Allison, Dale C., Jr. New York: Continuum, 2006. viii + 168 pp., $17.95
(USD). ISBN: 0-8264-1917-8 (Paper).
[1] Dale Allison, professor of New
Testament exegesis and early Christianity at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary,
has ventured briefly off the path of biblical scholarship and into the realm of
popular music in this short but careful treatment of George Harrison’s
spirituality. What does one of the world’s leading biblical scholars have to
say about the music of one of the world’s most famous musicians? A host of
insightful things, as it turns out.
[2] Allison’s purpose in writing The
Love There That’s Sleeping (a phrase from
Harrison’s hit song, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”) is “to interpret [the] words [of Harrison’s music],
to sort through George’s musical corpus, through its mixed bag of fragmentary
feelings, religious poetry, secular love songs, perceptions of the world, and
anxieties about life, and more or less to systematize, in the light of his
biography, his understanding of what matters most” (3). And what matters most
to Harrison, a Roman Catholic-convert to Hinduism, is often viewed
sympathetically by Protestant Allison.
[3] The Love There That’s
Sleeping is not a typical biography. It
does not follow the progression of Harrison’s music in a strict chronological
fashion, but instead proceeds thematically, chapter by chapter, beginning with
a short introduction where Allison describes his motivation for writing. In
addition to being a fan of the Beatles in general, and Harrison in particular,
Allison notes Harrison’s fame not only as a member of the Beatles, but also as
a solo artist and a part of the Traveling Wilburys; his skill as a guitarist;
his success as a movie producer; and chiefly, for Allison, the religious
substance of his lyrics.
[4] Seven additional chapters
follow, each with a title taken from a Harrison song, and each one focusing on
a particular aspect of Harrison’s worldview as found in his lyrics. The
chapters survey Harrison’s views on theology, human nature, established
religions, “our predicament” (that is, what is wrong with the world), death and
reincarnation, human folly, and salvation. The book concludes with a short
final chapter in which Allison offers a note of appreciation for Harrison’s
music; a 26-page annotated list of the complete Harrison corpus; and a helpful,
detailed index of the book’s contents.
[5] Allison’s overall portrait of
Harrison is fair, balanced, and nuanced. He neither makes Harrison into a
rock-and-roll caricature nor (in a biography by a fan, the more obvious danger)
does he make him out to be a saint. So, while Allison treats honestly
Harrison’s claim to have come to God through his LSD use, he gives equal attention
to Harrison’s involvement with the Concert for Bangladesh and his other charity
work. At one point Allison asks if Harrison was “so heavenly minded that he was
no earthly good” (68) and concludes that he was both otherworldly and socially
minded.
[6] While Allison is a fan of
Harrison’s music, he is not afraid to offer criticism where he believes
criticism is warranted. He wishes, for instance, that Harrison had been more
specific in describing his understanding of the meaning of divine love: “He never
really lets us know what it means to affirm that God loves us. The answer is
far from obvious” (12). Allison also questions some of Harrison’s apparent
condescension and hypocrisy: “how can the author of ‘Taxman,’ who lived in a
mansion and had a second home in Hawaii and who in general enjoyed the
luxurious life of a millionaire, scold greedy businesspeople” (102)? While he
does offer an occasional defense of Harrison’s shortcomings, he is generally
honest about the Beatle’s flaws.
[7] One of the strengths of
Allison’s writing is that he makes Harrison come alive. There is an intimacy,
for instance, in constantly addressing him as George, even though he never knew
Harrison personally. Allison writes skillfully about a celebrity he has only
ever known through his music and various secondary sources, as though he was a
close, personal friend.
[8] My sole criticism of the The
Love There That’s Sleeping is an absence of
subheadings in the chapters. While Allison writes in an engaging, lucid style,
subheadings would aid readers in following the progression of his narrative and
more clearly distinguishing transitions. Their absence makes the book, at
times, somewhat hard to follow. Overall, however, this book is a joy and a
treat to read. Fans of George Harrison and the Beatles, as well as those
interested in the intersection of faith and music, will appreciate Allison’s
thorough analysis of Harrison’s body of work. Likewise, the uninitiated will
welcome this glimpse into the life of one who “pioneered making mainstream rock
a vehicle for religious convictions,” a man whom Allison rightly credits as
“the forerunner of subsequent bands such as U2 and Creed” (2–3).
Stephen J. H. Tu
Toronto School of
Theology
stephen.tu@utoronto.ca
