The title of George Harrison's autobiographical I Me Mine may, at first, bewilder fans who are aware of "the quiet one's" insistence that possessions are meaningless, and that we are all of a single consciousness. Indeed, George did not believe in the words "I," "me," or "mine."
In her introduction to this 2002 paperback edition of the book, Harrison's widow Olivia explains that George, who also had a very humorous side, "took the the opposite approach, and the risk of claiming this book in a slightly cynical trinity of pronouns," which were the title to one of his Beatles-era songs.
Original Leather-Bound I Me Mine Now a Collector's Item
Harrison thought of the book as his "little ego detour." It was originally published in 1980 in a limited edition of 2000 leather-bound, numbered copies, at a price he called "outside the everyday experience," it was the "small change of a short lifetime." It is now a collector's item. This 2002 Chronicle Books paperback edition contains everything the original did, and was published shortly after the guitarist/songwriter's death in 2001.
I Me Mine cannot be called an autobiography per se, as less than a quarter of its 400 pages is Harrison's self-penned life story. Even those too-short 61 pages are interspersed with collaborator Derek Taylor's additional comments. Readers and fans may be surprised to find that, as interesting as Harrison's thoughts are, they are somewhat jumbled, as if George was putting his recollections down in a stream-of-consciousness manner.
Derek Taylor's Co-Authorship Adds Coherence
Taylor, a writer and former Beatles press agent (as well as George's close buddy), adds a necessary coherence to the text, and the two play off each other as only two good friends can. Olivia Harrison confirms that the days of I Me Mine's collaborative composition were days of hilarity, and the friendship shines through in the book.
Of the 45 full page black & white photographs included in the book, including George driving a Grand Prix Lotus, many seem to be personal and never-before seen, and will have the reader longing for a peek at original leather bound edition.
Handwritten Lyrics At the Heart of I Me Mine
The heart of I Me Mine, like that of George Harrison himself, is the music. Two-thirds of the book is given over to the songwriter's handwritten lyrics of about 100 of his songs. The chance to see the process, the crossed out and changed lines, the hotel letterhead (the song "Behind That Locked Door" was composed on an album sleeve, complete with hole in the middle) is priceless in itself.
Included, however, are Harrison's own musings and recollections of the writing of each song. The White Album's "Savoy Truffle" for instance, was written about Eric Clapton's inability to resist a box of chocolates and the state of his teeth: "You'll have to have them all pulled out / After the savoy truffle." That's just the kind of commentary that's missing from so many musicians' autobiographies...what made the music? This alone is worth the $16.95 cover price.
An original Genesis Publications numbered edition of I Me Mine currently sells for about $ 6000.00. For those fans of George Harrison and/or The Beatles, that would rather spend that on food, rent and the complete Harrison and Beatles catalog, the Chronicle Books paperback I Me Mine will satisfy to no end.
Harrison, George. I Me Mine, 2002, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 400 pages.
(ISBN 978-0-8118-5900-4)
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