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Alan White from Yes: What The Beatles mean to me
Drummer played with Harrison and Lennon
Joe Bosso, Fri 11 Sep 2009, 1:37 pm UTC
How did you feel about playing on How Do You Sleep? It was John's unabashed dig at Paul.
"John did something interesting before we cut that song: He gave all the musicians the lyrics and said, 'I want you to read these. You can decide if you want to play on it or not.' I looked at them and said, 'Yeah, sure, I'll play on it. Why not?'
"I knew what the song was about, but it was a great number. He was saying what he wanted to say. I certainly wasn't going to tell him what he should or shouldn't do. That wasn't my place."
Very soon after, you joined Yes. Did John or George ever offer their opinions on Yes' music?
"I kind of lost contact with John at that point. I was off touring the world and he was starting to get involved in his whole 'Lost Weekend' phase. But we did speak once several years later and he told me he was a big fan of Yes. He loved the band."
That's kind of surprising. One would think he would've considered Yes' music excessive.
"You would think that, sure. But John had a lot of sides to him, probably more than he showed a lot of people, at least publicly."
When was the last time you saw either John or George?
"Wow…I think the last time I saw George was in a club in London, right after we finished All Things Must Pass. John, the last time I saw him…actually, I played one last show with him at the Lyceum Ballroom in London. That was the last time.
"They were both beautiful guys, and I have to say, playing with them were certainly highpoints of my career. They got me started professionally. I owe both of them a great deal. I wish they were still around. The world lost a lot when they died."
In addition to Yes, when he can fit it into his schedule, White, a Seattle resident, also performs with that city's Beatles tribute group Apple Jam.
