When George Harrison did not spare colleagues criticism

While George Harrison is often perceived as the quiet soul of Beatles In reality, on several occasions a complex character has shown himself, not inclined to the compromise by issuing severe judgments to other illustrious colleagues: from Elvis to Oasis.

Growing up within the legendary quartet, Harrison developed a particular personality due to the “struggle” with his “bulky” companions: John Lennon And Paul McCartney. To be listened to, to assert his songs, he had to struggle and also asked for the support of his friend Eric Clapton.

The real Harrison (disappeared in 2001 at the age of 57) was able to emerge with the album “All Things Must Pass” (the first post beatles job, published in November 1970) where he put in place all his creativity, free from the group pressures.

Despite his search for peace and transcendence, his almost mystical aspect and his kindness to Harrison have never been lacking the sense of humor and a critical, even fierce vision, hidden by a playful verve, towards colleagues and during the Years expressed his sincere thought, not always condescending, on some musicians, “sacred monsters” of the history of rock.

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When he saw the Oasis Building a “alter ego” of the Beatles in the nineties, remained more than contrasting. “It’s a bit out of fashion,” he explained to Independent Radio News about Liam Gallagherwhen the Manchester band was overlooking the scene, “it’s simply stupid”. His criticisms did not stop at the frontman. Of the band as a whole he said “they don’t have much depth” and simply “they are not very interesting”. In response, Liam Gallagher is, as always, went down “flat” and said “I still love the Beatles and I still love George Harrison as the author of songs in the Beatles, but as a person I think he is a fucking jerk. And if I ever meet him I will tell him, fucking. By complaining also the fact that the idea that the former Beatles had made himself on him was limited to what he had read.

Harrison, who opposed the ego, criticized the self -centered behavior of Bono and of U2stating that their performances and their style attracted attention more for the way of presenting themselves than for music itself. Despite the criticisms, Bono has always had a profound admiration for the Beatles and recognized that Harrison did not appreciate U2. “Well, he didn’t like U2 very much. But we loved him. We really loved him.”
Harrison, in 1997, showed himself skeptical and not very far -sighted regarding the durability of the fame of the U2 (who were now at the height of his career), establishing, to Le Figaro, that “nobody will remember them in 30 years” (exactly he said: ” “Will anyone remember the U2 in 30 years? Well a not long career and the absence of a place in the future and history of music had also been hypothesized for the Beatles themselves at the beginning.

If John Lennon and Paul McCartney had definitely agreed with punk, Harrison was a little less. In 1979 he declared to Rolling Stone: “As far as musicality is concerned, punk groups were simply garbage: no finesse in playing the battery, just a lot of noise and nothing”. This only supported the thought of the movement and in particular of sex pistols. He continued to demonstrate his disappointment also in the sense of punk when he added: “I felt very sorry when i Sex Pistols They were on television and one of them said: “We were educated to go to the factories and work on the assembly chains”, and this is their future. It is terrible, and it is particularly terrible that it comes from England, because England is continuously in depression; It is a very negative country. Everyone wants everything and nobody wants to do anything to have it. “
Harrison added: “It’s a very simple thing: how do you give people money if there is no one? The only way to make more money is to work more”. And he concluded “negativity is not fighting with negativity. Hate must be overcome with love, not with other hatred”.

Harrison’s passion for India and Eastern spirituality led him to reproach the guitarist of Whoho, Pete Townshendaccusing him of being “false”. Ironically, speaking with India Today, he said: “Townsend! Yes! Whenever I saw him he was so done and said a lot of nonsense that I don’t think I really think of all the religious things he says”. Questioning the sincerity of spiritual allegories like Tommy.

If Elton John He was a good friend of John Lennon, the former Beatles guitarist was much less kind talking about his music. Also in the interview with India Today, he commented: “Well, Elton John’s music is something I have never considered much”. And he continued: “He plays in the same way, even if I think he once wrote a good song; many years ago, of course. His music is made according to a formula: put a text, put four agreements, shake everything well , and here is Elton John’s new super hit! “. Harrison, however, albeit hard in his judgment, limited himself and was not as contemptuous as Keith Richards, who called Elton “an old whore” and said that his “writing is limited to songs on blonde death”.

During a 1992 session, Bob Geldof randomly asked George Harrison what he thought of the work of Neil Young. The answer was clear. “I’m not a fan of Neil Young,” he replied. Geldof tried to plead the cause of the Canadian singer -songwriter highlighting the value of his guitar style. Nothing to do even for that. Harrison struck him. “I hate him, I can’t stand it.”

The Hollies They made a cover of Harrison’s composition for the Beatles “If I Needed Someone” in 1965, a version that did not like.
In an interview with Nme George said: “I didn’t write it for the Hollies’. It’s called ‘If i Needed Someone’ and they did it as a new single, but their version is not my kind of music. I think That it is a crap the way they made it! Technically good, yes.

The Beatles certainly had their internal battles, but in the end a balance and alchemy prevailed that helped make Fab Four great. After the magic of the Union, things have changed and there have been no hesitation or delicacies when it was about discussing some solo works of Macca. Speaking at Rolling Stones UK in 1979 of the recent production of Paul McCartneyHarrison commented: “I think it is harmless. I have always preferred Paul’s good melodies to his rock’n’roll songs shouted. The song that I considered sensational in the album” London Town “(de Wings 1978) It was ‘I’m Carrying’. But I don’t like all noisy things at all. But this is not only valid for Paul’s music, it applies to the whole band. I’m not a fan of that type of punk stuff, heavy, tin. I like a nice melody. “A few years later, when he was asked why his old friend had added songs like” Beautiful Boy “to his lineup, Harrison commented:” Maybe because he exhausted his best songs “.

Although the FAB Four grew up listening to Elvis Presleytheir fate was to overcome it, to go further. The meeting between the former Beatles and the king was not the best regarding George who commented on that memory. “I met him at the Madison Square Garden a couple of years before the end. It was a little sad, because he had a ridiculous situation around,” Harrison recalled during a round table with Paul and Ringo. “I just wanted to tell him: ‘Put the jeans, take the guitar and sing’ that’s alright with me mama ‘and give a damn about all the other bullshit'”. Harrison continued by saying that it was probably the pressure of the fans who pushed Elvis towards a somewhat too flat routine, but in the end he questioned the thickness of the king, questioning the substance of his catalog and commenting: “You never have Hear such a stupid joke?All shoot up“Of 1957).