Understanding George Harrison’s love for the “soap opera” of Formula 1
Do you ever wonder whether there’s an element of truth to the things that The Beatles sing about, or do you think that most of it is made up? Of course, John Lennon is not a walrus as he once proclaimed in song, and they don’t all live in a yellow submarine either, but when their songs are a little more rooted in realism, then there are plenty of genuine experiences that have inspired their work. However, despite ‘Drive My Car’ being a Paul McCartney composition, it was in fact George Harrison who had the obsession with motoring.
Now, the song itself isn’t actually about cars at all, and is said to have a more euphemistic back story, but Harrison himself did actually pen a song about his love of fast driving vehicles during his solo career. In 1979, he released the track ‘Faster’, a song inspired by a love of Formula 1 and his experiences following the world championship across the globe during a year where he had taken a sabbatical from making music.
When I say that Harrison had a fascination with cars, this is something of an understatement. The Beatles’ guitarist was fanatical about motorsport, and even had an enormous collection of classic cars himself, with a selection of vintage Jaguars, Porsches and McLarens in his garage at home. Despite this being his special interest, he did manage to allow this hobby to get himself into trouble, managing to have his driver’s license revoked on two occasions after being convicted of dangerous driving.
His true passion, however, was watching motorsport, particularly Formula 1. During his travels watching the 1977 F1 season, he managed to befriend several of the drivers in the championship, becoming close friends with the likes of Emerson Fittipaldi, Jackie Stewart, and eventual championship winner Niki Lauda.
Not only did he follow the sport around the world and attend multiple races every year, but he was also invited to be a guest commentator at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix, the final race of the season, and was also given the opportunity to race in unofficial events. When he was asked what exactly it was that he loved about motor racing, he claimed to Montreal TV that “it’s just a hobby. It’s a soap opera, a big soap opera. So I like to see the soap opera and how it develops.”
In a further interview in 1986, where he was being spoken to alongside former world champion Jackie Stewart, he even tried to compare his own craft to the art of motorsport. “It’s a noisy Rock and Roll, really,” the guitarist claimed. “I mean, in a way is the same. A lot of the drivers are like Rock and Roll musicians. They really live for now, they don’t really care too much about everything else that’s happening in the world. They just want to have fun and there’s some good people. I’d compare them a lot with Rock and Roll people. Except I think more Rock and Roll people die than racing drivers.”
While there are certainly risks in excess for rock stars, they’re never travelling at high speeds across the stage, so his comparison is perhaps a little tongue-in-cheek. However, the adrenaline and general thrill of the sport is undoubtedly something that it has in common with touring the world as a successful musician, and for that, you can hardly blame Harrison for his thrill-seeking hobby.
