The question is: Just what else is it that puts George above the rest for me? Don't get me wrong, Paul is my second favorite and Ringo and John are at a joint third place... and I love The Beatles as a foursome etcetera etcetera... but George just happens to be my very favorite...

B. Why George?

Well, I suppose I could just say, why not, but it's more complex than that...
Since I turned into a Beatlemaniac at the age of eleven, my reasons for choosing George then were fairly straight-forward: I liked his humor, I liked the way he sang "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You" in the film A Hard Day's Night, I liked the way he looked and I couldn't resist after he said, "I'd be quite prepared for that eventuality" (English accents are, since then, my favorite accents ;)). However, as I grew older and read more about the Beatles... I became more and more intrigued by George. Therefore, here are a few reasons that account for my special soft spot for George:

- His songwriting. It still amazes me that he wrote lyrics like "Within You Without You" at the age of twenty-three... and what also grips me is the fact that, in all his lyrics, a bit of humor seems to lurk around, not to mention that his love songs are never just happy-go-lucky we-all-love-each-other songs - there is a lot more depth to them... I could go on for ages here, but will wrap it up by saying that he was a fantastic songwriter who needn't shy away from being compared to the great Lennon/McCartney team.

- What an astounding musician he was. Not just that he reportedly played 26 (!) instruments, I mean the way he was just such a great, understated guitarist! Just have a listen to all his playing through the years.

- That humor. I've found myself reading a quote by him that made me really thoughtful, because it was so serious - and then turning the page to find a quote that nearly made me fall out of my chair with laughter. He had such a wonderfully dry and hilarious sense of humor... it made reading the Anthology even more enjoyable, because I was always waiting for another quote to make me laugh (okay, and admittedly, I read all of George's quotes before the rest). What I also really respect is his (and the other three's) ability to laugh at and about themselves... never taking themselves all too seriously. There should be a lot more of that with everyone in the world, really.

- His attitude toward people. What I mean is - think about who organized the first really major benefit concert? It was George and the Concert for Bangladesh... He was really looking to help people with so many things he did and I'd venture to guess he gave a lot more to charities and other good causes than are known to us all.

- The music. Not enough to say that it's brilliant, I really would vote for Brainwashed as my favorite post-Beatle solo album. I could listen to that particular album literally hundreds of times in a row and never grow tired of hearing each and every single song on it. In fact, aside from the Beatle releases, the albums I listen to the most are George's solo albums... and The Traveling Wilburys. ;)

- His intriguing personality. When I found this in The Beatles Book, I thought it wrapped it up in a few sentences:

"Not only was George the Beatle who changed most during the lifespan of the group, he was the one who was seen very differently by different people. To some he was serious, studious and sometimes sulky. Others saw him as a plesant, chummy and cheerful lad. Others would say he was far too deep for them. In a way, everyone was right, and he was all of these things and more. George wasn't a simple person to assess, even once you got to know him, but the one characteristic that never changed was his fundamental sincerity. George genuienly believed in what he said and did." 

C. Miscellaneous reasons

- George and Paul's story of hitch-hiking together as teens; read about it in the Anthology book.

- George's grin... because I find it irresistible.

- The way George looked so deep in concentration when playing the guitar, yet made it look so effortless.

- Sometimes, he was just so wonderfully silly.

- He (and the other three!) never cease to be interesting to me... which is why I never grow tired of reading about them, hearing about them, watching documentaries etc.

- Hey, The Beatles invented MTV. ;p

- The stories of the Hamburg days. Oh, to be able to time-travel...

- Each part of the movie "Help!", with special reference being made to the "fiendish thingies!" scene and all the bits in the Bahamas.

- What Klaus Voormann calls "Georgie-German". See Klaus' book "Warum spielst du Imagine nicht auf dem weissen Klavier, John?" for what I mean... it's hilarious!

- Did I forget to mention that he was hysterically funny?

- That slide guitar playing. Hands down, in my opinion, the best ever.

And the list could go on. And on. And... yeah, you get the idea. It could also be a lot more eloquent, but for now, this will have to do.