I recently came across this fantastic interview Simon Leng did with Rip Rense when he was promoting his book, While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison, in 2006.It’s a really good read!
Simon Leng is the world’s leading authority on the music of George Harrison, author of WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS: The Music of George Harrison. He is an ardent student and admirer of Harrison’s work as a guitarist and songwriter, from the earliest recordings to the yet-unreleased final songs. His previous biography, Soul Sacrifice, spotlighted Carlos Santana. The Rip Post interviewed Mr. Leng, who is also a guitarist, while he was on the road, doing humanitarian work in Africa. He discussed Harrison’s utterly distinctive guitar work, his ying-yang attitude toward fame, his immersion in Indian classical music structure, his humility, and much more…
Rip Post: You are the only author who has looked at George Harrison largely from the standpoint of his musicianship. There are many studies of Lennon & McCartney’s musical talent, but yours is the lone example on George. Why do you think this is?
Simon Leng: Well, for better or worse, in the general eye of the media and public, Lennon & McCartney are the beginning, middle and end of The Beatles. My angle is not to say that those two have been unfairly praised, because they are great artists and deserve their fame, it’s just a gentle nudge to suggest that the “third man” was a great musician and artist too!
Rip Post: Tell me a bit about your background and how you came to be so intensely interested in all of Harrison’s work.
Leng: There isn’t much to report really…. I come from a musical family and learnt the trumpet at school like many other folk did. My father played classical music a lot in the house, played the piano and wrote some music too. Then, like millions before me, I discovered The Beatles and became a fan. At the same time I took up the guitar and so became interested in the guitar parts on the records. I distinctly remember the day Harrison’s music hit me. I had read in “the lore” about “My Sweet Lord”, and went to get a copy in the days when record stores still stocked back catalogue singles. This was around 1976. When I heard the song its impact on me was instant and seismic. I related to it instantly and was uplifted by it. I also remember loving the slide guitar solos and thinking it was a unique sound. From there I got into “33&1/3, but the clincher was “Living In The Material World”, which remains my favourite Harrison album – to me that album has a certain “magic” that even “All Things Must Pass” does not.
My father was English and my mother Portuguese, and so I was raised as a Catholic. As a result I grew up with plenty of Irish people, and spent time in Liverpool – I was taught by the rightly infamous Christian Brothers who had a sister school there. Looking back, I think this all fits with an interest in Harrison.
Rip Post: What were some of the surprises you found while researching and writing the book?
Leng: How highly respected he was by his musical peers and how intensely loyal people felt towards him as a friend. Oh, and how many positive reviews there actually were of the Dark Horse tour in 1974!
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