Q: You’ve had a long personal and professional relationship with Eric Clapton. He’s done great work with you; you wrote “Badge” together. How does that friendship manifest itself when you’re getting together and writing songs?
George: It’s easier nowadays than it was in the past. Because in the ‘60s we were all very much tied up with being Beatles or Cream, and stuff. Well, actually we worked with Eric back in, I’d say, 1964, when he was in the Yardbirds, but I didn’t really get to know him until a show at a little club in London where the Lovin’ Spoonful were playing. It was John [Lennon] and I who went to see the Spoonful, and after the show we would go and hang out with John Sebastian and the gang, and get into trouble or whatever.
And I just saw this guy there who looked very familiar. There was something about him, and he seemed real lonely, just sitting up on the road boxes backstage at this club. And I said, “Hey, you want to come with us, come and hang out?” [smiles]
But nowadays it’s much easier ‘cause it’s been like 25 years or something, and everybody grows and just mellows out. We hang out a lot and just have a laugh, have a dinner, go play cricket! [chuckles]
- Timothy White interview with George Harrison for Goldmine magazine (1992)
