5 of George Harrison’s Snarkiest Comments on His 80th Birthday
Choosing George Harrison‘s snarkiest comments is difficult, considering how many he made in his lifetime. The former Beatle was blunt and often said everything that came to mind. He was cynical but always kept his humous edge. Here are George’s top five snarkiest comments.
5. ‘See you around the clubs’
In Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back, fans saw how George’s patients were stretched. There were tensions between the bandmates, but things between Paul McCartney and George got to boiling point. George abruptly quit and said, “I think I’ll be leaving the band now.”
John Lennon, surprised, asked, “When?” “Now. Get a replacement. Write into the NME and get a few people,” George said. As he packed up his things, George told the group he’d see them “’round the clubs.” However, George eventually returned to the band.
4. ‘But what do they want? Blood?’
During a 1979 interview with Rolling Stone, George discussed his dissatisfaction with certain Beatles fans who wanted the band to continue.
“They’ve got lots and lots of songs they can play forever,” he said. “But what do they want? Blood? They want us all to die like Elvis Presley? Elvis got stuck in a rut where the only thing he could do was to keep on doing the same old thing, and in the end his health suffered and that was it.
“The Beatles fortunately did that hit-and-run. But every year we were Beatling was like twenty years; so although it might only have been five or six years it seemed like eternity. That was enough for me, I don’t have any desire to do all that…
“People used us as an excuse to trip out, and we were the victims of that. That’s why they want the Beatles to go on, so they can all get silly again. But they don’t have consideration for our well-being when they say, ‘Let’s have the Fab Four again.'”
3. ‘Elton John’s music is something I’ve never thought much of’
Some of George’s snarkiest comments came when he bluntly criticizing his fellow singer-songwriters. In a 1976 interview with India Today, George claimed he didn’t think much of Elton John’s music, even thought they were friends.
“Well, Elton John’s music is something I’ve never thought much of,” he said. “It all sounds the same, though I think he’s written a good song once (many years ago, of course). His music is made to a formula: throw in lyrics, throw in four chords, shake well, and there it is, the new Elton John super-hit!”
2. ‘You don’t want see three old men hobbling around the stag’
George was also very blunt and snarky about The Beatles’ cultural impact. After being hounded about the band for most of his life, he was sick of The Beatles. He never considered himself “Beatle George” anyway. He used to say that The Beatles did some good things, but they also did some rubbish too.
During an interview on Australian TV, an interviewer asked George what the odds were of The Beatles reuniting. “It’s best left as it was,” he said. “With all those nice memories and the records are there. You know, you don’t want see three old men hobbling around the stage pretending to be the Fab Four.”
1. ‘Get another monkey’
If it was one thing that George disliked the most about his fame, it was receiving awards. He didn’t like being rewarded for a career he didn’t even want. In Martin Scorsese’s 2011 documentary, George Harrison: Living in the Material World, George’s widow, Olivia, said, “George had maximum amount of diversion in life.
“Towards the end of his life, I’d say, ‘Oh, they want to give you this award thing.’ He said, ‘I don’t want it. Tell them to get another monkey.’ I’d say, ‘Yeah, but you know, it’s a really nice one. You should have this.’
“And he’d say, ‘Well, if you want it so bad, you go and get it. I’m not going. I’m not doing that anymore.’ Because it’s just a big diversion… He really did draw the line, and I really admired him for that.”
Ultimately, George was snarky because he had to be. Dealing with extreme fame, which he didn’t want, wasn’t easy and he criticized every part. He never took anything seriously and tried to make light of everything.
He believed that life was too short to not say the things he wanted. However, none of his friends or family disliked him for it. It was one of his more endearing traits and something to reflect on during what would’ve been his 80th birthday on Feb. 25.
