AP Photo/Joel RyanThe quiet Beatle got a loud reception last night.
Surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr both turned up on the red carpet last night, joining Martin Scorsese for the premiere of his documentary, George Harrison: Living in the Material World, in London.
And Paul, who arrived with fiancée Nancy Shevell, wasted no time in paying tribute to his bandmate and friend.
"Everytime I see something to do with George it brings back more memories than you would believe," McCartney told reporters of "the great man" who was Harrison.
"He was my little mate on the school bus. A lot of fond memories. He's sorely missed by us all."
Also along for the premiere last night: who else? Yoko Ono, as well as the Rolling Stones' Ronnie Wood, Noel Gallagher, former Beatle producer George Martin and a trio of Monty Pythons—Michael Palin, Eric Idle and Terry Gilliam.
Scorsese's documentary, which chronicles the life of the "Here Comes the Sun" writer through his early childhood through his death in 2001 at age 58, will be released in U.K. cinemas for one night only, tomorrow, before airing on HBO in the U.S. on Wednesday and Thursday and then on the BBC in November. It took Scorsese five years to complete.
The movie will feature previously unseen to the public footage from Harrison's childhood as well as interviews with Starr, McCartney, Ono and George's widow Olivia Harrison, among others.
On the carpet, Scorsese told reporters that the former Beatle's music inspired his career.
"Harrison's music is really what the key is for me. For years, he seemed to be dealing with themes that I've connected with over the past 35 or 45 years of making movies," he said. "The same themes, really, or similar, and I've found comfort in them, a kind of hope and special experience listening to his music, so I was fascinated by him really."