News | Entertainment
26 Oct 2024 19:40
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    A pizza destroyed Mike Batt's planned collaboration with Beatles star George Harrison

    The 75-year-old conductor-and-songwriter was the musical brains behind children's group The Wombles - which swamped the British charts during the '70s with hits including 'The Wombling Song' and 'Remember You're A Womble' - and was a close friend of the legendary Liverpool group's late guitarist


    During one visit to the Harrison household - a Victorian neo-Gothic mansion in Henley-on-Thames in England - the pair were playing around with some song ideas after George was gifted a guitar by Everly Brothers star Phil Everly.

    Unfortunately, they never got to finish their track after getting distracted by having a pizza and drinks with their wives, Julianne White and Olivia Harrison, a huge regret for Mike.

    The musician - who has just published his autobiography 'The Closest Thing to Crazy' - told BANG Showbiz Managing Director Rick Sky exclusively: "We had a session where I went over there and it was such fun doing it, I had a few beers, I have to say, but not so it was affecting my work or anything I just enjoyed it.

    "And he had a guitar, he had this lovely guitar given to him by Phil Everly, and I was sitting there at the piano and I had this bass line, and he came up with a few ideas as well. We had this rhythm.

    "And in the end, it was dinner time, teatime, and I think Olivia had made a pizza or something.

    "Julianne, my wife, was there and she and Olivia had been going around the gardens and they'd got a moat underneath the house. They'd done all that. Two girls having a great time.

    "We thought it would be much more fun to go and have a pizza with the girls downstairs in the kitchen.

    "So we went downstairs and had dinner in the kitchen and they said, 'Shall we watch the Everly brothers' special on a DVD.'

    We watched this thing and had a few drinks and one of us mustn't have because we drove home. And we never went back to the song. I had it written down on paper, but I never got to finish it."

    Asked if he recorded it, he replied: "No. And I should have gone back and finished it, just because it would have been nice to have George Harrison like that on song."

    George sadly died in 2001 at the age of 58 after a battle with lung cancer.

    As Womble Orinoco, Mike earned four Top 10 hits in the UK in 1974, and The Wombles even got to play the world-famous Glastonbury festival in 2011.

    © 2024 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     26 Oct: 'The Love Boat' theme singer Jack Jones has died aged 86
     26 Oct: Stevie Nicks realised she had late-stage eye disease after experience psychedelic-style hallucinations
     26 Oct: Liam Payne secretly gave £80,000 to a London food poverty charity during the Covid lockdowns
     26 Oct: Liam Payne has been remembered for his "childlike joy for life" by a radio host who regularly interviewed the tragic star
     26 Oct: Queen Elizabeth used bagpipes to stop her beloved corgis barking
     26 Oct: Jelly Roll has lost 100lbs
     26 Oct: Melanie Lynskey has praised Jason Ritter as a "true feminist"
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    Bay of Plenty have come up short in their bid for their first NPC title in 48 years More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    ASB says they're aware of customers having issues with mobile and internet banking, and are working to resolve it More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    'The Love Boat' theme singer Jack Jones has died aged 86 19:35

    Entertainment:
    Stevie Nicks realised she had late-stage eye disease after experience psychedelic-style hallucinations 19:05

    Soccer:
    Wellington Phoenix midfielder Fin Roa Conchie has made his personal ambitions clear ahead of tonight's A-League encounter with the Glory in Perth 18:57

    Politics:
    The Prime Minister says funding for climate resilience is a sign of New Zealand being a good partner and friend to the Pacific 18:37

    Rugby:
    Bay of Plenty have come up short in their bid for their first NPC title in 48 years 18:37

    Entertainment:
    Liam Payne secretly gave £80,000 to a London food poverty charity during the Covid lockdowns 18:35

    Rugby:
    A familiar foe awaits the All Blacks in tonight's test against Japan 18:07

    Entertainment:
    Liam Payne has been remembered for his "childlike joy for life" by a radio host who regularly interviewed the tragic star 18:05

    Entertainment:
    Queen Elizabeth used bagpipes to stop her beloved corgis barking 17:35

    Entertainment:
    Jelly Roll has lost 100lbs 17:05


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2024 New Zealand City Ltd