and he suggested August 1 or 2,” he said. The concert was held on August 1 and became a resounding success.
Strangely, August has always been a happening month in the Beatle’s calendar. The first ever picture of the fab four, as well as the last one, were clicked in that month. August of 1958 was also the time that John Lennon and Paul McCartney first met Thelma Pickles. Both John and Paul would go on to date her, after the former leaves her for Cynthia Powell. It was in August 1967 that they met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It was also in August (1963) that the trio last performed in the legendary Cavern. It was in August (1965) that they finally got to meet Elvis Presley.
A look at the ups and downs of the Beatles' music career, through the lens of August:
August 17, 1960: Around mid-August, then Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best) performed the entire 48 days at Indra Club.
August 18, 1962: After their unsatisfactory start with drummer Pete Best, the Beatles poached drummer Ringo Starr from Rory Storm and the Hurricanes and performed the first gig with him. It so happened that the Cavern, where Beatles were performing, was filled with Pete Best fans who were angry at the drummer being replaced. According to popular lore, in the push and shove that ensued, George Harrison received a black eye.
August 1963: The band was on an unmistakeable high. The much talked about "Beatlemania" was slowly starting to take root and this was visible in the fan reactions to live performances. No pub or stage is as central to The Beatles' history as the Cavern, where they were discovered by Brian Epstein, then a record store manager, who would rise to become the band's manager. Brian became such an integral part of the team that he was often referred to as the "fifth Beatle."
In the same month, the Beatles held their final performance in the Cavern, which had, by then, become too small to contain the hordes of crazed fans arriving to meet their heroes.
The same year, Beatles' Monthly, a magazine that catered exclusively to the fans of the "Fab Four" came into being, such was their popularity.
August 28, 1964: Mediated by journalist Al Aronowitz, The Beatles first met then counterculture legend and folk singer Bob Dylan in New York. It was in that hotel room, as reports have it, The Beatles were first introduced to marijuana. Ganja, and their experimentations with LSD, would have a tremendous influence on their music, as can be witnessed in albums such as Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
A shift in their music styles would become evident after their interactions. If it was psychedelic music for The Beatles, Dylan would venture into the arena of folk-rock. As they say, the rest is history.
August 1966: The tide had started turning and it was the beginning of the end for The Beatles. By then the band was starting to feel tired of the screaming fans and their inability to literally hear their own voice over the crazed chants from the audience. The first controversy came in the form of John Lennon's comment—some would say misquoted—that he was "bigger than Jesus". In an interview, John Lennon reportedly claimed that "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that; I'm right and I'll be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now."
On occasion of the band's scheduled US tour the same year, American magazine Datebook printed Lennon's words on the cover. The news caused a huge uproar in the US Bible belt and organisations like Ku Klux Klan (KKK) took up the mantle against the band.
Their final commercial concert was held at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, marked by a humiliatingly low attendance. It was further reported that, on the flight back from San Francisco to Los Angeles, George Harrison said that he "did not want to be a Beatle any more".
August 1967: Things had started to become tumultous for The Beatles. It was on 23rd August, when they were in Bangor, that they first met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (who would go on to patent the extremely popular Transcendental Meditation in the West). It was also on the same day, at the same spot, that they were informed of the death of their manager Brian Epstein. (The band would later split up in 1970).
TM became so popular that a political outfit, Natural Law Party, based on its concept would come to existence in the West. In 1992, George Harrison held his final full-set concert, endorsing the party which promised to use yogic flying programmes to end violence and death in the country.
The Beatles would later make their much publicised travel to the Himalayan town of Rishikesh in India, in 1968, to study under the Maharishi. Ringo Starr left after ten days, Paul McCartney lasted for a month; John Lennon and George Harrison would hold out for almost two months. The songs they recorded there became the White album.
The visit sparked tremendous cultural synergy between the east and the west. George Harrison would tour with Ravi Shankar in 1970. Indian influence in The Beatles’ music was first visible in 1965—with the track Norwegian wood. In 1966, it was further explored in Love you to (Revolver). In 1967, they released Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which revealed their fascination for Indian motifs (tracks like Within you without you).
