#paul and george
“Meanwhile, McCartney had tried to solicit interest in the Anthology project by sending form letters to the likes of Steven Speilberg, Martin Scorcese and Ridley Scott, allegedly asking each director to state in 500 words why he was the right man for the job. Harrison, who knew something of the film industry, told McCartney he was out of his mind, you didn’t treat Talent like that, and to leave it to him, George - he was back on board now. Paul was chastened. ‘It was a mistake,’ he told Rolling Stone.”— McCartney, by Christopher Sandford
That’s an odd one because it’s mixed in truth. George didheadbutt Keith Ritson, as quoted above in Mark Lewisohn’s book, Tune In. However, I’ve not seen any evidence of George’s line.
I agree it’s always sounded a little too on-the-nose.
With the Paul quote about George wrapping his arms around as well, there is truth in George apparently being very cuddly, but of The Beatles it was Ringo who talked about that. Like @blobfishmiffy said, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were elements of fanfic which crept in.
“With Rubber Soul the clash between John [Lennon] and Paul [McCartney] was becoming obvious. Also, George [Harrison] was having to put up with an awful lot from Paul. We now had the luxury of four-track recording, so George would put his solo on afterwards. But as far as Paul was concerned, George could do no right – Paul was absolutely finicky. So what would happen was that on certain songs Paul himself played the solos. I would wonder what the hell was going on, because George would have done two or three takes, and to me they were really quite okay. But Paul would be saying, ‘No, no, no!’ And he’d start quoting American records, telling him to play exactly as he’d heard on such-and-such song. So we’d go back from the top, and George would really get into it. Then would come Paul’s comment, ‘Okay, the first sixteen bars weren’t bad, but that middle…’ Then Paul would take over and do it himself – he always had a left-handed guitar with him. Subsequently I discovered that George Harrison had been hating Paul’s bloody guts for this, but it didn’t show itself. In fact, I take my hat off to George Harrison that he swallowed what he had to swallow in terms of criticism from Paul.”—
Norman Smith, engineer for The Beatles until the end of 1965
NOTE: I don’t have the source for this quote, so if you know it please let me know. Thank you.
(viaharrisonstories)
Looks like this quote comes from the book Beatlesongs by William J Dowlding.
Thank you! It looks like the author cites Chris Salewicz as well so it might be in his McCartney biography.
McCartney also reveals that his long-bitter relationship with Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono has turned a corner. Describing Ono as a “badass,” he says he’s moved on. “I thought, ‘If John loved her, there’s got to be something. He’s not stupid,‘” McCartney says. “It’s like, what are you going to do? Are you going to hold a grudge you never really had?” In fact, another voice from the past — that of George Harrison — had encouraged him to forgive and forget. “George would say to me, ‘You don’t want stuff like that hanging around in your life.'”
- On Paul’s complicated relationship with Yoko Ono, Rolling Stone (Oct. 2013)
Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison jamming in Liverpool in late 1959 while they were still the Quarrymen.
John Hanrahan: Do you keep in contact with Paul and Ringo?
George Harrison: Yeah, yeah. I’ve seen them both a lot, and they’re well. You know, I think with our age as well [we’ve] mellowed out. There was a period of time where Paul and I didn’t get on very well, but we’re great friends now, and I think time slips away, and we realise that. It sort of comes back around, the cycle. I mean I was – I met Paul when I was 13 years old or 12 years old, you know, at school. So there’s much more fun and good experiences that we’ve shared than the bad ones.
Hanrahan: Is there ever any chance that you might come back and do a record together in some form? I mean everybody would like it obviously.
George:Well the first stage seems to have happened inasmuch as Paul and I are good friends now. The next stage is if we can pick up a couple of guitars and sing a few old Buddy Holly tunes together. Who knows? We may be able to knock out a tune or two, and if we can get that far then what’s to stop us getting in the studio together for one reason or another, but it would never – it would never be anything like some great big reunion album or concert. I think we’re passed that stage. We’re just thankful to be able to be friendly, and if we can actually produce a tune or something you know, that’s a nice little song, that would be enough.
Hanrahan: Why the ghost of Buddy Holly? Why would he –
George: Well it’s just that when we were kids and got our guitars, we were into all those early Elvis, Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, and I mean that’s the kind of thing where if we were to get in a room, picked up a guitar, we’re more likely to sing uh, Peggy Sue than we are to sing Yesterday.
- John Hanrahan interviews George Harrison(1986)
