Paul McCartney Recalls George Harrison’s Painful Hitchhiking Mishap

Paul McCartney is sharing a hilarious memory about late Beatles bandmate George Harrison — and it involves an electric shock in an, er, very unfortunate place.

During a recent appearance on the Friday, May 15 episode of The Rest Is History podcast, the “Hey Jude” singer, 83, recalled the time he and Harrison were hitchhiking together as young musicians when they accepted a ride on an electric milk-carrying vehicle, or, as the Brits call it, a milk float.

“We got a lift from a milk float, which was electric,” McCartney explained. “Those were the only vehicles we knew that were electric.”

According to the music legend, Harrison unknowingly sat on top of the vehicle’s battery — while wearing jeans. Unbeknownst to Harrison, a rear pocket adorned with a large zipper would prove to be the perfect electrical conductor for the battery.

“Suddenly bang! And he jumps up,” McCartney recalled. “The zip had connected with the two points.”

The Let It Be songwriter said Harrison immediately leaped into the air screaming, “Oh bloody hell!”

But the painful moment didn’t end there.

“When we got to our B&B, he showed me,” McCartney joked. “He had a great big zip tattooed into his bum.”

McCartney also reflected warmly on his decades-long friendship with Harrison, who died in 2001 at age 58 following a battle with lung cancer.

Thankfully, he has a sweet daily reminder of him.

“George was very into horticulture, a really good gardener. So he gave me a tree as a present,” he said. “It’s a big fir tree, and it’s by my gate. As I was leaving my house this morning, I get out of the car, close the gate, and look up at the tree and say, ‘Hi, George.'”