George Harrison Shared 1 of the ‘Main Faults’ of John Lennon and Paul McCartney
During the 1960s, George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr spent much of their time performing and recording. Toward the end of the decade, fights were more common between the bandmates, and they eventually broke up. Harrison felt overshadowed and ignored by Lennon and McCartney, making him resent them. After publishing his memoir, Harrison shared what he believed were the main faults of Lennon and McCartney.
The Beatles’ guitarist said it was a relief when the band broke up
Harrison began tiring of fame by the mid-1960s. He started focusing on his spirituality and grew more anxious about “scrapes and near misses” while touring. After the band decided to stop touring in 1966, Harrison felt relieved.
“There was a sense of relief after that, getting home,” he told Rolling Stone in 1987. “Then we spent what seemed like fifty years going in and out of each other’s houses, writing tunes and going into the studio for Sgt. Pepper and the White Album. But for me, I think for all of us, it was just too much. The novelty had worn off. Everybody was growing up. Everybody was getting married and leaving home, in effect. I think it was inevitable, really.”
George Harrison shared what he viewed as the main faults of John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Harrison had also grown tired of the increasingly fraught relationship between the band members. This continued after the breakup, and the former bandmates jabbed at each other in the press. After Harrison published his memoir I Me Mine, Lennon publicly took issue with the fact that he wasn’t credited enough.
“My glaring omission in the book, my influence on his life is absolutely zilch and nil,” Lennon complained to Playboy, per the book George Harrison: Behind the Locked Door by Graeme Thomson. “Not mentioned. He remembers every two-bit sax player or guitarist he met in subsequent years, yet I’m not in the book.”
Harrison said that Lennon’s insistence on centering himself in the memoir was an example of one of the biggest problems he had with his bandmates.
“He misread me,” he said. “He didn’t realize how I was, and this was one of the main faults with John and Paul. They were so busy being John and Paul they failed to realize who else was around at the time.”
George Harrison would be in a band with John Lennon but not Paul McCartney
Though Harrison had his problems with Lennon, he said he would have been in a band with him again. He wouldn’t have worked with McCartney again, though.
“To tell the truth, I’d join a band with John Lennon any day, but I couldn’t join a band with Paul McCartney, but it’s nothing personal,” he said, per the book George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters. “It’s just from a musical point of view.”
He believed that McCartney was a bit too pushy when making music, which frustrated him. Still, they were able to maintain a friendly relationship outside of music.
