NME, 16 November 1972, page 16
Paul McCartney talks to Alan Smith about Lennon, Linda and courting controversy
In this interview, much-maligned ex-Beatle Paul McCartney opens up on the topics that have aroused intense curiosity: his relationship with Lennon, the part played by wide Linda in his career, and his earlier policy of withdrawal from the public eye.
NME: Were you surprised by the BBC’s ban on ‘Hi Hi Hi’?
Paul McCartney: “Not being quite that thick, we all thought, you know, it might be possible. The story is actually only about sex, not drugs. It’s something to sing. I don’t care about the lyrics. Not really.”
November 7th 1969, Life Magazine
Life Magazine published an article on the recent “Paul Is Dead” fiasco. The article contained the now famous clues, select album cover photos, and Paul’s own brief comments on the death rumors. Life magazine’s London correspondent waded through a Scotland bog to find Paul and Linda at their secluded farm, hoping to be granted a photo or a brief interview.
By this time The Beatles had privately broken up. While the breakup was still a secret and would not be announced for months, Paul states: “The Beatle thing is over.” The public and press missed the importance of this passing comment.
Life Magazine spoke briefly with Paul about the various “death clues” including the OPD badge on his Pepper suit (which fans took to mean “Officially Pronounced Dead”), his black flower in Magical Mystery Tour, and his barefooted appearance on the Abbey Road album cover.
This interview was conducted at a pre-show press conference early in McCartney’s 1989/90 world tour.
QUESTION: How does it feel to be singing the old Beatles songs again?
PAUL: It feels great. With some of the songs, like “Sgt. Pepper” and “Hey Jude,” the Beatles had given up touring before they were written so I never got to play them live before until this tour and so they feel really fresh.
QUESTION: Will you be having any guest artists joining you on stage?
PAUL: It’s kind of difficult to work in guests because we’ve got the show set now. Really the only person who’s guested so far was Stevie Wonder in L.A., but that was easy because we do “Ebony and Ivory” in the set. It’s just not too easy to open up the set when you get to this stage with a production.
“I need relief from music so that I can appreciate it when I have the chance to partake… My friend Paul feels the same way. He loves music but has to get away from it to stay vital with it. It is certainly a balancing act. Paul and I are friends because we both knew and loved Linda, who I met first during Buffalo Springfield days. Linda was a wonderful girl and lady. Today we are in touch periodically and talk about music or whatever. I like Paul a lot. He played at the Bridge School Benefit for us a few years ago and was really great. He reminds me a little of a modern-day Charlie Chaplin, the way he moves and the attention he pays to his art.” - Neil Young, Waging Heavy Peace
