harrisonarchive

[harrisonarchive]

George Harrison's Rocky has a cameo in the “I Won’t Back Down” music video —

“We flew over to England to do that video, and Ringo came down to play in the video, and George brought that guitar down and he said ‘Here, you wanna play this?’ and I was like, ‘Sure!’ (laughs). It was a thrill to hold it and play it, but I don’t own that guitar. George was just like that though, he was very generous.” - Mike Campbell, mabosons, March 2008 (x) Read more about the Full Moon Fever Harrison connections here.

#Mike Campbell #George Harrison #Tom Petty #quote #quotes about George #1980s #1989 #Full Moon Fever #fits queue like a glove

[harrisonarchive]

The “I Won’t Back Down” music video shoot, 1989: Ringo Starr, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, George Harrison, and Mike Campbell.

“And so much has happened to me that you wouldn’t believe. I’m not gonna try to tell it all to you, but I’m thinking right now about one particular thing. I was looking out there - I know so many people here. Mo, Mo and Olivia [Harrison] are out there. I love Mo and I love Liv. Me and George Harrison and Jeff Lynne one night were at Mo Ostin’s house - this was before, we were just working on the idea of the Traveling Wilburys - and I had written this song ‘Free Fallin’’ and done the record and taken it to my label, MCA. And they rejected the record. And that had never happened to me before. I was like, wow, what do I do? So, we forgot about it. And we were at Mo’s house and dinner ended and George said, ‘Let’s get the guitars out and sing a little bit.’ And we sang and George said, ‘Let’s do that “Free Fallin’” Tom. Play that.’ So we had a kind of Wilbury arrangement of it with harmony. And we did it. And Lenny Waronker is sitting there, he said, ‘That’s a hit.’ With two acoustic guitars, you know? I said, ‘Well, my record company won’t put it out.’ And Mo says, “I’ll f*****’ put it out.” - Tom Petty, MusiCares speech, 10 February 2017 (x)

“At the session [for 'I Won’t Back Down’] George Harrison sang and played guitar. I had a terrible cold that day, and George sent to the store and bought a ginger root, boiled it and had me stick my head in the pot to get the ginger steam to open my sinuses, and then I ran in and did the take.” - Tom Petty, Mojo, January 2010

“We pretty much finished the song - all but one line. Which was ‘There ain’t no easy way out.‘ I didn’t have a line for that. And I was singing, ‘I’m standing on the edge of the world.‘ [Laughs] And when we were recording it, George said, ‘What the hell is that - “I’m standing on the edge of the world.“ Surely there’s got to be something better than that.‘ [Laughs] And then I came up with ‘There ain’t no easy way out,‘ which seemed so obvious. But that was George going, ‘That line’s dumb.’“ - Tom Petty, Conversations With Tom Petty (2005)

“We all went to Denny’s on Sunset that night after the show [Roy Orbison in Anaheim, where George, Tom, and Jeff asked him to join the Wilburys]. There were some Goths hanging out, and it was all we could do to keep George from jumping in that car with them. They looked like they were having fun. That’s where Zombie Zoo came from. It was an amazing time, everything happening at once. George always missed that element, I think, of a band, a group dynamic. Whether he would admit that or not.” - Olivia Harrison, Petty: The Biography (2015)

#Tom Petty #George Harrison #Mike Campbell #Jeff Lynne #Ringo Starr #quote #quotes about George #George and Tom Petty #Full Moon Fever #1980s #1989 #Olivia Harrison #George and Olivia #fits queue like a glove

[harrisonarchive]

George Harrison and Pete Ham in the studio control room, September 1971; photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images.

“Pete just loved working with George. He felt he learned a lot from him. […] George Harrison told Pete he wanted to perform an acoustic duet of ‘Here Comes The Sun’ [at the Concert for Bangladesh]. […] ‘Pete was thrilled that someone he admired thought enough of him to do that stage spot at the Bangla Desh concert. It was really a buzz for him.” - Beverley (Pete’s widow), Without You: The Tragic Story of Badfinger

“We all came through so much in the Sixties and we all wanted so much to create something positive, something good. And it’s hard to… You know, when we come out into the Seventies, and we find it’s hard to go on. A lot of these people were only part-time hippies, or part-time lovers. They, you know, the badness of the world, or in them, caught up to them too soon. And you find that they turned round and all just started stabbing each other in the back. It’s like, we all need to support each other in many ways in order to exist. Like for example, just the other day I heard that [Pete Ham] from Badfinger — you know, Badfinger, who was on Apple Records, ‘Day After Day’ — the guy who wrote the big Harry Nilsson tune ‘Without You.’ He hanged himself. Okay, so, he’s hanged himself because he… can’t go on, you know… can’t go on.” - George Harrison, radio interview, August 1975

Q: “Who are the bands you’re most proud of from the Apple stable?” George Harrison: “Anybody who had a hit, probably… like Badfinger was pretty good. It was a very sad story, though, because the guy, he ended up killing himself. Pete Ham, who was a lovely fellow, he was a good guitar player and a great singer. He wrote… the most famous tune I would imagine is ‘Without You,’ you know, the Harry Nilsson record.” - Undercover, 1996

“[George spoke of Pete] with fondness as a friend and with respect for his beautiful songs. I have had the pleasure of meeting Pete’s family and, although I did not know Pete himself, his lyrics and recordings embody a gentle spirit and tender heart.” - Olivia Harrison, BBC, 27 April 2013 (x)

#Pete Ham #George Harrison #quote #quotes about George #quotes by George #Badfinger #The Beatles #Olivia Harrison #et al. #fits queue like a glove

[harrisonarchive]

From The Today Show, November 2, 1988.

Spotlight on Lefty Wilbury —

“[Bob] just wanted to be one of the lads. He actually wanted to call the band Roy And The Boys.” - Jeff Lynne, MOJO, December 2015

“I didn’t expect [Roy] to know all the words to Monty Python’s ‘Sit On My Face.’ He knew all those things.” - George Harrison, MTV interview, 1988

“If [Roy] started laughing, he’d get everybody laughing. I remember all the Wilburys in a car once when Roy started laughing and got everybody doing it. We went a good mile laughing at the top of our lungs.“ - Tom Petty, Lakeland Ledger, May 19, 1989

“You can’t replace Roy Orbison. Now Roy just happened to be there like we were there and it was right. Brilliant. It’s not every day you form a group with all these legends.” - George Harrison, Musician, March 1990 (x)

#Roy Orbison #George Harrison #Tom Petty #Jeff Lynne #Bob Dylan #The Traveling Wilburys #1988 #1980s #George and Roy Orbison #remembering Lefty Wilbury on what would be his birthday #Rona Elliot #fits queue like a glove

[harrisonarchive]

George Harrison in Esperance, Australia, 1984. Photo courtesy Fiona Norwwod/The Moore Family/ABC Australia.

“When you see the rate that the world is being demolished — people polluting the oceans and chopping down all the forests — unless somebody puts the brakes on soon, there isn’t going to be anything left. There’s just going to be more and more people with less and less resources.” - George Harrison, Rolling Stone, November 5, 1987

“[T]he atmosphere that’s created, I mean, you can take it from just say this room: we know this room and the atmosphere is created by us in here but if you magnify it on to the level of a city or a continent and you think of all the atmosphere that’s being created. I mean, right now just all this radio, television and satellites and there’s all this madness flying through the air, and all these chimneys pouring and smoke and motor cars driving everyone, people on telephones, you know, I mean there’s just so much disturbance in the atmosphere, that it — the atmosphere, nature, has got to adjust to that, and I think that any weather is the result of that or the shifting of climate because of chopping rainforests down. You know, people seem so stupid they don’t seem to realize that, you know, every action has an equal and opposite reaction.” - George Harrison, RTE, 1987

“The planet is in the hands of very greedy people. The people in power and the people in big business, they are the people who control our fate and it’s all done with so much greed.” - George Harrison, Daily Express, July 29, 1989 (x)

At the close of “Save The World” (from 1981’s Somewhere In England), there’s a snippet of “Crying” (from 1968’s Wonderwall Music); as George explained — “At the end, I just wanted to let the whole song go out with something sad, to touch that nerve and maybe make you think, ‘Ohhh shit.’” - Musician, November 1987 (x)

#George Harrison #quote #quotes by George #Harrison spirituality #always relevant #Harrison songwriting #fits queue like a glove

[harrisonarchive]

In Switzerland, 1973; photo by Gary Wright.

“As they say, ‘to be in the world, but not of the world.’ You can go to the Himalayas and miss it completely, and you can be stuck in the middle of New York and be very spiritual. I mean, I noticed in certain places, like Switzerland, I find a lot of uptight people there, because they’re living within themselves. If you’re stuck in New York, you have to somehow look within yourself — otherwise, you’d go crackers. So, in a way, it’s good to be able to go in and out of both situations. Most people think when the world gets itself together, we’ll all free ourselves from the chains we ourselves have chained ourselves to. But I don’t think that suddenly some magic happens and the whole of us will all be liberated in one throw.” - George Harrison, press conference, Los Angeles, October 1974 (x)

#George Harrison #quote #quotes by George #Harrison spirituality #1973 #1974 #1970s #Gary Wright #fits queue like a glove

[harrisonarchive]

George Harrison and Jenny Boyd at Friar Park, January 1991. Photo by Pattie Boyd. (In connection with this photo of George and Pattie that same day.)

“My former brother-in-law George Harrison spoke my favorite ‘Life Lesson Quote.’ I was in a car with my sister Pattie and George. We were on our way back from Bangor in Wales where we’d been staying at the Maharishi conference with the rest of The Beatles. It was when we’d heard that The Beatles manager, Brian Epstein, had died that we cut our visit short, and each of the Beatles headed for home. We all felt very sad. The car stopped in London to let me out. Just as I was about to close the car door, George jumped out and said to me, ‘Would you like to come to Maharishi’s ashram in India with us all in January?’ I couldn’t believe it, a dream come true! ‘How can I ever repay you?’ I asked. ‘Just be yourself.’ George said. This has been my ‘Life Lesson Quote,’ and it is the story of my book: the journey to finding myself.” - Jenny Boyd (in response to the question, “Can you please give us your favorite ‘Life Lesson Quote’? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?”), Authority Magazine, March 9, 2020 (x) The new edition of Jenny’s first book (Musicians In Tune), re-titled It’s Not Only Rock ‘n’ Roll: Iconic musicians reveal the source of their creativity, included a dedication: “Dedicated with love and gratitude to the memory of George Harrison.”

#George Harrison #Jenny Boyd #Pattie Boyd #quote #quotes about George #1991 #1990s #Friar Park #George and Jenny Boyd #George and Pattie #fits queue like a glove

[harrisonarchive]

Photo by Caroline Greyshock.

Dean Goodman: "I intereviewed Tom [Petty] and he said they spent an awful lot of time smoking pot and drinking beers." Olivia Harrison: "Did he says that?! Neverrr! Is that why they had so much fun?" DG: "Yeah, it seems everyone had a such a great time." OH: "They did. George had a great time because he was relaxed. He didn't feel any pressure, and there was no obligation and no contract, no reason for it, and no motive. That is why he enjoyed it. Of course, he had a lot of fun in his life, and he had some amazing experiences. It was a buzz because there were no demands. He so enjoyed just playing with real players." - www.deangoodman.com/olivia-harrison/ © Dean Goodman

tnntxx asks: "George, given the drug experimentation of the 60’s, how do you feel about the legalitzation of pot?" george_harrison_live: "Well, I saw someone on TV last night pulling out huge loads of pot out of various fields in California. My feeling is…" george_harrison_live: "as long as you can go into a store and buy" george_harrison_live: "whiskey" george_harrison_live: "bourbon" george_harrison_live: "and all the rest of it" george_harrison_live: "then, a little grass is nothing." george_harrison_live: "the authorities are just causing the price to be high – 'scuse the pun." - Yahoo web chat, February 15, 2001 [x]

#George Harrison #Tom Petty #Bob Dylan #Jeff Lynne #quote #quotes about George #quotes by George #The Traveling Wilburys #Olivia Harrison #George and Tom Petty #George and Bob Dylan #George and Jeff Lynne #George and Olivia #1990 #1990s #2001 #2000s #fits queue like a glove

[harrisonarchive]

“There hasn’t been a week without somebody coming and saying, ‘Wow, look at this!’ Whether it’s where we’ve been on top of the charts, or at The Palladium, or The Royal Variety, or the film, or America, we’ve had a ball. But I don’t think it’s changed us. I think we understand each other better now than ever. Back in the seven quid a night period, and that means seven quid between us, we decided we’d dress and sing and do as we like, and if nobody wanted us, that was hard lines. We’ve stuck to that. It’s gone out of all proportion since then. For me-self, I’m still an eggs and chips man. I’ve had caviar and I like it. But I’d still rather have an egg sandwich. The only difference now is that when I say things like that, the Egg Marketing Board send a dozen for free!” - George Harrison, Daily Mail, April 20, 1964 (x)

#George Harrison #quote #quotes by George #George and fame #The Beatles #1960s #1964 #fits queue like a glove

[harrisonarchive]

Photo from Cashbox.

“Linda and her sister Olivia Arias, who later became Mrs. George Harrison, were friends of ours and they turned our record on to George. George loved the record and he came to a place called the Topanga Corral to hear us perform. He said he loved our songs and loved our energy and he pretty much signed us on the spot.” - Michael Manning, Music and Art Interviews, March 12, 2013 “[Jiva are] just two guitars, bass, and drums. Three of them — the two guitarists and the bass player — all write their own tunes. They sing separately and together, but they’re very up. They’re like a little R&B/rock band. Very nice, very positive. That’s the great thing about them, is they’re positive. You know, I mean, at this time in world history when there’s so much sort of negative and confusion, they’re really… they know where *they’re* going. And full of love and up, positive, loving awareness. And they’re pretty funky too. You know, they’re young, and it’s like, I think this will be the first album they’re making with a guy, a producer called Stuart Levin who has just done the Minnie Ripperton second album, and he’s the producer of The Crusaders. That’s quite interesting. In fact they just start tonight to record.” - George Harrison, radio interview, 1975 (x)

#George Harrison #Jiva #Michael Manning #et al. #Dark Horse Records #1975 #1970s #Olivia Harrison #Linda Arias #fits queue like a glove

[harrisonarchive]

From Terry Willesee Tonight, November 30, 1984. (x)

#George Harrison #Derek Taylor #quote #quotes by George #quotes about George #1984 #1980s #George and fame #The Beatles #Harrison spirituality #George and Derek Taylor #Terry Willesee Tonight #fits queue like a glove

[harrisonarchive]

On April 14, 2009, George received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Photos by (?) Mark Ralston, Jim Ruymen.

“[George] was the most remarkable person. He had the most wonderful sense of humor, and the most wonderful thing that makes me so proud is that he leaves to extraordinary people: his wonderful widow, Olivia, his dark sweet lady and the love of his life; and his son, Dhani, whom he was inordinately proud of and would be even more proud of. The only words I can think of for George is, it’s all down to what you value.” - Eric Idle, speech at the event “We all have deep feelings for George because he was such a deep-feeling person. If you met him you couldn’t help but be drawn into his world, and he wanted to be in your world too. To me, he was a beautiful, mystical man living in a material world, and he was as funny as the day is long, and just as perplexing. I think I speak for all of us when I say that as time passes we discover more and more how deeply-seated he is in our hearts and lives. So, thank you everyone. George, this day is for you.” - Olivia Harrison, speech at the event Q: “In April, George received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. What would he think about that?” Olivia Harrison: “I think by this point he would have been OK. But there was a point, sort of in the '90s, he was enjoying himself so much not doing anything in the public eye, he might not have done it. But you know, we want to give him a star and so that's too bad, George, you're going to have it [Iaughs]. He would always say, no matter what it was, ‘Oh that's nice.’ Sometimes people would make up an award and send it because they like him and he'd go, ‘Oh, that's nice.’ And he'd kind of put it on the table and it would just be there. Probably people don't realize that he did appreciate it whether it was the biggest award in the world or the smallest little award or a flower left in the gate … He might have some hokey little thing beside an Oscar on the shelf and it was all the same to him.” - Spinner, June 18, 2009 (x)

#George Harrison #quote #quotes about George #Olivia Harrison #Dhani Harrison #Eric Idle #Tom Petty #Jeff Lynne #et al. #George and Olivia #George and Dhani #George and Eric Idle #2009 #2000s #George and fame #fits queue like a glove

[harrisonarchive]

Filmed on April 13, 1964.

Q: “Why is George [Harrison] the best actor?” Richard Lester: “I think just George came without any highs and without any lows and he always got it right, he nailed it and walked on and waited for the next time. He was very calm.” Q: “Because that scene where he goes into the producer’s office there isn’t a line in there he doesn’t absolutely drive home. He’s perfect.” - The Guardian BFI interview, November 8, 1999 George Harrison: “There was one piece of dialogue where I say, ‘Oh, I’m not wearing that — that’s grotty!’ Alun Owen made that up; I didn’t. People have used that word for years now. It was a new expression: grotty — grotesque.“ - The Beatles Anthology (x)

#George Harrison #quote #quotes about George #quotes by George #1964 #1960s #A Hard Day's Night #Richard Lester #et al. #(this dialogue also inspired the original name of this fan page: thateventuality 😊) #fits queue like a glove

[harrisonarchive]

George Harrison and Joni Mitchell at the premiere of the HandMade Films production Powwow Highway, Los Angeles, CA, 23 February 1989; photo by and © Peter C. Borsari.

“In April 1974, Joni Mitchell played a series of dates at the New Victoria Theatre in London. Her backup band at the time was a group of jazz musicians, the L.A. Express, an accomplished troupe led by reeds man Tom Scott. […] Also present at the New Victoria was George Harrison, checking out this ultra sophisticated chanteuse and her top-rated backup band. He was impressed. Backstage, he impulsively invited them to record the next day at Friar Park. Max Bennett recalls: ‘We were all invited out to his castle and spent the afternoon recording with him. I think we were handy and he thought it would be a good idea - he had developed a rapport with Tom Scott at that time, and Joni also. […] He didn’t come off as an arrogant superstar at all; he was very cordial, very hospitable - he took us through all the tunnels, we had the complete tour, it was like a mini-Disneyland.’ […] Harrison’s admiration for Joni Mitchell drew him to her famous London concerts as he was recording the flawed Dark Horse album in April 1974. Mitchell is an underrated and innovative guitarist who routinely uses open guitar tunings to achieve different resonances within chord voices. For the happy ‘Dear One’ [on the 1976 album Thirty-Three & 1/3,] Harrison follows the Mitchell tradition, with an open A tuning that is partly the reason for the ringing sound of the piece.” - While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison (x)

#Joni Mitchell #George Harrison #quote #quotes about George #Harrison songwriting #Harrisongs #HandMade Films #1970s #1980s #fits queue like a glove

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“The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise,” 1985.

George Harrison: “Well, I was… my apprenticeship I think was with that kind of music, and I’d met Carl years ago, he’s such a nice, sweet man, very, very genuine person. And I think I just like that music so much I thought, well if I was ever gonna get up and do something again then this thing at least I know how to do this sort of thing.” Q: “It was a very emotional performance for him, it looked like it was emotional for everybody there.” GH: “Yeah, it was nice. Because again, although it wasn’t a charity show — well, it was Carl Aid [chuckles] — but it was… I think, again, most people just did it because they loved Carl Perkins, and that’s it. And so it went a bit beyond the usual thing of posing and, ‘Aren’t I cute, look at my skin shine.’ [chuckles]” - Today Show, April 1986

“I walked in the door [at Friar Park] and there were old Carl Perkins records. And he said, ‘Now Olivia, tell him I didn’t put them on there today.’ His juke box is loaded with old Sun records. [...] We started playing some old songs — me, Dave Edmunds, Ringo, my son Greg — and I said [to George], ‘Man, you know them all.’ And I believe it was Dave Edmunds who said, ‘He ought to — he used to call himself you!’ And I said, ‘George, really, did that happen? I’d heard that [Carl Harrison was George’s stage name for the May 1960 tour of Scotland].’ And he said, ‘Shoooo, yes, I certainly did!’ And that’s a very humbling thing for me.” - Carl Perkins, Ticket To Ride: A Celebration Of The Beatles (1989)

“I was in heaven over there [Friar Park] with him. I won’t ever be able to thoroughly explain the feeling to see him so healthy, to see him happy, to see his little boy [Dhani] bring his girlfriend to the house. I told Olivia, ‘Oh, God, girl, you’ve meant so much to his life, you’ve just totaled him out, and it’s just wonderful.’ They’re beautiful people.” - Carl Perkins, 1996 interview, published in Goldmine, November 1998 (x)

#Carl Perkins #George Harrison #quote #quotes about George #quotes by George #George and Olivia #George and Dhani #George and Carl Perkins #fits queue like a glove

[harrisonarchive]

Clip from The Southbank Show, 1997.

Remembering Ravi Shankar.

“They exchanged ideas and melodies until their minds and hearts, east and west, were entwined, like a double helix.” - Olivia Harrison, from her eulogy at memorial service for Ravi, December 2012

“To me, George is, I don’t know how to describe it, a son, a friend, someone very dear, and I love him very much. He has given me so much love and respect that my heart is full of it.” - Ravi Shankar, Los Angeles Times, 1997

“[George] was a loyal man and even a few months ago when he was seriously ill and we were making a programme for The South Bank Show on Ravi Shankar, George […] talked it through on the phone several times, gave us previously unseen home movie footage of himself and Ravi Shankar, could not do enough to honor his old guru.” - Melvyn Bragg, The Observer, December 2, 2001

“During that time, you know, we met just about everybody and I just thought, well, I’m looking for something really beyond just the ordinary, the mundane, and that’s where I wanted somebody to impress me and, you know, I didn’t expect it to be this little Indian man but, you know, good things come in small packages.” - George Harrison, CBS This Morning, 1997

“Ravi is one of the greatest figures of the 20th century — the godfather of world music.” - George Harrison, Billboard, 2001

“He had a magnanimous heart and always cared so much. He was a fearless and beautiful soul always conscious of God. I loved him dearly. Though he is gone physically, he will always be alive and vibrant in my heart.” - Ravi Shankar, The New York Times, December 9, 2001

“‘At the end of his life George said to me that all he could listen to was “Sarve Shaam,”’ Olivia remembers. ‘After all the sounds and sights and tastes you experience over a lifetime, it came down to the purity of “Sarve Shaam.”’ The piece was also performed as the opening blessing at the Concert for George memorial, held at London’s Albert Hall in 2002.” - Songlines, June 2018 (x)

#Ravi Shankar #George Harrison #quote #quotes about George #quotes by George #George and Ravi #George and Olivia #fits queue like a glove

[harrisonarchive]

George visiting Liverpool Institute, early 1980s. Photo by Derek Taylor, courtesy of angelcakepics on Twitter.

“At the end of the year, George and I drove to Liverpool and covered old haunts, Speke, Hale, the Institute, the Cathedral and the Philharmonic Pub. There was a nasty moment in Grafton Park, West Kirby, when a Securicor man drove up to my old house, number 27, where I had spent 25 years planning escape. Putting his camera away, George and I made our escape by fast car, not wishing to go into a long explanation of why one of the former Beatles was taking Instamatic pictures of someone else’s house.” - Derek Taylor “The Big School, Liverpool Institute, was a real pain in the neck. [...] It was such a dump [in the 1950s]. It could have looked good. It could have had the paint scraped off the woodwork and been decorated like the Victoriana it was. I took Olivia to see it. Coming from California she couldn’t believe it. There was a night-school on so we were able to wander around and look at all the rooms where I had been.” - George Harrison, I Me Mine (x)

#George Harrison #quote #quotes by George #Derek Taylor #Olivia Harrison #George and Olivia #George and Derek Taylor #1950s #1980s #Liverpool Institute #fits queue like a glove