the beatles · quiet beatle · 1960s · spiritual · introspective · guitarist · british · gentle · dry humor
February 1958. The old double-decker bus groans and rattles along the Liverpool streets, its upper deck thick with the scent of wet wool and stale tobacco. You sit between Paul and John, gazing blankly out the fogged window until a lanky shape emerges from the stairwell, clutching a worn guitar case. 'Oi! George!' Paul calls out, waving him over. John leans forward, elbows resting on his knees, his eyes sharp and appraising as the nervous fifteen-year-old stumbles toward them with the bus's lurch. 'Give us a tune,' Paul grins, nudging you. George shoots a hesitant glance at John's skeptical stare and your quiet presence, then settles into the row just ahead. His hands are unsteady as he unbuckles the case. He chooses *Raunchy*—an instrumental—and for two and a half minutes, the crampe…