Behind Sad Eyes: The Life of George Harrison [Paperback]

Marc Shapiro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 2003

Shrouded in a sea of mystery, the elusive George Harrison has long been the most private and enigmatic member of the Beatles. From his hard knock childhood in Liverpool to his ascendance into rock infamy, George Harrison's life has been a torpid ride filled with legendary success and heart crushing defeat.

New York Times bestselling author Marc Shapiro sheds new light on this paradoxical rocker, whose reputation for unusual religious practices and drug abuse often rivaled his musical notoriety.

A man whose desire was to be free rather than be famous, Harrison's battle against conformity lead him to music making, a soulful and creative expression that would be his ticket to success and the bane of his existence. Behind Sad Eyes is the compelling account of a man who gave the Beatles their lyrical playing style and brought solace to a generation during turbulent times.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Books that capitalize on the grisly interest spawned by the death of a "star" are usually inferior. Not so this biography of Harrison, universally famed as the "quiet" Beatle. Biographer Shapiro (J.K. Rowling, Carlos Santana) creates a complex portrait that shies from melodrama. For instance, Shapiro does not wring heroic sentiment from Harrison's working-class roots, as others have been so inclined. Instead, Shapiro focuses on the unusual level of support Harrison received from his parents, who encouraged their imaginative young son to make a serious go at the seemingly dead-end vocation of rock guitarist. Roughly one-third of the biography is devoted to Harrison's career as a Beatle. Rather than analyze the group (territory covered countless times), Shapiro uses well-chosen anecdotes to describe Harrison's role in the band. The musician's frustrations as an underappreciated writing talent and his disappointment in both work and private life emerge as major contributors to the band's demise. Though Harrison appeared to be passive, Shapiro notes that this humble exterior was often more form than substance. When the Beatles made the unpopular decision to fire drummer Pete Best, Harrison played dumb, though he was the one who pushed to fire Best. Shapiro writes, "In what would become his typical response to uncomfortable situations, he denied any involvement in the firing of [drummer] Pete Best," when he in fact pushed for the unpopular decision. One of the first biographies fully devoted to Harrison, this volume brings keen perspective to both his great contributions and bland failures.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The best-selling biographer of J.K. Rowling and Carlos Santana hits the jackpot with this life of late Beatle George.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (January 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312309937
• ISBN-13: 978-0312309930
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #485,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Do NOT buy this book, May 9, 2002

By 

E. M. Laspiur (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Behind Sad Eyes: The Life of George Harrison (Hardcover)

This is one of the worst Beatle books I've ever read.
The inaccuracies are shameless.
The writing is poor and spotted with grammatical errors.
The vision is superficial and doesn't ad one bit to the Beatles story.
It is incredible that there is not one good biography of George Harrison.
Unfortunately I bought this without waiting for the Beatlefan review of the book. I could have saved the money.
If you are a Hard Beatle fan looking for something new and fresh, I recommend buying Beatles Gear here...

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars George deserves better, July 20, 2003

By 

Candace Scott (Lake Arrowhead, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Behind Sad Eyes: The Life of George Harrison (Hardcover)

This is a mindlessly bad book, I'm only giving it a generous 2 stars because of the chapters on George's solo career. Amazingly, George has yet to attract a quality biographer or someone who will put in diligent research to capture his essence and character. Shapiro conducted one (you read it correctly) interview and has no understanding whatsoever of the Beatles or their incomparable history together. The errors are contiunous throughout, some of the minor, some of the them not, but their collective weight dooms this travesty.

Everything in the book up until 1970 is merely re-hashed from previous, superior, Harrison biographies. There's nothing new, no novel analysis, nothing. The same trite stories we've heard since 1963 are repeated, with the mistakes intact. Shapiro does improve somewhat after the Beatles demise and George's solo career is not glossed over. Still, there is an absence of any depth throughout. What did George think of Lennon's assassination, how did that tragic event unfold in George's mind? You'll get no answers here, except to say George was paranoid about his security after 1980. What about George's relationship with Clapton after Eric married Harrison's ex-wife, Pattie? Again, nothing.

George Harrison was one-fourth of the greatest musical group in the history of man. That alone makes him a compelling subject, but you'd never know it from reading this dismal book.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Yeccccccccccccccccccccccccchhhhhhhh........, July 14, 2002

By 

David Bradley "David Bradley" (Sterling, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Behind Sad Eyes: The Life of George Harrison (Hardcover)

I wrote a review of this book a few weeks ago and it was never posted. I guess I was so harsh the censor trashed it. That in itself should indicate clearly how little I think of this book.

I'd give "Behind Sad Eyes" a negative 4 rating if it were allowed.

Beyond the odd title--everyone I've mentioned it too assumed it was a book about Pete Townshend--the book is just slapped together. It is filled with factual inaccuracies, it is poorly written and, frankly, it is boring.

'Nuff said.