Did George Harrison and Eric Clapton really “guitar duel” over Pattie Boyd?
We often idolise the musicians we listen to. When you are constantly listening to a certain artist, have experienced rooms of people losing their minds to an artist, and associate their records with pivotal moments in your life, it’s hard to recognise them as just another human. To many, The Beatles aren’t just a band; they are a way of life.
“The only way I can describe it is like this,” said Ozzy Osbourne, trying to put the influence of The Beatles into words. “Imagine you go to bed today, and the world is black and white, and then you wake up, and everything’s in colour. That’s what it was like! That’s the profound effect it had on me.”
When a band has had that much impact on us, you hold them up in high regard, to the point that you feel like the only connection you share with that artist is through their music. The truth is, these artists are still just human, and plenty will connect you with them, be it with feelings of joy, fear, anger, jealousy, and, most likely, love.
Like us, all artists are suckers for love and will do stupid things for it. One of the clearest examples of this can be seen in the love triangle that enveloped George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Pattie Boyd. Boyd had a real hold on the two musicians, so when she married Harrison, Clapton would write to Boyd and ask her to leave The Beatles guitarist for him.
While much of Boyd and Clapton’s discussion sounded a bit sneaky, Harrison was well aware of Clapton’s infatuation. They had a relatively tense and competitive relationship, which was most clearly seen when they had a guitar battle for Boyd’s affection. The event sounds equal parts ridiculous and childish but nevertheless makes for an interesting story.
It was first covered in John Hurt’s memoir, who was present for the duel. “John Hurt, being an actor and seeing everything as theatre, wrote about it in his memoir,” said Boyd when asked about the evening, “John was at the house one day when Eric turned up and said to George: ‘Try this one out’. They were playing guitar, and, as John said, it was a guitar duel.”
Boyd discussed how Harrison was never too frustrated about the situation between her and Clapton and that any anger he felt was always expressed through music. “Musicians communicate through their instrument of choice, and they understand each other through music,” she said. “So any annoyance, anger and irritation from George only really came out when he was playing guitar with Eric.”
Despite Harrison and Clapton’s attempt to win over Boyd in the duel, they had the opposite effect. Looking back on the incident, Boyd described the two as “Boy-men” and said they were “Immature emotionally”.
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