Reference Library: George Harrison's Birthdate
From: email@example.com (saki)
Subject: Re: George's Birthday (an anecdote)
Date: 23 Feb 1995 00:37:11 GMT
In a previous article firstname.lastname@example.org (Bob Stahley) writes:
My wife, Katie, says I'm a bad influence on her.
The other day at work, she was talking to a co-worker named Cathy, and she
mentioned my birthday was coming up. It turns out that Cathy's birthday is
the same as mine, the 21st of February. "Yep", she said, "the day before
Katie said, "No, the 21st is four days before George's birthday".
They eventually worked it out, but Katie said she felt pretty silly.
I can't imagine why. I've already informed my office-mates that they'd
better hurry if they want to buy George a present this year. And of course
we'll have some in-house celebration for the lad.
Since George announced several years ago that he preferred to move his
birthday to 24 February, things have been a bit muddled, I'll admit. Now
it's true that his birth certificate, his parents, his siblings, and
all other available documentation report his birthday to be on 25
February; but George decided the 24th was a more accurate date.
I'm still mystified by this.
George is not known for being astrologically inclined, so the idea
that he gets a better star-chart on the 24th seems an improbable
I'd also considered that perhaps it was a just-before/just-after-midnight
sort of thing, where it was *possible* that his mother (and everyone
else) merely mixed things up, what with the 24th and the 25th so close
together at that hour.
Then a new document came into my hands---a rare fanzine from 1964,
detailing the making of "A Hard Day's Night". I'm ever so grateful
to have it, naturally, and was even more amazed when a passage mentioned
that on 25 February 1964 George's mum Louise called him at precisely the
time he'd been born---12:10am---to wish him all the best. The article
intimated that this was a long-standing family tradition. One must, of
course, consider that this is not the most primary of sources, but it's
an interesting tidbit of information, if true...and George's actual
time of birth is reported nowhere else.
Now if George had been born just ten minutes after midnight on the
24th, how could anyone have mistaken that day for the 25th? We must
presume that George's parents were sufficiently aware of what was going
on, and what day it really was; newborn George would have had a much less
clear impression, one necessarily gathers.
And if he were born ten minutes after midnight on the 25th, and endured
yearly phonecalls from his well-meaning mum congratulating him on the
day, why would George think the *real* date was the 24th?
We can no longer ask either Mr. or Mrs. Harrison Senior, alas, since
they have passed on. But I once asked his sister Louise at a conference
what she thought of all this, and she says her understanding, as well
as that of her family, was that George's birthday was the 25th. She
was uncertain what George's motive would be for changing the date.
In any case, this gives us the option of celebrating either day, or
both, depending upon your predilection.
"...These youngsters from Liverpool, and their conduct over here, not only
as fine professional singers but as a group of fine youngsters, will leave
an imprint on everyone over here who's met them."
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