Beatlesinfoarchive - Beatles Archive

George Harrison interviewed for Good Morning Australia in 1982.

“A very sincere gentleman. He’s got a great philosophy, a wonderful sense of humor. And I didn’t find him the quiet one.” - Kerri-Anne Kennerley, Good Morning Australia, 1982

“Ex-pop star, peace-seeker, gardener, ex-celeb, until now.” - George Harrison (on how he would describe himself in 1982), Good Morning Australia, 1982

Kerri-Anne Kennerley: “Do you think life is all predetermined?” George Harrison: “In some respects it is, although we do have control over our actions right at this moment. I think that what we are now is the result of our past actions. What we’re going to be is going to be the result of our present actions. As again, they said in the Bible, ‘God is not mocked, whatsoever man soweth that shall he also reap.’ That means the law of karma — action/reaction. There’s certain things that maybe there’s no way out, like, there’s no way I wasn’t going to be in The Beatles, even though I didn’t know it. In retrospect I can see that’s what it was — it was a set-up. At the same time, I do have control over my actions and I can do good actions or bad actions or I could try being a pop star forever and going on TV and do concerts and be a celebrity, or I can be a gardener.” - Good Morning Australia, 1982 (x)

The Ultimate Beatle Guide: Interviews

1962

The Beatles first radio airplay with Pete Best (3rd August)

The Beatles first radio interview (27th October)

The Beatles rehearsals in The Cavern Club (October)

1963

The Beatles played on American radio for the first time (Late Feb)

The Beatles Ireland interview(Feb/March)

Please please me mini documentary (March 22nd)

The Beatles ‘Easy Beat’ Radio Show  (April 3rd)

The Beatles BBC Radio show ‘Side By Side’ (April 4th)

The Beatles Swedish interview (August 23rd) part one

The Beatles Swedish interview (August 23rd) part two

Short interview with The Beatles (August 28th)

The Beatles interview with Dusty Springfield (October 4th)

The Beatles short interview with BBC News (October 16th)

The Beatles interview in Cheltenham (November 1st)

The Beatles Dublin interview (November 7th)

The Beatles ‘This Week’ interview uncut (November 7th)

The Beatles ‘Day By Day’ interview (November 12th)

The Beatles first time on American TV NBC News (November 18th)

The Beatles Come To Town: ABC Ardwick in Manchester (November 20th)

The Beatles Come To Town Behind The Scenes/Outtakes (November 20th)

The Beatles and fans interviews at ABC Cinema Carlisle (November 21st)

The Beatles interview with Ken Dodd (November 27th)

Morecambe and Wise Show featuring The Beatles (December 2nd)

The Beatles photoset at BBC radio show Saturday Club (December 17th)

Beatles Christmas message at Astoria by ‘Day By Day’ (December 24th)

1964

The Beatles awarded Silver Hearts (1964)

The Beatles Live At The BBC Full Album (1963/1964)

The Beatles Paris interview- starts at 2:00 (February 5th)

The Beatles arrive in America (February 7th)

The Beatles JFK Conference (February 7th)

The Beatles on Ed Sullivan (February 9th)

The Beatles Washington D.C interview (February 11th)

The Beatles L.A interview (Mid-Feb)

The Beatles U.S Documentary(Late Feb)

The Beatles return from the US (February 22nd)

The Beatles ‘Public Ear’ interview talking about John’s book (March 18th)

The Beatles fan Q&A interview (April 3rd)

Paul McCartney interviewed by David Frost (May 18th)

The Beatles perform ‘A Midsummers Night’s Dream (Late April)

The Beatles ‘Round Up’ interview (April 30th)

John Lennon and his Auntie Mimi airport interview (June 7th)

The Beatles Adelaide press conference (June 12th)

John Lennon and Paul McCartney Melbourne interview (June 15th)

John Lennon Melbourne interview (June 15th)

The Beatles Australian radio interview (Mid June)

The Beatles San Francisco press conference audio only (August 18th)

The Beatles Seattle press conference audio only (August 21st)

The Beatles Vancouver press conference audio only (August 22nd)

The Beatles New York press conference (August 28th)

The Beatles Boston press conference (September 12th)

The Beatles Ohio press conference (September 15th)

The Beatles Sydney conference with Jimmie Nicol (Mid-December)

The Beatles interview with Jimmie Nicol (Mid-December)

1965

Ringo Starr ‘Pop Personality’ interview (1965)

Ringo and Maureen interview (1965)

Ringo Starr’s interview after his operation (Early January)

The Beatles first interview talking about drug use (March)

Help! radio interview after returning from The Bahamas (March 12th)

John Lennon Cannes Help! interview (May)

John Lennon BBC interview (June 18th)

The Beatles New York press conference (August 13th)

The Beatles Toronto press conference (August 17th)

The Beatles Chicago press conference (August 20th)

The Beatles Metropolitan Stadium press conference (August 21st)

The Beatles Capitol Tower L.A press conference (August 29th)

The Beatles San Francisco press conference (August 31st)

The Beatles MBE interview part one (October 26th)

The Beatles MBE interview part two (October 26th)

The Beatles MBE interview part three (October 26th)

The Beatles MBE interview part four (October 26th)

George Harrison BBC interview (November 30th)

John Lennon BBC interview (November 30th)

1966 

The Beatles in Hamburg interview (June 26th)

The Beatles Tokyo press conference (June 30th)

The Beatles Chicago press conference (August 12th)

The Beatles Toronto press conference audio only (August 17th)

The Beatles New York press conference (August 22nd)

The Beatles Warwick Hotel press conference (August 22nd)

The Beatles L.A press conference (August 24th)

John Lennon apologising for comparing The Beatles to Jesus (unsure of date)

1967

Paul McCartney ‘Special Underground’ interview (January 18th)

John Lennon and Paul McCartney TOTP interview (March 20th)

Paul McCartney LSD interview (June 27th)

John Lennon and George Harrison interview (August 27th)

The Beatles interview after Brian’s death (August 29th)

John Lennon radio interview (November)

1968

Paul McCartney and Jane Asher interview (26th March)

John Lennon and Paul McCartney NBC interview (May 14th)

The Beatles (Minus John) promoting ‘Yellow Submarine’ (July 8th)

Paul McCartney solo interview (November)

1969

As The Beatles were extremely close to breaking up there aren’t many interview and it’s hard to date everything, someone has kindly made a compilation of them talking though: (x)

George Harrison speaks about the future of The Beatles

Rare photos

May 23, 1957. The Liverpool band Eric Clayton's Skiffle Band performs. This is the first shot of Ringo playing the drums (far left).

The photo on July 6, 1957 (the day John met Paul), where Lennon sings standing on an open truck, has become a textbook and is found in many books and websites. And this picture, taken a little later in the day, is not well known to many people.

The bassist and an important member of the early line-up of the band was Stuart Sutcliffe, who unfortunately passed away early. In all his short life, only one color shot of him was taken, this one, where he is captured with singer Tony Sheridan. Stewart is on the right.

Most likely, you don't know who it is. Meanwhile, this man turned the history of world music around. This is Kurt Raymond Jones, the same customer who came into the store and asked for the Beatles record My Bonnie, which is why Brian Epstein first heard about the band, began looking for them and eventually turned into a manager. For a long time it was believed that there was no Raymond Jones. Like, it's just a character invented for the convenience of telling a story. However, here he is!

The only shot where you can see drummer Pete Best, who will later be fired, and Ringo Starr, who will take his place, together.

The Beatles are on the verge of fame performing in Liverpool. As you can see, they have someone else's drum kit, left on stage after the previous band.

Have you ever seen John's mother-in-law? Here she is, the mother of his first wife, Cynthia, next to him.

The only picture where Brian Epstein holds a musical instrument in his hands and seems to extract sounds from it.

This is a giant shoe from the movie "Help!", which was needed to shoot a scene where the Floor shrank in size. As the photo shows, this piece of props later became a decoration in the garden near Lennon's house.

The Beatles in a hippie look ride in an ordinary subway car, and no one recognizes them? How can this be? This is 1967, the picture was taken in Greece, where a harsh political regime reigned at that time and the group was not so well known.

I copied and pasted another article about this, fearing the lost of information, since most blogs like these lead to dead links in a few years or so

When Paul met George [article]

George Harrison did not recall his time at Liverpool Institute High School with affection. “That’s when the darkness came in. Be here, stand there, shut up, sit down. You could punch people just to get it out of your system. It was the worst time of my life.”

The ‘punch people’ reference confirms that George was not a model pupil. Paul also refers to George ‘head-butting’ an older boy a perceived slight.

Harrison & McCartney had both passed their 11+ exams, a year apart. This enabled them both to attend selective school in the city centre. The Liverpool Institute High School was a prestigious, academic school — and Harrison hated it from the start.

The Liverpool Institute High School for Boys offered a course in music. To George Harrison’s disappointment, this did not cover either guitars or rock and roll. He did not partake — a statement that could have been applied generally to his secondary education. Most classroom time he spent drawing his favourite guitars.

The school for its part was not impressed by Harrison’s disruptive behaviour. And while over at Quarrybank, John Lennon’s similar unruliness was accompanied by signs of artistic talent, George had no obvious redeeming features.

As Aunt Mimi would disapprovingly observe he presented as ‘very dose’ — in short a lower class loudmouth from Speke, then a notoriously tough area. His loathing of the Liverpool Institute was palpable and the contempt was mutual. His teachers wrote George off as someone destined for factory work, at best.

This was not its perception of Paul McCartney, who while not an academic star, showed promise. Paul (usually) did his homework and (largely) kept himself off the naughty step. He was even enthusiastic about English, though his may be overplayed in his later reflections.

Like George, Paul had no interest in studying music at school. He, too, saw no connection between the rock and roll they listened to and the dusty scores studied in music class.

In playground the age difference between Paul and George was a practical and psychological barrier to socialising. Kids hung out with kids in their year group. Other fraternising was largely reduced to brief nods when you passed your brother/cousin/next door neighbour.

Outside the school’s premises the social rules were looser. Though they lived in different areas, both boys took the same bus into town. This is where their paths would cross, as George would later explain:

he … had the same uniform and was going the same way as I was so I started hanging out with him.”

George later joked that Paul had struck him as odd

he sitting by himself & laughing! I thought we had a real nut on our hands!

Nonetheless, the two boys quickly found they shared musical tastes. Paul was then learning the trumpet his father had bought him for his birthday but not enjoying it. He swapped it for a guitar, which instantly took to.

Soon they were swapping notes, in every sense. They studied chord charts together and carefully observed other musicians trying more advanced sequences. Once they even travelled across the city to meet a man who knew a magical new chord: B7

Even at this stage, Paul was the senior partner and not just because of age. His stronger musical background and innate gifts allowed him to master an instrument intuitively. By the age of fifteen he was confident enough to approach Lennon as an equal if not superior musician.

Very soon a vacancy came up for a third guitarist Quarrymen. Paul knew just the man — or rather boy, as George was still only fourteen. Lennon hated the idea of ‘a bloody kid’ joining his band but Paul persuaded give George an audition.

This famously occurred on the deserted top-deck of a late-night bus. George played Raunchy — note perfect.

Though he may at this stage have lacked Paul’s musical creativity, George was fiercely committed. The endless practice hours of guitar practice had paid off. He was in.

How George and Paul met Being childhood friends George and Paul knew each other the longest. Meeting when they were 12 and 13. They met on the bus. They would take the same bus route into town, they both went to Liverpool Institute of High School, it wasn't common to have younger or older friends, you would stick to your own year, but on the outside it was different. This is where they’re paths would cross.

George says Paul struck him as odd. When George was getting on the bus, he thought Paul was laughing at him, but then realized Paul wasn’t laughing at anyone around him, he was giggling at his own reflection.

“Q: How did you first meet Paul?

A: On a bus coming home from school. He was sitting by himself and laughing! thought we had a real nut on our hands!”

George by Klaus

Do with this what you will. I’ve been busy lately and went on a trip so a large majority of this was done while waiting in airport/museum bathrooms. It was very entertaining to read about these stories though.

The Beatles and their fans: Some interesting facts that Lizzie Bravo, a brazilian fan who lived the beatlemania in 1967/1968, said. I translated from the interview that Lizzie gave to "Pitadas Do Sal" in 2021. May Lizzie rest in peace. ♡

Paul McCartney lived near Abbey Road so he walked around and sometimes barefoot.

The Beatles called their fans "luv" and always said hello/goodbye even if they were in the car.

When Lizzie was invited to record Across The Universe with the band, Paul McCartney asked her to sing something "in brazilian" but she was so nervous that she couldn't.

It was hard to distract John Lennon and Paul McCartney when they were together. They talked a lot in private, laughed a lot, and even finished each other's sentences. "They lived in their own bubble" Lizzie about Lennon-McCartney.

When Lizzie met John Lennon for the first time (her favorite beatle), she started crying and Mal Evans hugged her and gave her a chocolate.

George Harrison wrote Apple Scruffs for specific fans, not for all the fans who stayed in the studios.

George Harrison also wrote letters to these 3 fans in particular, thanking them for their support especially when he was starting his solo career.

Once, John Lennon was leaving Paul McCartney's house and when he said goodbye to Lizzie, who was waiting for him outside, she said "I love you" spontaneously. John smiled and waved.

Lizzie said they never seemed as mad as people sounded.

The fans did a marathon every day: They ran to Abbey Road, saw The Beatles and in the end of the afternoon they ran to Paul McCartney's house to see John Lennon go there - something he did a lot.

Sometimes they arrived together in the studio in the same car.

There were 20 or 30 fans waiting to see them everyday! It depended on which beatle would arrive before or after.

Lizzie said that The Beatles were very humble, kind and didn't even seem like the renowned band they were (and are!).

Drawings of George Harrison by Klaus Voormann

" we sort of conned my way out of hospital so i didn't have to be there for my 15th birthday. we went down to romford, where my stepdad's family lived. his dad was great, and he knew london like the back of his hand. we went walking all over london and saw the sights, the british museum and the searchlight tattoo.

it was a great day out, but it was a bit long for someone who'd just come out of hospital. "

- ringo starr, PHOTOGRAPH (2013)

“[W]e nearly always went up to his little music room that he’d had built at the top of the house, Daddy’s room, where we would get away from it all. I like to get away from people to songwrite, I don’t like to do it in front of people. It’s like sex for me, I was never an orgy man. So John and I would sit down and by then it might be one or two o'clock, and by four or five o'clock we’d be done.”

— Paul McCartney, Many Years from Now