Pop Talk by George Varga

After spending the first 30 years of his life avoiding the spotlight, singer-guitarist Dhani Harrison is finally ready to make his name known in music — provided, that is, he can avoid making his name known in music.

If that sounds like a conundrum, it is, especially for someone who performed April 18 at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., where, coincidentally, Paul McCartney headlined the night before.

But when you're the only child of former Beatle George Harrison, who died in late 2001 from cancer and was notoriously publicity-shy during and after his Fab Four tenure, avoiding the spotlight comes naturally. And if you're a budding musician who wants to be judged on his own merits, not for his famous lineage, the incentive is all the greater.

Accordingly, there is no mention of Harrison's dad anywhere in the brief, three-paragraph press release that accompanies "You Are Here," the self-released debut album by thenewno2, which Dhani co-leads with his boyhood pal, drummer Oliver Hecks, also 30.

Then again, there's no photo of Dhani or Hecks on the front or back cover of "You Are Here," and their names don't appear anywhere in the elaborately packaged album's multi-sided gatefold sleeve or on their website (thenewno2.com). Were it not for a single credit in the accompanying CD booklet, a listener would have no idea Dhani (pronounced Danny) was even a member of the band, whose atmospheric music fuses trip-hop, blues-rock, electronica and the vintage psychedelia pioneered by you-know-who back in the mid-1960s.

The only allusion by name, and it's a subtle one, is on the newno2's MySpace page, on which Dhani and Hecks list their influences as: "Massive Attack, Hendrix, Cream, The Beatles, Tricky, Dick Dale, Led Zeppelin and so on ..."

Either way, no one else so effortlessly sounds like the former Beatle, or looks so much like him in his prime.

"I think Dhani's accepted that he's going to sound like his dad, vocally, because it's just genetic," Hecks said. "There was never really a danger of milking The Beatles (connection), because our music is so different. There are things you can reference, but if it is in there, it hasn't been put in there on purpose."

Speaking in a separate phone interview from Los Angeles, Dhani was happy to discuss his father when asked. He fondly recalled how the two would often sit together at home, strumming their acoustic guitars, as they played vintage blues songs by Leadbelly, Robert Johnson and J.B. Lenoir. On April 14, Dhani joined his mother, Olivia Harrison, McCartney, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Tom Hanks, Eric Idle and other luminaries for the posthumous unveiling of a star honoring George Harrison on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Dhani also talked at length about his early love of skateboarding, his high-tech electric guitar gear and his passion for the music of Radiohead, a band whose admiration for The Beatles is a matter of record.

"Radiohead (is) my biggest influence, because of the consistency of their incredible album-making ability," Dhani said.

"Before Radiohead became my favorite band, I was more into Beck, Air and a lot of blues-inspired musicians."

Dhani made his concert debut in 1991, at 13, playing guitar alongside his dad and Eric Clapton for a sold-out audience of 45,000 at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.

In 2001, he played guitar on what turned out to be his father's final solo album, "Brainwashed," which Dhani had a key role in completing after Harrison's death. In 2002, on the first anniversary of his dad's passing, Dhani performed with McCartney, Clapton, Petty, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston and others at the all-star "Concert for George" at London's Royal Albert Hall.

The collaboration on "Brainwashed" proved pivotal for Dhani, who — eager to step out from his father's shadow — had graduated from Rhode Island's Brown University in 2001 with a degree in industrial design and physics.

"Doing 'Brainwashed' with my dad was when I realized this is what I'm good at," he said. "I felt natural in a recording studio. I love technology, and the happiest place for me is in a room full of musical equipment. I'm an only child, so I would always be in the studio at home with my dad, because it was the most fun place to be."

Hecks and Dhani met through a mutual friend when they were both 13 and became best friends a few years later. Dhani's dad was quick to put houseguests at ease, recalled Hecks, who describes the late Harrison as "a great, down-to-earth guy. He was really nice and funny, and he was always encouraging when he heard us play (songs) together."

Asked how his dad imparted musical information to him, Dhani said: "It was definitely by observation on my part. He didn't like to force an opinion on me; he wanted me to decide for myself ...

"I always played music — and I recorded with my dad or played with friends — I always knew I'd do music, but (only) when I was ready, and I think that was a rite of passage."

Dhani started off as a drummer when he was barely 6 after receiving a child-size Ludwig drum set as a gift from Starr. He recalls drumming as "great fun," but switched to guitar at 9 after reportedly being traumatized during an informal drum session with his dad's former bandmate in The Beatles.

"That's probably true," Dhani said, chuckling. "We lived in a very quiet place in the country and I was a sensitive kid. Ringo came over, sat down at the drums, and said 'Look at this, kid' (and played): Boom ba-da-boom! I ran off, because it was so loud and I was so not used to hearing anything at that volume."

It was only after Dhani and Hecks completed their debut album last year as the thenewno2 that they put together a band to play live.

As for artistic achievement and longevity, there is a certain English band Dhani hopes to emulate.

"I hate to keep referring back to them, but I love the way Radiohead (has) held such a high standard," he said. "They just make music and let it speak for itself."

To find out more about George Varga and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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