A recently discovered letter from George Harrison’s mother, Louise, reveals her disdain for the screaming fans of the Beatles in the 1960s. In the letter, which is one of 25 Harrison wrote to a teenage fan named Janet Gray, Louise describes the fans who screamed themselves into hysteria as “the least fortunate of their generation, the dull, the idle, the failures.” This sentiment was shared by historian and commentator Paul Johnson, who described them similarly in a 1964 essay.
Despite her distaste for the fans, Louise was incredibly supportive of her son and his career. She wrote thousands of letters to fans around the world, including Janet Gray, offering intimate and encouraging words. In one letter, she even addresses issues that Gray seems to be having with her own mother, writing: “I do hope my writing to you is not the cause of any trouble at home. For if so I will definitely not write any more.”
In another letter, dated July 1964, Louise appears to reference a minor road accident involving George and his Jaguar E-type. Fans apparently grabbed broken glass as souvenirs of the crash. Louise writes, “George was not hurt thank God in crash… I’m surprised at you believing rot about Paul. What on earth makes you believe it, I don’t.”
Louise’s letters to Janet Gray are being sold at the annual Liverpool Beatles Auction, which has been organized for over 30 years by the Beatles Shop on Mathew Street in Liverpool. The auction takes place on August 26th. Despite her disapproval of fans who screamed at the Beatles concerts, it is clear that Louise was a devoted and supportive mother to her son George
Read the full article from The Guardian here: Read More