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TL;DR:

  • George Harrison called a museum better than Disneyland and more valuable than the Smithsonian.
  • He said the museum helped to teach people the most important aspect of life.
  • George had some issues with the group that created the museum.
George Harrison with a microphone
George Harrison | Sonia Moskowitz/IMAGES/Getty Images

George Harrison once praised a museum for being better than Disneyland. Notably, he had issues with the group that created the museum. Afterward, members of the group were with him when he died.

George Harrison praised a museum created by a relatively new religious organization

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the Hare Krishna movement, also known as the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), is a Hindu denomination founded in the 1960s by A. C. Bhaktivedanta. The group focuses on the god Krishna and an ancient Hindu scripture called the Bhagavad-gita. 

According to the website for the Bhagavad-gita Diorama-Museum, Hare Krishna artists created the sculptures for the museum in the 1970s. They used techniques from ancient India to make the sculptures for the museum’s dioramas. The museum is designed to teach visitors about the group’s philosophy.

The website includes a testimonial from the singer. “I thought it was great — better than Disneyland, really,” he said. “I mean, it’s as valuable as that or the Smithsonian Institute in Washington. The sculpted dioramas look great, and the music is nice. It shows in a way that’s easy for even a child to understand exactly how the body is different from the soul, and how the soul’s the important thing.”

Krishna with a flute
Krishna | Godong / Contributor

George Harrison felt members of the Hare Krishna movement ripped people off at airports

George endorsed the museum. However, in 1987, he told Entertainment Weekly he was not a member of the Hare Krishna movement. “I’ve been associated and have friends in that, but I never joined ’em,” he said. “I mean, I joined ’em in spirit, but not in that spirit of trying to rip people off at airports.”

He did not appreciate when Hare Krishnas would try to proselytize using his image. He felt they were biting the hand that fed them. In addition, he laughed at jokes about the Krishnas in the movie Airplane!

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The singer remained close to the Hare Krishna movement when he died

Despite these issues, George remained close to the group. According to Billboard, members of the sect were by his bedside singing religious songs when he was dying in 2001.

A spokesperson of the New Delhi chapter of the religion said his death was a great loss. The spokesperson praised the “My Sweet Lord” singer for spreading Hare Krishna ideas around Europe and the United States.

George praised the group’s message and they were with him until the end of his life.

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