The Beatles Boxed Set (40 page)

The adorable baby George

            Their
youngest child, George Harrison, was born on February 25, 1943, a little past
midnight in their family home. By then, the Harrisons were living t 12 Arnold
Grove, Wavertree, Liverpool, where they would live until George’s sixth year.

            Harold
had said of his youngest son, “a tiny, squalling, miniature replica of myself.”
And by the age of three, George had already the big ears and the lopsided smile
that would become his signature features throughout his life. And though the
family was just scraping by, the children were brought up in a loving home.
Like any other parent, Harold wanted his daughter and sons to grow up and
become respected and productive members of the community.

            Louise,
a housekeeper, was a kind mother who always put into consideration everyone’s
feelings. Despite the circumstances, she strived to provide her family a good
home. She had planted an apple tree behind their house and some lavender
bushes. She kept a henhouse and devoted herself to making a clean, orderly home
and raising four children.

            They
were so poor that there was only a small coal fire to provide heat and the
toilet was outside. In the winter, it gets so cold that George and his siblings
dreaded waking up in the morning because it was literally freezing cold and
they had to use the toilet outside.

The Harrisons (without Mom)

            The
Harrisons’ eldest child, Louise, remembered that “Even though there wasn’t much
money, Mum made sure we knew we weren’t peasants, that we came from educated
stock and had great potential in life. She taught us to think, to question
things, to always be kind, never kowtow to big shots or lord over the lowly. We
were never to cringe in fear but neither were we to become bullies toward
anyone. And we took care of one another. If there was only one apple, we’d each
get a quarter.”

            From
an early age, George has shown an interest in music. During family gatherings, George
would perform in front of his relatives and friends with songs and skits.
George could clearly remember one time when he stood on a leather stool and
sang folksinger Josh White’s
One Meatball
to the great delight of his
family.

            His
sister, Louise, also recalled that George had some animal puppets which he’d
use to stage skits in front of his family. Louise said, “He was funny and
outgoing and the family doted on him. He had fun growing up and was always the
center of attention.”

            While
childhood was a memorable experience for George inside their home, outside, it
was getting worse. The war had left Liverpool in ruins. George and his friends
would play in the remains of buildings, look through the wreckage, even dare
one another to jump from demolished roofs. George remembered that they would
make bows and arrows out of broken wood and flattered bottle caps. They began
the popular game of dodging cars and trucks, so dangerous that the slower kids
could end up with broken legs or worse. Bill Harry, who spent his childhood
near George, recalled:

            “It
was rough then. There were gangs – the Chain Gang, the Peanut Gang. On your way
to school, they’d stop you and search your pockets for money. I remember one
guy throwing me to the ground while three others kicked the hell out of me.
They’d smash bottles and stick them in people’s faces. The violence was extreme
because kids imagined themselves stuck there for the rest of their lives and
felt hopeless.”

            George
attended his first school, the Dovedale Primary School, where he practiced his
running fast and kicking a soccer ball hard. This was also the same school that
John Lennon attended, although he was a few years ahead of George.

George already had the big ears and the
lopsided smile that became his signature features throughout his life

            In
1949, the family was offered a chance to better their lives when, after being
in the waitlist for some years, they were offered a council house at 25 Upton
Green, Speke. Speke was a state-subsidized development almost an hour’s bus
ride away from central Liverpool.

            George
would sometimes get away using his brother Peter’s bike and go places, such as
Carr Mill Dam. He was happy enough to sit and be alone and watch long-tailed
ducks land on the water in search of food. Sometimes he would go to Halewood
near where his school bus stopped to skim rocks across a pond. The family would
also vacation to a little rented cottage in the countryside where George had
fond memories of running after bugs and forest animals and playing around. He
also loved plants, and he could have become a botanist if school didn’t turn
out to be boring for him.

            The
Harrisons were a protective lot, particularly when it came to their youngest. They
protected him, and, in the words of George’s sister-in-law, “They worried
constantly.” They felt that George still needed looking after.

            Aside
from his interest in plants, George developed a liking for fast cars. Sometimes
he would take a box camera to racetracks and snap photos.

George
wasn’t much interested in formal education, but he was a naturally bright
child. After attending Dovedale Primary School, George took and passed his
11-plus examination and was accepted at the Liverpool Institute for Boys. The
institute was a secondary school where the city’s academic elite go.

            A
student who gets accepted to the institute may gain entrance to a university.
But those who fail to pass the entrance exam usually leave school to either
look for an apprenticeship or work as laborers who work the railways between
Liverpool and London.

            George
was lucky to have passed the examination, but he didn’t feel that way. After
passing the exam at age 12, he felt that it was “when the darkness began.” The
school was dark, literally. It would have been an imposing façade, but years of
neglect left the institute in a poor state. To add to George’s dismay, he felt
that the teachers, most of whom were war veterans and inexperienced college
graduates, had nothing to teach him. He also felt that they only wanted to turn
them into “rows of little toffees”. But he obligingly attended school, wearing
his brother Harry’s old sports jacket, pointy suede shoes, and not a hair out
of place. He would usually occupy a seat in the back and draw cello guitars
with big “f” holes instead of listening.

George and his very first guitar

            By
this age, George had begun an interest in guitars. He heard about a student who
was selling a guitar for three pounds, ten shillings. In those days, that
amount was big money but his mother paid for it. His father’s friend who owned
a pub and played guitar taught young George how to finger some chords to tunes
from the 20s and 30s such as “Dinah.”

            He
ran home to his mother to show her what he learned, but the guitar’s wooden
neck bent and his fingers bled from strumming too hard. He told his mother,
“I’ll never learn this.”

            Ever
the optimistic and encouraging mother, Louise replied, “You will, son. Just
keep at it.” And she even sat with George until she quit at two in the morning.
George said, “You don’t understand about guitars, do you, Mum.”

            His
mother admitted, “No, but if you stick to it I’m sure you’ll make it.” Growing
up deprived of material things and wanting to do a lot of things, her parents
hadn’t encouraged her to go for her dreams. She told her son, “I’ll help you buy
a new guitar.”

            That
began George’s love affair with music. He would race home from school, tinker
with his father’s old gramophone and sing along to country songs by Jimmie
Rodgers, tunes by Big Bill Broonzy, ballads by Slim Whitman and just about any
song. He would sing about broken hearts and lonely nights and sing silly tunes
such as “I’m a Pink Toothbrush, You’re A Blue Toothbrush.”

            While
his interest in music intensified, he lacked the attention and interest that
other students dutifully lent to their education. At a young age, he had shown
his independent nature, often defying the school’s dress code by wearing jeans
and growing his hair. His parents didn’t condone his behavior and George soon had
tone down his rebellion.

The Liverpool Institute for Boys (now
Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts), George’s old school

            In
school, his teachers and peers differed in their perception of George Harrison.
His teachers noted that he was a very quiet student, sitting in the rear and
not saying a word or even looking up. But other students noted that George had
a wicked sense of humor. His schoolmate, Rod Othen, recalled that George was
“always in mischief – and he didn’t suffer the fools gladly.”

            Othen
remembered that the teachers’ warning in regards to George’s behavior only
drove him away from any interest in his studies. “George was antibullying.
There was a kid in school who smelled so bad that the master’s punishment for
anyone who disobeyed was to make the offender sit next to him. George would
voluntary take the chair next to the smelly kid. He befriended him.”

            While
a student, George was frequently ill and this worked to his advantage because
he had more time to practice his guitar skills. He suffered from tonsillitis
and, at thirteen, contracted nephritis which sent him to the hospital for six
weeks. His time in the hospital made him realize how much he wanted to go to
places where opportunities abound. He was impatient to go out there and make a
career in rock and roll for himself.