George Harrison Was More Impressed to Meet John Lennon Than Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney introduced George Harrison to John Lennon, and Harrison was immediately impressed by Lennon. He was older, rebellious, and played in a band, so Harrison began spending as much time as possible around him. While he was good friends with Paul McCartney, Harrison admitted that he found Lennon more impressive.
Paul McCartney met the youngest Beatle when they were teenagers
McCartney and Harrison met at the Liverpool Institute as teenagers. McCartney was a grade above Harrison, but they rode the bus to school together. On the long trips, they bonded over their shared love of music.
“Paul came round to my house one evening to look at the guitar manual I had, which I could never work out,” Harrison said, per The Beatles: The Authorized Biography by Hunter Davies. “It was still in the cupboard. We learned a couple of chords from it and managed to play ‘Don’t You Rock Me Daddy O’ with two chords. We just used to play on our own, not in any group, just listening to each other and pinching anything from any other lad who could do better.”
George Harrison said John Lennon seemed more impressive to him
McCartney had been playing in Lennon’s band, The Quarrymen, for a time before Harrison joined. He was the one who introduced Harrison to Lennon.
“I first saw the Quarrymen when they were playing at the Wilson Hall at Garston,” Harrison said. “Paul was playing with them and said I should come and see them. I’d probably have gone anyway, just for the night out and to see if I could get in any groups. With knowing Paul, I got introduced to John.”
Though McCartney and Harrison were good friends, Harrison found Lennon more impressive.
“I was very impressed by John,” he said. “Probably more than Paul, or I showed it more. I loved John’s blue jeans and lilac shirt and sidies. But I suppose I was impressed by all the Art College crowd. John was very sarcastic, always trying to bring you down, but I either took no notice or gave him the same back, and it worked.”
John Lennon did not like George Harrison at first
Despite Harrison’s overt admiration, Lennon did not like him at first. He was younger than McCartney, and Lennon worried that this would hurt his band’s image.
“George was the youngest, and it was obvious,” author Tony Bramwell said, George Harrison: Behind the Locked Door by Graeme Thomson. “He looked very young, even younger than his years. John Lennon didn’t particularly like him and didn’t want him in the band. He regarded him as too young, a kid, but Paul was pushing for him.”
Harrison often invited Lennon out with him, but the older boy resisted at first.
“George was just too young,” Lennon said. “I didn’t want to know him at first. He was doing a delivery round and just seemed a kid. He came round once and asked me to go to the pictures with him but I pretended I was busy. I didn’t dig him on first sight, till I got to know him.”
Eventually, though, Lennon warmed to Harrison.
