Last night I attended a marvelous (and recurring) event based upon the life & inspiration of George Harrison, run by Joshua M. Greene and Godfrey Townsend. Joshua led the storytelling and the chanting, while Godfrey sang and played guitar. Both of these men are highly accomplished. For Joshua, in addition to being an accomplished musician, he also has an incredible bio & variety of books! Godfrey has played and toured with a variety of bands, including the Alan Parsons Project (Zombie Connection!!)
The event itself was marvelous. And I'm not the type who goes in for any kind of fluffy spiritual philosophy. But Joshua M. Greene is a sincere practitioner and honors George's own discovery and history and belief in a way that offers an excellent balance to the PR HYpe that surrounds his legacy. Joshua himself played with George in 1970 and has written a George bio (Here Comes The Sun) which includes his own experiences & perspective of events.
They included a slideshow and video clips, which helped to give a strong chronology to the narrative. The event filled the room, and the crowd was allowed to offer up questions in a low-key format. There was good coverage of George's entire career, plus a portrayal of his spiritual side-which is difficult to get a handle on from the media reports of the time.
It was at the Open Center, description of event here. If you are within the NYC area, it's a great idea to get onto their mailing list, just to keep an eye out for the next time they do this. Apparently this was the 4th or 5th (or more?) time they have done it, and will probably do it again.
Additionally, Godfrey had been to the Monkees concert in Westbury, LI the night before and got into Mike's Dressing Room! There were even a few Monkee jokes slipped into the act. "A group of young men had invaded the scene . . . do you have the song cued up? . . . 'Here we come . . . Walkin down the street . . .'"
The event itself was marvelous. And I'm not the type who goes in for any kind of fluffy spiritual philosophy. But Joshua M. Greene is a sincere practitioner and honors George's own discovery and history and belief in a way that offers an excellent balance to the PR HYpe that surrounds his legacy. Joshua himself played with George in 1970 and has written a George bio (Here Comes The Sun) which includes his own experiences & perspective of events.
They included a slideshow and video clips, which helped to give a strong chronology to the narrative. The event filled the room, and the crowd was allowed to offer up questions in a low-key format. There was good coverage of George's entire career, plus a portrayal of his spiritual side-which is difficult to get a handle on from the media reports of the time.
It was at the Open Center, description of event here. If you are within the NYC area, it's a great idea to get onto their mailing list, just to keep an eye out for the next time they do this. Apparently this was the 4th or 5th (or more?) time they have done it, and will probably do it again.
Additionally, Godfrey had been to the Monkees concert in Westbury, LI the night before and got into Mike's Dressing Room! There were even a few Monkee jokes slipped into the act. "A group of young men had invaded the scene . . . do you have the song cued up? . . . 'Here we come . . . Walkin down the street . . .'"
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