George Harrison Received a 'Depressing' Christmas Present That Made Him Dread His Future
George Harrison's father had clear expectations for his son's career. Here's the Christmas present that hinted at his hopes.
Long before fame, George Harrison received a Christmas present that made him fear his future. Though he wanted to pursue music, his father made it clear that he should look for a more stable job. Harrison found this upsetting because he didn’t think he would be able to follow through on his dad’s dreams for him.
After Harrison left school, he struggled to find a job. His friends returned to school as he tried, unsuccessfully, to get his music career off the ground. “I used to borrow money from my dad,” Harrison said in The Beatles Anthology. “I didn’t want a job — I wanted to be in a band. But it got a bit embarrassing when my father kept saying, ‘Don’t you think you’d better get a job?'”
Harrison’s father made it clear what type of job he wanted his son to have through a Christmas present. Harrison did not appreciate the gift.
“My dad never had a trade, but he had the idea that all his three sons would have different trades,” he said. “My eldest brother was a mechanic, my second brother did panel beating and welding. So Dad thought, ‘George can be an electrician, and then we can have our own garage.’ For Christmas, Dad bought me a little kit that opened up and inside were screwdrivers and tools, and I thought, ‘Oh God, he really does want me to be an electrician.’ That was depressing, because I had no chance of being one.”
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
