George Harrison’s Friends Called Him ‘His Lectureship’ Behind His Back

In the mid-1960s, George Harrison dedicated himself wholeheartedly to spirituality. He explained that it was an escape from the pressure of fame, and he practiced his spirituality for the rest of his life. To some of his friends, though, his new spiritual practices were grating. They reportedly referred to him as “His Lectureship” behind Harrison’s back.

The Beatle embraced spirituality in the mid-1960s

Harrison lived in the public eye for most of his life, but he began to tire of fame only a few years into his time with The Beatles. He was young, so it became hard to imagine a life outside of stardom. His spirituality allowed him to do this. 

“It wasn’t until the experience of the 60s really hit,” he said in 1982, per The Guardian. “You know, having been successful and meeting everybody we thought worth meeting and finding out they weren’t worth meeting, and having had more hit records than everybody else and having done it bigger than everybody else. It was like reaching the top of a wall and then looking over and seeing that there’s so much more on the other side. So I felt it was part of my duty to say, ‘Oh, OK, maybe you are thinking this is all you need — to be rich and famous — but actually it isn’t.'”

According to his first wife, Pattie Boyd, he oscillated between periods of spirituality and periods of partying.

“He would be spiritual and clean and would meditate for hour after hour, with no chance of normality,” she wrote in the book Wonderful Tonight. “During those periods he was totally withdrawn and I felt alone and isolated. Then, as if all the pleasures of the flesh were too hard to resist, he would stop meditating, snort coke, have fun, flirting and partying. Although it was more companionable, there was no normality in that either.”

George Harrison’s friends teased him about his spirituality 

Harrison explained that sometimes, his spiritual practice made him feel like he was running in circles.

“I seem to be going around in circles,” he said, per the book George Harrison: Behind the Locked Door by Graeme Thomson. “I have periods when I just can’t stop chanting, and then other periods where, you know, I turn into a demon again.”

Some of his friends grew irritated by the way Harrison spoke about his spirituality when he was in periods where he was focused on it. They began referring to him as “His Lectureship” behind his back. While Harrison may not have been aware of this, he recognized that he was irritating some people.

“I find that now I’m getting people angry,” he said. “I’m provoking a bad reaction. The stronger the commitment on my part, the stronger the animosity becomes. And I’m not sure if it all balances out in the end, whether reaching that one person is worth the ten or 20 who get annoyed with you.”

George Harrison’s friends said his private personality was very different from his public one

Though Harrison may have frustrated some of his friends, others said he was fun to be around. Harrison’s close friend Tom Petty said his reputation as “The Quiet Beatle” wasn’t exactly accurate. 

“He never shut up,” Petty told Rolling Stone. “He was the best hang you could imagine.”

Harrison counted a number of famous names as his close friends.