George Harrison Said Being in a Room Full of ‘Crazed’ People at The Beatles’ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Was Hard
George Harrison had a hard time attending The Beatles‘ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1988. He said being in a room full of “crazed” people was difficult. It made it harder to be the person at the front.
George Harrison said attending The Beatles’ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction didn’t mean anything to him initially
Initially, George didn’t care about The Beatles’ induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. So, he had no desire to attend. However, his opinions about the whole thing changed once he arrived at the ceremony.
“Well, I must say, it didn’t mean anything to me until I got there because, you know, it’s just some idea somebody had and it’s only been two or three years; it didn’t really mean that much to me,” George told MuchMusic. “But somebody said, ‘It might not seem like much now, but it’s history, and you’ll enjoy it.’ So, I went along, and I was glad I went.”
George said it was hard being in a room full of ‘crazed’ people at The Beatles’ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction
The guitarist told MuchMusic that he had a great time at The Beatles’ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. However, only “after everybody settled down; it was a bit hectic,” he said.
“It was fantastic just to see all those people—Little Richard and all the guys there. I really enjoyed it. But now, as I’ve got my little statue that says, ‘The Beatles,’ ‘The Hall of Fame,’ and I’m sure as it goes more into the future, it’s going to be something which I’m certainly glad I didn’t miss it.”
Shortly after attending the ceremony, George told CNN that being in a room full of “crazed” people was hard. On being in crowds following John Lennon’s death, George said, “Well, I’m very careful when I get near loonies, you know?
“Like the Hall of Fame was such a night, you know? It was very stressful being in a room full of crazed people, even thought they were all supposed to be from the record business.”
George thought he was done with ‘crazed’ fans
The Beatles’ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony probably seemed “crazed” to George because he hadn’t experienced crowds like that in a while. They probably resembled the frenzied crowds of Beatlemania. It must have brought back some terrible memories for George, especially since that part of being a Beatle had “aged” him and made him paranoid. He thought he was done with all that.
Also, by the time of the group’s induction, George had started coming to terms with being a Beatle. He was healing. In a 1987 interview, George told Creem Magazine, “Well, I’ve had a lot of years. It was terrible around ’69, and in that period: everybody’d seen the movie ‘Let It Be’ and it was really tense and nasty. And the years that followed that were hard because we were all sort of shellshocked from the ’60s.
“But as things have settled down I’ve come to terms with it and it’s sunk into the past. We’ve gotten older and new generations have come along, I spent years avoiding interviews and going on TV to get to a point where I could go out, walk down the street and go in a shop and just do regular little things that ordinary people do.
“Everything’s cool and it’s quite enjoyable. And now, if somebody comes up and says, ‘Alright, George,’ and they just congratulate you and thank you for all the music you did in the past and what you’ve been doing -that’s nice. It’s the concentrated mania that would make anybody go crazy.”
So, George must have been shocked and freaked out while walking on stage. However, the crowds were more than likely “crazed” because two Beatles were accepting their induction. It was a huge moment for fans. They were excited because they still loved The Beatles. George would’ve recognized that eventually. It’s still surprising he went at all, but it’s good he did.
