George Harrison: Beatles star blasted iconic musician – ‘I hate it’

George Harrison: Trailer for All Things Must Pass 50th Anniversary

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George Harrison died on November 29, 2001. Today, February 25, 2022, would have been his 79th birthday, and in the years since his tragic death, The Beatles’ popularity has grown even stronger. Long before the star’s demise, the Quiet Beatle brutally shared his thoughts on other musicians in the industry. In particular, he trashed Neil Young’s music, especially the track Around the World, saying “I can’t stand it,” after he was asked about the popular musician. The feeling wasn’t mutual though, as Young loved the iconic group, even admitting they inspired his career.

In 1975, Young said: “I remember singing Beatles tunes… the first song I ever sang in front of people was It Won’t Be Long and then Money (That’s What I Want). That was in Calvin High School [Winnipeg] cafeteria. My big moment.” (via Rolling Stone)

Young and The Beatles have a complicated history, as the two have crossed paths on several occasions. In 1999, the Heart of Gold singer inducted McCartney into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The pair played together, and he even shared the stage with Harrison in 1992 at the Dylan 30th anniversary Concert.

However, that same year the Beatles guitarist gave an infamously brutal interview about his contemporary.

During a jamming session between Harrison, Dave Stewart, Chucho Merchán and Bob Geldof, the latter asked The Beatles legend what he thought of Young.

According to Far Out, Harrison replied: “I’m not a Neil Young fan.” Geldof then says he thought Young was a great guitar player, but George hit back saying: “I hate it, yeah I can’t stand it.”

Mimicking Young, Harrison says: “It’s good for a laugh. We did this show with him, I saw it from the other side of the stage and looked around, I looked at Eric and said, ‘What’s going on?’ He did the solo in the middle, then he kind of looked at me like – ‘Don’t look at me, it’s not me.’”

But, he wasn’t the only Beatle to “hate” the singer’s music.

In an interview in 1980, John Lennon was asked what he thought of the song Hey, Hey, My, My (Into the Black).

He revealed: “I hate it. It’s better to fade away like an old soldier than to burn out. If he was talking about burning out like Sid Vicious, forget it. I don’t appreciate the worship of dead Sid Vicious or of dead James Dean or dead John Wayne. […] No, thank you. I’ll take the living and the healthy.” (via Playboy)

Last year marked the 20th anniversary of Harrison’s death and in November Paul McCartney posted on Instagram: “Hard to believe that we lost George 20 years ago. I miss my friend so much. Love Paul.”

Harrison died from a brain tumour, shortly after having a cancerous growth cut out of his lungs. He was 58-years-old. 

The pair were just 14 years old when they first met, both students at the Liverpool Institute. It wasn’t long before the two started making music together and joined Quarrymen, which was fronted by John Lennon.

Years later, Harrison gifted McCartney a tree, which he uses to this day to communicate with his old friend. Speaking to All Things Considered, the musician said: “It’s lovely. He gave it to me, so I just planted it. But then, as the years go by, every time I look at it, I go, ‘That’s the tree George gave me.’ George has entered that tree for me. I hope he’s happy with that.”

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