Today, Friday 25th February, would have been George Harrison‘s 79th birthday. The singer and songwriter from The Beatles tragically died aged 58 in 2001 after a battle with cancer. But despite being nicknamed the Quiet Beatle by his fans, he was always one to speak his mind first. This included criticisms about his own band.

When The Beatles were still getting their foothold on the British music industry they appeared on the BBC Radio program The Public Ear in 1963. During this appearance, they were asked about their guitar playing and each of the members’ different styles.

This was enough for Harrison to rip into the band – and himself – about the lack of guitar practice. He revealed: “To be a guitarist, you’re supposed to practice a couple of hours a day. But, I mean, I don’t do that.”

McCartney said: “George is the one of us who is interested in the instrument. The other three of us are more interested in the sound of the group [as a whole].”

During the same interview, the band were criticised for the amount of money they were making at the time. As the biggest rock band on the planet, they were reportedly making thousands of pounds a week, much to the shock of the mainstream audience.

Harrison went on to clear this issue up as well.

Harrison explained to his fans that they were not being irresponsible. He said: “We have been misquoted… people saying we make seven thousand a week and all that.” He added that the band “probably” make “quite a bit of money”. However, they “didn’t see it all” because “record royalties take months to come in”.

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