One of Calum Best’s most cherished memories of his father is a special day from their time in the United States, ending with them riding a tandem bike on Hermosa Beach, Los Angeles. It was George Best, the tortured football genius, for once at ease with life.
“I just remember there was such a relaxed feeling from him because he was able to just live a bit more free than he would in the UK,” Calum says. “This is so silly, but I love it to death. He rented a bicycle built for two, and we rode the boardwalk in Hermosa Beach. And I just hold that memory dear.”
There is no footage of the bike ride on the boardwalk in the early 1990s, an era long before the mantra of “pics or it didn’t happen”. Yet, George Best is one of the few footballers to be revered from the Swinging Sixties all the way to the current age of YouTube clips. To this day, Manchester United fans sing Spirit in the Sky with an important change to the lyrics: “When I die and they lay me to rest I’m gonna go on the p— with Georgie Best.”
Calum gets the adoration of fans sent directly to him. During the international break it was from Windsor Park when Northern Ireland were playing Luxembourg. Tuesday is the 20th anniversary of his father’s death and love has not diminished. “It blows my mind,” he says. “It’s 20 years and it’s flown by. It just shows that he was almost like a friend to all of them. I think that’s how they saw it.”
To mark the anniversary of his father’s passing, Calum has collaborated with artist Aidan Phelan for an exhibition called George Best: 20 Years of Immortal Legacy. The images are takes on some of the iconic images of the footballer who could touch all demographics, even to this day.
