George Harrison Made a Snarky First Impression on an Important Beatles Producer
George Harrison had a reputation as the Quiet Beatle, but he wasn’t afraid to show his sense of humor, as a Beatles producer quickly learned. George Martin, a producer who worked with the band for years, took some convincing to recognize that Harrison was a valuable part of the group. This could have been due in part to a snarky comment Harrison made to him early on in their relationship.
Those who knew the former Beatle said he was quietly funny
Harrison was known publicly for his devotion to spirituality, which made him seem serious. According to those who knew him, however, he had a solid sense of humor.
“The best thing I can say to people that are curious about that is George was probably everything that you thought he was, and then some more,” Tom Petty told NPR. “Very funny man; he could just kill me with his humor. He was a great guy and I miss him terribly.”
Keith Richards also said that he appreciated Harrison’s humor.
“So George and I always used to have that thing of, ‘Well, how’s your end holding up?’ He was a very quiet and enigmatic guy in many ways,” he told Rolling Stone in 2001. “He had a very sly sense of humor, very quiet. But there was always this unspoken bond between us.”
George Harrison made a snarky comment to a producer
Sometimes, though, Harrison’s jokes didn’t go over well. Early in The Beatles’ career, they began working with Martin in the studio. Martin wasn’t immediately sure that he wanted to work with the group.
“I wasn’t too impressed with the tape [Beatles manager] Brian Epstein had played me,” he told Desert Island Discs. “There was something there but I couldn’t find out whether it was worthwhile or not.”
Ultimately, Martin felt bad for Epstein, so he offered the band an hour in the recording studio. When the band got there, Harrison made a comment that likely didn’t warm Martin to the group. Martin told the band to let him know if there was anything they didn’t like. Harrison responded snarkily.
“Well, I don’t like your tie for a start,” Harrison said, per the book George Harrison: Behind the Locked Door by Graeme Thomson.
The producer admitted to treating George Harrison with condescension
Perhaps in part because of the impression Harrison made, Martin said he never treated the guitarist as an equal to John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
“I think the trouble with George was that he was never treated on the same level as having the same quality of songwriting, by anyone — by John, by Paul or by me. I’m as guilty in that respect,” Martin said, per UDiscoverMusic. “I was the guy who used to say: ‘If he’s got a song, we’ll let him have it on the album’ — very condescendingly. I know he must have felt really bad about that.”
