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Fri 17 April 2026 13:00, UK
At the beginning of the 1970s, George Harrison was ready for the world to finally take him seriously.
He had broken out of the shadow cast by his two elder bandmates, Paul McCartney and John Lennon, who, for the large part of his career thus far, and was ready to strike out as a solo artist. But what did seriousness really mean within the realms of George Harrison?
Did it mean pensively staring down the barrel of a camera, to provide a hardened looked album cover? Or perhaps abandoning The Beatles’ playful songwriting sensibilities to lay down heartfelt ballads that announce himself as the premier love song writer of the decade? Well, neither of those options would have felt wholly right for Harrison, who, in the latter stages of The Beatles, proved he was at his most interesting when flirting with esoterica.
His spiritualism, combined with the technical mastery of his chosen instrument, meant he existed somewhere on the line of silliness and seriousness. His debut solo album, All Things Must Pass, was a perfect showcase of that, with the sharp and joyous ‘Wah-Wah’ following in the slipstream of the achingly beautiful ‘My Sweet Lord’. This juxtaposition was perfectly translated to the album cover, which offered something similar to said pensive pose, but offset it with the scattered remains of garden gnomes.
Harrison was free in the ’70s, and so creatives were keen to welcome him into their surrealist world, as they pushed the boundaries of modern art. One such person was Alejandro Jodorowsky, whose ‘73 film The Holy Mountain was produced by Harrison’s company Apple – it was a surrealist masterpiece about the quest to reach enlightenment, and so, given Harrison’s extra-curricular activities, he was the perfect fit for Jodorowsky, who wanted to leverage his access and have Harrison star in the lead role.
Open to all new opportunities, Harrison was keen, until one rather intimate detail was raised. “He was staying in the Plaza Hotel [in New York], in a big suite. He was dressed all in white. Very, very spiritual,” Jodorowsky remembered.
Adding, “He said, ‘I like the script, I want to do the picture. But there is one little part I cannot do.’ I said, ‘What little part?’ He said, ‘In a swimming pool, with a hippopotamus, I must clean my asshole in front of the camera. I don’t want to do that.’ I said to him, ‘I am very happy that you like my picture.”
Jodorowsky concluded, “But this moment is very important for the picture, and you are the biggest star, and if you show your anus, it will be the most fantastic illustration of how humble your ego is.’ And then he said, ‘No, I can’t do it.’ So I said, ‘Well, I can’t work with you.’ I lost millions of dollars! I lost another picture!”
Harrison was, of course, on board with the idea of interconnectedness across the earth, amongst both animals and humans. But, there was a clear line to be drawn, and clearly full mooning the entire world while washing a hippo was over it. Can’t say I blame him, and I can’t say that tarnishes his legacy as music history’s great liberal leader.
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