Sunday, November 27, 2011

Recommendation of I Me Mine to AP Students

I would recommend I Me Mine to anyone who is a Beatles fan or anyone who is looking for something inspirational to read. I think the book should have been a little longer, but it is full of events and information. In addition, it might be a little hard to comprehend at some parts, but AP students are suppose to read challenging literature. Overall it is a good book that is very interesting.

Summary of I Me Mine

The book starts out with Derek Taylor talking about how he met George Harrison and how they became good friends when he became the Beatles press officer. Then it goes into George's life. He was born February 25, 1943 in a small house in Liverpool. Then, he talks about how he had an interest in rock and roll music and when he met Paul McCartney at school. He then drops out of school and joins the Quarrymen after an audition on a double decker bus with John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Soon Brian Epstein becomes their manger and Ringo Starr joins, and they become the Beatles. They become famous for their song "Love Me Do". The Beatles rise to fame, but George Harrison mentions that he dislikes all the attention. He then recalls a time when they had to go to Manila to perform and how it ended up in fear, but they managed to get out of there.

George Harrison then talks about going to India, getting a sitar, and converting to the Hindu faith. Ravi Shankar is mentioned and other big influences of George Harrison's life. The marriage of George Harrison and Pattie Boyd is another event that he talks about, and how they both go to India several times

The drug LSD is also mentioned and how his dentist slipped it into John Lennon's and George Harrison's coffee. This leads to George Harrison talking about how the Beatles took the drug other times, and how it influenced their music. Then he talks about the Beatles breaking up and how he had several benefit concerts, like the Concert for Bangla Desh. He also talks about how he bought Friar Park, and how he started making more music there.

George Harrison also mentions how he became friends with Eric Idle from the show Monty Python. In addition he mentions how he became fond of Motor Racing and his love of cars. The other parts of the book are pictures and all the songs he wrote along with his notes and a descriptions of each song.

Best Section of the Book

The best section of I Me Mine is when George Harrison goes to India and starts practicing Hinduism. I believe this is the best part of the book because he finds a faith that he believed in for the rest of his life. In addition, this part of the book is where he found the rest of his niche, and where his tone lights up. He is happy throughout the whole book, but in this section you can tell that he is happier, because he believes in something. I think becoming Hindu set the tone for the rest of his life, which makes this section of the book the most important. This event may even be the most important in his life.

The Author's Tone On One Page of I Me Mine pg. 55

One part of the book that I think is interesting is when George Harrison describes his lessons on the sitar with Ravi Shankar. He has a fascinated, grateful, and excited tone. It's almost as if he lights up when talking about the sitar lessons, just like when he says, "The first sitar lesson was interesting in that it was so nice to find somebody who was such a master being able to start from scratch with a beginner." He seems to be very excited about the whole experience. George Harrison's tone is also informative when he talks about what you shouldn't do when playing a sitar or practicing the Hindu faith.

One section on this page is when Ravi Shankar tells George that you must have respect for the instrument. George then says, "... you can't appreciate anything if you have no respect." This shows that looked up to Ravi Shankar, and learned a great deal from him. This page shows that George Harrison was influenced greatly by Ravi Shankar.

Ten Significant Events in I Me Mine

1. George Harrison was born February 25, 1943.
2. George Harrison got his first guitar and started playing rock and roll music.
3. Paul McCartney introduced George Harrison to John Lennon and he then joined the Quarrymen.
4. The Beatles became famous with their song "Love Me Do".
5. George Harrison meets Pattie Boyd and they marry, but later split up and George marries Olivia Harrison.
6. Gorge Harrison starts playing the sitar, goes to India and starts practicing the Hindu faith.
7. George Harrison becomes good friends with Ravi Shankar.
8. The Beatles break up in 1969.
9. George Harrison buys Friar Park and has the benefit concert, Concert for Bangla Desh.
10. George Harrison becomes fond of Motor Racing.

Two Important Places in I Me Mine

Two important places in I Me Mine are India and Friar Park. India was mentioned because that is where George Harrison finds the Hindu faith and several people who would guide him to spirituality. Before entering India, George Harrison thinks they are a foreign country that knows nothing about the recent pop culture. When he arrives there, with the other Beatles, he realizes he was wrong because several people were screaming "The Beatles!" and running toward them. He described India as beautiful, and some parts as British because the British came in and built roads and buildings some places. George Harrison thought of India as a second home because he felt that he belonged. After the first trip, he took several other trips to India throughout his life.

Friar Park was another place mentioned in the book. It was George Harrison's final home that he bought when he found out it was going to be demolished. Friar Park was previously a Catholic school before he turned it into his home. Surrounding the magnificent building was several acres of beautiful land. George Harrison became fond of gardening and was constantly changing the several acres of land. Friar Park became a big part of his life. This was where he lived with Olivia Harrison and his son Dhani. He also had a music studio built there, where he recorded all of his other albums.

Important People in I Me Mine

There are several people in I Me Mine that are important, but there are a few that stand out more than others. These important people are George Harrison, the other three Beatles, Pattie Boyd, and Ravi Shankar. George Harrison is the most important character because this book is his autobiography. He was a guitar player and songwriter in the Beatles, and then became a solo music artists. Harrison was a tall, quiet individual, but was a powerful person. It was never about him and always about others. His music made many people happy and his influence told others to be peaceful and to give charity.

The other three Beatles, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and Paul McCartney, were also very important in I Me Mine. They were all around the same age, had mop top hair cuts at one point, and they all became very good friends. The other three Beatles influenced George Harrison greatly. They helped each other become famous and despite the Beatles breaking up, they are still a very well known band today. Although they had fights in the end, they were still friends and are all still known as the Beatles.

Pattie Boyd is another important person. She was George Harrison's first wife. They met on the set of A Hard Days Night, the fake Beatles documentary. She was normal height and blond, and was always in style when it came to fashion. Pattie Boyd was a great influence on George Harrison's life because she helped him find Hinduism, and Eastern Indian culture. Although she was a big influence,she left him for Eric Clapton, a musician and one of George Harrison's good friends.

 Ravi Shankar is from India and is a well known sitar player.Ravi Shankar, in my opinion, is one of the biggest influences on George's life. This is because he became a mentor for George Harrison. Ravi Shankar helped him play the sitar and helped him with practicing the Hindu faith. He also helped Harrison become very spiritual in his mind and in his music. Both George Harrison and Ravi Shankar became very good friends, and even played concerts together.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

How the Title I Me Mine Was Chosen

I Me Mine was a name of one of the songs that George Harrison wrote when in the Beatles. Aside from it being a name of one of George's songs, it is also ironic. This is because it was never "I me mine" with George Harrison. What I mean is it was never all about him; he was a giver and never really the center of attention. In his book he said, "I hated everything about my ego- it was a flash of everything false and impermanent which I disliked." This shows that he didn't want everything to be about him, but he wanted it to be about others. His many charity concerts that he did is proof that it wasn't all about him.

About the Authors of I Me Mine

The authors of I Me Mine are George Harrison and Derek Taylor. George Harrison was a member of the Beatles and after the Beatles was a solo music artist. He was born February 25, 1943 in Liverpool, England. George Harrison was married twice, first to Pattie Boyd and second to Olivia Harrison. He had one son with Olivia, a boy named Dhani. This book is the only book he wrote, but he wrote many songs that are well known. Harrison is well known for not just being in the Beatles, but also creating many charity events like the Concert for Bangla Desh and his peaceful songs that warmed the hearts of many people. Sadly he died in 2001 from cancerous tumors in is brain and his lung.

Derek Taylor was the press officer for the Beatles and wrote a column about George in the paper The Daily Express. He was born on May 7, 1932. Taylor was an English journalist and wrote in the News Chronicle, the Sunday Dispatch, and the Sunday Express. He was first assigned to review the Beatles concerts and was then asked to write a column about one of the Beatles. After being the press officer of the Beatles, he moved to the Americas and created his own public relations company where he provided publicity for The Byrds, The Beach Boys', and Paul Revere and the Raiders. In addition to helping George write I Me Mine, Derek Taylor wrote The Making of the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Fifty Years Adrift (In An Opened Necked Shirt), and It Was Twenty Years Ago Today. He died September 8, 1997 from cancer.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011