George Harrison had a reputation as a quiet, peaceful musician, but he also showed occasional flashes of anger. While he typically apologized for these outbursts, they were explosive and surprising to the person on the receiving end. Here are five times that Harrison directed his anger at someone.
George Harrison ripped off John Lennon’s glasses in his anger
In the early 1970s, Harrison met with John Lennon and his girlfriend, May Pang. After a period of tense conversation, Harrison exploded at Lennon, demanding to know where he’d been when Harrison needed him. Harrison got increasingly upset and eventually told Lennon he wanted to look him in the eyes.
“Suddenly, he reached over, yanked John’s glasses from his face, and dashed them to the floor,” Pang wrote in her book Loving John. “His face was a mask of fury and contempt; I had never seen an angrier man. George’s anger even paralyzed John.”
He apologized the following day, though, and he quickly resumed friendly relations with Lennon.
He sent passive-aggressive shirts to Bob Dylan
Harrison was a huge fan of Bob Dylan, and the pair worked together in the Traveling Wilburys. In 1992, Harrison also took part in Dylan’s 30th-anniversary concert.
He, like many of the performing artists, believed that the concert’s proceeds were going to charity. When Harrison learned the show was for-profit, he was furious.
“Harrison was so angry, he made T-shirts with dollar signs on them and sent them to me and Bob,” Dylan’s former road manager Victor Maymudes wrote, per Rolling Stone.
He despised a former business partner
Harrison began working with Denis O’Brien in the 1970s, and they founded the production company HandMade Films together. Their relationship ended when Harrison discovered he had been fully financing the films while O’Brien quietly collected money for himself.
Harrison eventually received $11 million from O’Brien in a court case, but he never let go of the simmering resentment.
“He hated [O’Brien] with an intensity that was quite rare for George,” his friend Eric Idle said, per the book George Harrison: Behind the Locked Door by Graeme Thomson. “It took him a long time to get over all that.”
George Harrison’s anger after a canceled meeting led him to rescind an invitation
Lennon found himself on the receiving end of Harrison’s anger again when he canceled a meeting. After years of trying to agree on the terms of The Beatles’ breakup, the band finally agreed to sign on them. At the last minute, though, Lennon canceled, citing unfair terms and a warning from an astrologer.
“George was absolutely livid,” David Acomba, who was filming Harrison’s North American tour at the time, said. “I have footage of him on the phone but I didn’t put it in the film.”
Harrison had invited Lennon to perform with him in concert, but he took this back. Ultimately, Lennon’s son Julian helped mend the rift between the former bandmates by passing messages between them.
Paul McCartney said George Harrison directed a lot of anger toward him
After The Beatles broke up, Harrison was more upset with Paul McCartney than Lennon. He complained about McCartney’s controlling behavior and said he’d never want to work with him again. McCartney said that when he called Harrison, his former bandmate would chew him out over the phone.
“I’d ring John and he’d say don’t bother me,” he said. “I rang George and he came out with effing and blinding, not at all Hare Krishna.”
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