I, Me, Mine

I, Me, Mine
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Manufacturer: WEIDENFELD & NICOLSON
Average Customer Rating: Average rating of 4.5/5Average rating of 4.5/5Average rating of 4.5/5Average rating of 4.5/5Average rating of 4.5/5

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Binding: Hardcover
Format: Bargain Price
Label: WEIDENFELD & NICOLSON
Manufacturer: WEIDENFELD & NICOLSON
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 400
Publication Date: 2002-09-30
Publisher: WEIDENFELD & NICOLSON
Studio: WEIDENFELD & NICOLSON
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Editorial Reviews:
Originally published in 1980 and cherished by fans and collectors, I, Me, Mine is the closest we will come to George Harrison s autobiography. It is "a sly paradox of a title," to quote Derek Taylor, The Beatles spokesperson, "chosen by a man concerned for many years and for many reasons to send his ego packing...a book which tells a story of growing up, not necessarily the hard way, but certainly not the easy way." Featuring George Harrison in conversation with Taylor, it touches on everything from early Beatlemania to India and Ravi Shankar to his love of gardening. The lyrics to over 80 of his songs, many in his own hand, are accompanied by his uniquely intimate and humorous commentary. As well, 50 archival photographs of George with the Beatles and solo capture a journey of creative and spiritual transformation. Brimming with the wit, warmth, and grace that characterized his lyrics and his life, I, Me, Mine is a treasured portrait of George Harrison and his music.
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5
Summary: A Taste but not a Meal
Comment: Since Harrison has unfortunately passed away, this book will probably be the only one of its sort to be published...the first hand words of Beatle George Harrsion. As such, it is an imperfect document. George does not use an "assistant" writer and therefore the book tends to meander and be a bit unbalanced, but the benefit is that the voice coming through is pure Harrison.

Ok, so maybe that's not enough (though it should be, you fair weathered Beatle fan!) Seriously, though, this book has Harrison's recollections on growing up and Beatledom. In this area it is a bit light. The recollections are largely personal and he has very little to say about the other Beatles (perhaps, because even John was still alive when this was written, George didn't want to risk stepping on any toes.) This is an odd omission, though, and leaves a bit of a question mark hanging when the book is finished.

Aside from the autobiographical information, which is light but interesting, the best parts of th book are the photographs and the lyrics section. The reader is presented with copies of a lot of hand-written George Harrison songs, along with the author's comments about each. This was the first serious attempt by a Beatle to give an accounting of his work (John's famous Playboy interview not having been done yet.) This is probably our only chance to hear George comment one some of his favorite songs.

This book isn't perfect. It is uneven and contains some glaring omissions (I have heard that John was quite pissed about not being mentioned, actually) but overall George's dry wit and sense of humor comes through the writing very well. And because he wrote it himself, I, Me, Mine contains a very authentic "feel" the hold it together. So there you have it. A book telling the George, the whole George, and nothing but the George. Now I will repeat my introduction:

I shouldn't even have to pitch this book to you. It was written by Harrison. Buy it. Period.
Customer Rating: Average rating of 1/5Average rating of 1/5Average rating of 1/5Average rating of 1/5Average rating of 1/5
Summary: A Big Disappointment
Comment: I didn't like this one, but I had hoped to. Because it is the 2002 version, with input from wife Olivia, I expected something more up-to-date. But it was an odd mix of a patch-work (recorded) biography that Harrison had taped years before. And there was very little about the Beatles and more about motor-car racing? Go figure. The narrative did do a pretty good job of his early years and his interest in Indian matters, both musical and spiritual. But then it ended rather abruptly. Most of the book, however, was annoying--pages and pages of his handwritten song lyrics, juxtaposed with the typed versions. I would rather hear his music than read it. There was nothing about the man George became in later life, or his two marriages, or his son, or his beloved home (well, very little about that). There was no coherent tone to this biography, more of a "random sampling." The only thing I really enjoyed about it were the personal photographs, but inexplicably their captions were placed several chapters later so that you had to keep hopping back and forth to see what each picture represented. In the right hands, this could have been so much more.


Customer Rating: Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5
Summary: lots of harrsion
Comment: If you're a George Harrison fan, this book is great. George does a written Storytellers to a lot of his more famous songs and then includes his handwritten lyrics copied in the book. Pictures are ok--no big deal. This book is all about why he wrote the songs. Priceless.
Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: Many insights and interesting tidbits
Comment: A lot of reviewers seem disappointed that this book is mostly about George's music, rather than about the facts and figures of his life. As I think that George's music speaks for him, so a book about that very expression seems a perfect way to describe the man and his life.

George describes his music in his own words, often with accompanying images of the hand-written lyrics. Some of the songs are described briefly, some are more significant than I would have imagined, some are less meaningful than I would have thought. Very enjoyable to read!

To understand an artist, find out what they have to say about their art. This book gives a very pleasant view into the mind and ideas and creativity of George Harrison.
Customer Rating: Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5
Summary: A modern struggle for meaning
Comment: What do you do when money and career are suddenly no object, and you have everything you could have wanted, and more? You go to the end items of your internal "to do" list, and on there among other things are find out why you're here and what you care about.

Harrison like many others explored alternative religious paths, and in his devotion to Hindu eschatology found a way to understand life that explained him. I think that's why he is such a shadowy figure in his own presumably autobiographical book. He wants to talk about the ideas that sustained him and less about himself, because in many ways, he had gotten over being who he was.

In that salient detail I find the greatest humanity in this book. It is a man speaking about the ideas that propel him and the hopes he has, and it is an escape from most rock autobiographies and their incessant narcissism. Many people won't like it because reading it is more like taking a theology course than reading People magazine, but I would compare it favorably to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance as a walking meditation written into very familiar, conversational text.
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