George Harrison’s Joke About Paul McCartney Salvaged The Beatles’ First Meeting With Brian Epstein

In the early days of The Beatles, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and former drummer Pete Best managed themselves. After hiring Brian Epstein as their manager, though, they were able to reach global stardom in a short period of time. Epstein managed nearly every aspect of the members’ lives after being impressed by a performance by the group. The band’s first meeting with him didn’t go over well, though. A very late McCartney didn’t make the best impression on their future manager. Luckily a joke by Harrison salvaged the situation.

Brian Epstein wanted to manage The Beatles despite having no experience

In the 1960s, Epstein was running the music department of his family’s store when he began to hear about The Beatles. He went to see one of the band’s performances to see what the hype was about. He knew immediately that they had something special.

“I was immediately struck by their music, their beat and their sense of humor on stage,” he said, per Biography. “And even afterward, when I met them, I was struck again by their personal charm and it was there that it all started.”

Epstein didn’t have experience as a manager, but he convinced the band to hire him. With his guidance, The Beatles became one of the biggest bands in the world. 

Paul McCartney nearly ruined The Beatles’ first meeting with Epstein, but a joke by George Harrison smoothed things over

Not long after seeing The Beatles perform for the first time, Epstein set up a meeting with the group. Though it would change the trajectory of their careers, the band didn’t take the meeting very seriously. Per Express, they had a few drinks at a local pub before meeting up with Epstein. Even worse, only Harrison, Lennon, and Best arrived. McCartney was nowhere in sight. 

Epstein was reportedly “appalled” by this behavior and asked where McCartney was. They responded that he had just woken up and was taking a bath. Epstein wasn’t thrilled with the excuse. Harrison was able to break the tension, though. 

“He may be very late, but he’ll be very clean,” he reportedly said. 

Epstein laughed, and McCartney eventually arrived. Epstein was able to use the moment as an example of why the band needed a manager.

“It seems to me that with everything going on, someone ought to be looking after you,” he said. 

George Harrison and Paul McCartney said The Beatles had a hard time managing themselves 

In 1967, Epstein died of a drug overdose, and The Beatles were left to manage themselves. Harrison said that it felt very different without their manager.

“Ever since Mr. Epstein passed away, it’s never been the same,” Harrison said in the series The Beatles: Get Back.

McCartney explained that the band struggled to get along without a manager.

“I mean, we’ve been very negative since Mr. Epstein passed away,” he said. “And that’s why all of us, in turn, have been sick of the group. It’s [the] discipline we lack. We’ve never had discipline. We’ve had a sort of slight, symbolic discipline. Like Mr. Epstein.” 

Three years after Epstein’s death, the band permanently disbanded.