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May 2004 to July 2004
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May 2004
May 29, 2004
McCARTNEY EXPLAINS HIS FROG LOVESir Paul McCartney's frog chorus hit "We All Stand Together" and his new animated tales of pond life is his bid to pay tribute to the amphibians he was cruel to as a child.
The British rocker has admitted in a webchat that he spend so much time bringing frogs to life, because he killed one or two when he was young.
He explains, "When I was a kid, I remember thinking that, as I would have to go into the army, cruelty to frogs seemed justified as a practice. I love them now and I apologize to the children of the ones I abused as a kid."
May 29, 2004 -- Contact Music
HEATHER EYES POLITICAL GUESTSSir Paul McCartney's wife Heather Mills wants to carve out a successful TV talk show career - by interviewing some of the world's most influential men.
The campaigner - who is mother to McCartney's baby daughter Beatrice - was heavily criticized for her interviewing technique when she stood in for American host Larry King recently, where she conducted a disastrous chat with Paul Newman.
But the bad experience hasn't put ambitious Heather off the idea of forging a new career in the field - and she's hoping to encourage her dream guests, including former President Bill Clinton, to help her.
She says, "I would like to interview Putin, Gorbachev, Clinton and Kofi Annan, who I'm lucky enough to know well."
May 28 2004 -- BBC Brazil
The ex-beatle Paul McCartney boycotted the Rock in Rio Festival logo at the show in Lisbon, Portugal on Friday.
McCartney demanded that the Rock in Rio organization's logo and logos of festival sponsors be covered during his concert. For the show, the logos were covered in a black cloth.
McCartney only wanted to be associated with the show, not the sponsors or the festival's logo. (photos)
May 28 2004 -- Liverpool Echo
It's Macca meltdownPaul McCartney caused a communications meltdown when he kicked off his summer tour after too many fans called friends on their mobile phones.
The Ex-Beatle played the first leg of his European tour to an auditorium in Gijon, Spain. But excited fans ringing pals to listen to the gig caused the area's phone network to collapse under the pressure.
Sir Paul, 63, has added some old Beatles' favorites to his set including "Helter Skelter" and "Got To Get You Into My Life."
May 28, 2004 -- Vogue.comStella McCartney went back to her youth to celebrate her Bruton Street store's first birthday on Tuesday night. Guests including Dhani Harrison, Jason Starkey, Patsy Kensit, Katie Holmes, Liberty Ross, Jefferson Hack and Stella's sister Mary milled around the store surrounded by helium balloons and jars full of old-fashioned, colourful sweets. And clowns - who doubled as waiters and waitresses - had painted faces and passed around smiley face pizzas and cupcakes.
"I feel about as old as my underwear," admitted Stella, who turned up to the bash, with her husband Alasdhair Willis, in a full black skirt and denim jacket that knotted at the front, all from her latest collection.
Mary McCartney Donald, however, was quick to admit that the rock chick fashion designer wasn't always so immature. "Sometimes she acts like she's eight and other times, it's like she's 40," she said, of her 32-year-old sister. (photos)
May 28, 2004 -- BBC News
Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney has criticized the UK government for being too hasty in going to war in Iraq."Maybe our government went in too fast with the Americans," he told the weekly Portuguese magazine Visao on Thursday.
"It would have been better if the UN had been together," the 61-year-old singer continued. "Now it's become very bloody with Iraq, it's very difficult."
The singer, who is currently touring Europe, opens the Rock in Rio music festival in Lisbon on Friday.
Sir Paul said he understood the need to act after the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001.
To look for Bin Laden seemed reasonable to go against terrorism, but the war has become very difficult
"If someone came to my house and blew it up, I wouldn't just want to sit there and say thank you," he said. "I'd be angry like I think anyone would be, so I could see America and Britain being angry. To look for Bin Laden seemed reasonable to go against terrorism, but the war has become very difficult."Sir Paul, who became a father for the fourth time last October, wrote a song, "Freedom," after witnessing the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.
The Rock in Rio festival - modelled on an annual Brazilian festival which has been running since 1985 - is held over the next two weekends.
Britney Spears and Peter Gabriel are among the more than 70 performers taking part in the event, held at Lisbon's Bela Vista Parque.
Sir Paul's performance is part of a European tour which began in the Spanish city of Gijon on Tuesday.
May 27, 2004 -- Correiodamanha Newspaper
Paul arrived at the airport in Lisbon 4:30 pm yesterday accompanied by Bea, Heather and the band. Macca was under tight security and was ushered through the airport to his limo and taken to his hotel in Lapa. There were ten security guards at the hotel who made sure all cars were moved away from the hotel entrance so Paul's limo could pull up.
Press photographers and fans were waiting and security warned them about taking photos and moved them away from the entrance. When Paul emerged from the limo he waved to the crowd who took photos anyway!
May 27, 2004
Paul performs on Friday, May 28 in Lisbon, Portugal at the "Rock in Rio" Festival.
A list of countries airing the concert can be found here though the day and time of the airing is not listed. CBS in the US and Channel 4 in the UK are on the list.
May 26, 2004
Paul rocked Gijon, Spain last night making the covers of all the local papers. His show might have caused the mobile phone system to go down due to the number of people using cell phones yesterday. A local cellular company was running a contest to win tickets to the show by text messenging on mobile phones.
May 25, 2004 -- The PulseUPDATE - SIR PAUL IN ST.PETERSBURG - Back in the USSR
Paul McCartney is giving his concert in St. Petersburg. The square can hold over 50,000 spectators, from which only 13,000 will be seated. All the rest will be listening to Sir Paul standing.
All the tickets with seats have already been booked. The excitement about the concert resembles the 300th anniversary of St.Petersburg last year and it is becoming an event of state importance. The government and the city council have set up headquarters for concert preparation and established a telephone hot-line. The concert set list will include songs from The Beatles, Wings and Paul's solo hits.Eugeniy Filkenstein (General Director of PMI Corp.):
"The scale of this event will be one of the greatest and most expensive Paul McCartney has ever done. 260 workers will arrive for technical support. They will bring from Las Vegas 10 screens, and the biggest one is 20 metres high! The 65 metres long stage will be delivered from Los Angeles; such a stage is just not available in Europe. The technical staff from England are considering the right spots for the equipment to be installed. There will be no 'silence zones' in the square: the equipment will be located at six different spots to cover the whole area. And wherever one stands, the sound will be excellent. Taking into acount the architectural set up for the concert - The Hermitage Museum, Palace Square, the Arch of the General Staff Headquarters and taking into acount the scale and the highest level of this concert - it will be something just great!"Vsevolod Gakkel (Musician):
"Last year, when Sir Paul McCartney was on a private visit in St.Petersburg. I spent the whole day with him. The thing is that Anthea Eno - an long time friend of mine who is the wife of the famous composer and producer Brian Eno - had asked me to arrange Paul's visit to St.Petersburg. The unreality of what was going on began at the airport building where I was meeting him in the Governmental section A of the airport. Everything was very secret. I was probably the only one who witnessed Paul's first steps on St.Petersburg soil. Fantastic! There were many events scheduled for that day. We visitied St.Petersburg State Conservatory where no one until the very last minute could believe that the real Paul McCartney would come in. Especially for McCartney, the curator of the Hermitage Museum, Michail Piotrovsky personally conducted a guided tour along the museum. And when Paul looked out through the window on Palace Square, he noted that 'it would be nice to give a concert here one day.'"
'May 24, 2004 -- Elmundo Magazine (Spain)
McCARTNEY Hasn't changed: "All We Need Is Love"
The genious of modern music conserves the same eyes since childhood, from when he used to get on stage with Lennon and company. At 61 years of age, Paul McCartney has everything prepared for an exhausting tour that will begin today in Gijón, and later in Madrid. The set list doesn't leave out many Beatle topics, nor his spirit. Exceptionally, he stops rehearsal to speak with the Magazine and advocate, like he has for the past 30 years, for peace. "We are faced with a new Vietnam," he says about the war in Iraq. Britain's richest man praises his fellow countryman, Beckham, "he is good, has talent," he says. He lives a normal life and he can't separate himself from his wife and baby, which he brings with him on tour.What would you have dedicated yourself to if you hadn't succeeded in music?
PAUL: My mother wanted me to be a doctor, I suppose like all mothers do. However, I think I wasn't intelligent enough. So, eventually, we could see that wasn't gonna happen.Did you have any other preferences?
PAUL: One time I thought of working as a teacher in English literature. Perhaps I would have liked doing that. As a kid I had a very good teacher, which made it enjoyable for me. And that, the kids in Liverpool didn't want anything to do with ancient Shakespeare.What artist did you used to be crazy for?
PAUL: Without a doubt, Elvis Presley. There have been many bands and big ones in musical history. And some incredible solo artists like Ray Charles. I admire soul music, black music, but I have a weak-spot for what the Anglo musicians do too. So, in this case, I'm sticking with Elvis. He was magical, unique. For me, he had, as an artist, something special and indescribable. I love Elvis.However, you didn't go crazy over him?
PAUL: I would've been an unconditional fan of his if the Beatles hadn't been created.And that's why you are returning the music of the Fab Four on this tour?
PAUL: That's why, and because I continue enjoying them as much as the audience enjoys them, it seems like. And with the public, you need to always keep the audience in mind.Do you correspond with what the people want to hear?
PAUL: Yes, I try to imagine what they want to hear from me, I picture myself buying a ticket to one of my concerts. "I'm going to see Paul McCartney, let's see if I get lucky and he will play 'Let It Be.'" I think a lot of people think that way.You plan to give a satisfying set list on this tour?
PAUL: I will attend to what I think the people want to hear. But besides, I have prepared four or five Beatles songs that were recorded many years ago and I never played them live. I don't want to say which ones, so as to keep them a surprise until the last minute. I will say though, that everyone will recognize them.Aren't you afraid that the mega-assortment will destroy the appeal of the music for Beatlemaniacs?
PAUL: Absolutely. A huge show always turns out to be exciting. And the nice thing is it ends like a big event, like at the height of a football team.Difficult challenge while time goes by so quickly?
PAUL: It's good that the people feel the show and the power of a good rock band. Besides, we will hang giant screens for video, so no one is left out from seeing us up-close, at the concerts in Gijón and Madrid. We want to be heard and that everyone can see us. In the Spanish stadiums you will be able to see us better than Beckham.Do you agree that Beckham is an idol?
PAUL: We all have the rights to win in life. Beckham is good. He has talent. What else can be said about him? In any event, sports people usually have a very short career. Beckham still has 10 years left in the calendar, so he should make use of his moment.Football stars don't have more "glamour" than pop-stars?
PAUL: Looks like everyone is talking about football nowdays. Just like before, everyone talked about rock and roll. What's more is that the football players wear the same showy clothes we used to wear. Advertising brand names make it easier for them to stay on top. I suppose they need it, just doing sports gets costly even to survive.Is it difficult to reach fame without paying a price?
PAUL: Fame is tremendously difficult. When you're young, you dream of becoming famous, but the difficult part is, once you reach it, is to know how to deal with it. You open the newspaper on any given day and, all of the sudden, you see that you annoy people you've never met, with whom you've never had any relationship with.What inconveniences do famous people such as yourself have to face everyday?
PAUL: It's not that extreme. "Please don't go to the supermarket without a bodybuard!" I'm always getting that kind of advice from people close to me. "I'm going to the store with no one following behind me," I'll respond to them. In the long run, no can imagine that one can enter these places without a body guard. I intend to behave and live like any other typical normal guy, keeping my feet on the ground.Even though millions of people praise and applaude you when you're on stage?
PAUL: On stage I'm the big boss. Therefore, I try to counterbalance that sensation by going to the movies, the store and doing sports like any other person. I want to continue having a good head on my shoulders.Do you spend very much time away from your family while on tour?
PAUL: I will see my wife and baby everyday on this tour, since they are going with me from city to city. I won't be separated from either one, although, I'm afraid it may be harsh on them. As for the rest of my kids, I can't take them with me, they have their own occupations and commitments.It won't be tiring for your daughter who's only a few months old?
PAUL: We're gonna see how it goes. If it ends up being too difficult and the baby can't take it, we'll abandon the idea. But I think there won't be a problem, because we travel comfortably. We have a stupendous private jet, we go to the best hotels. When we go to Spain, for example, two hours of comfortable traveling isn't very long.Your daughter will grow up seeing a lot of the world. She will fly more than other kids her age. I suppose traveling all over the world is something you'd like isn't it? How is the relationship with your children from your previous family?
PAUL: My respond to you is that the relationship is good. But I don't want to say anything more. Each one has their own private life and I shouldn't be talking about them. We're gonna leave it at that, OK?Let's get back to the music then. You have a small number of musicians with you. Will you be using pre-recorded sound?
PAUL: I don't take anything with me that affects my voice. I can sing Beatles songs in practically the exact same tone for the last four decades. Nor do the group's guitars or drums need add-ons. The small keyboard I'm taking, that one yes, when it's necessary, will shoot off sounds of instruments that we don't have physically, like a trumpet.Is it imperative to dominate the new technology?
PAUL: The group of people, I work with, handle a lot of computers, of which I don't understand well. Of course, neither does it worry me. Nor how to technically achieve the good quality of sound that we have at the concerts. Nor do I understand half of the sophisticated functions that work the projectors for the videos shown on our giant screens. I simply play like always under the lights.Do you let each of your musicians shine individually?
PAUL: In the show there are only guitars, keyboards and drums. To each musician I give them their special moment, because they deserve it. They are all very good.Do you still do surprise appearances at small bars?
PAUL: I like to do it once in a while. But it's not appropriate for the context of a group such as this one.Do you remember any particular recent event in which you played in front of a small audience?
PAUL: On one certain occasion, a rich American asked me to play one evening for his wife, for one million dollars. Do you see what people end up asking you to do? The thing is, afterwards, I found out that the millionaire and his wife had separated.Who would you like to play for you by surprise?
PAUL: Elvis Presley, of course. And also it would be nice if Bob Dylan would do it.In what way do you occupy yourself with LIPA in Britain?
PAUL: There I don't do much. I drop by once a year to work with the young kids. I like to watch them create. They compose music, we listen to it and then I give them advice. However, I always end up telling them, "You don't need to pay me much attention, because, above all, it's all about your music."What would buy with money if you could?
PAUL: I would like it if it were possible to buy peace in the world. Especially right now.What is your opinion on the war in Iraq?
PAUL: The situation goes from bad to worse. We are faced with a new Vietnam. There was the thought we could restore democracy in Iraq, finish the arms of mass destruction. They were good arguments. Evidently, the objectives still haven't been found and the conflict continues getting worse.You don't see any solution?
PAUL: Nothing happened like they said. And now, with the situation of the bad treatment with the Iraqi prisoners, is also terrible. I say, we're living in a worse situation than before the war.What do you think about those who were supporters of Sadam?
PAUL: After 9/11, many in the U.S. thought the war was a good solution. Also, they had support from Great Britain and Spain. Now, without a doubt, we all agree, it was wrong to let it happen and that it should stop.What did life teach you?
PAUL: That all we need is love. We need to be more honest and above all, love one another and communicate more.
May 24, 2004 -- The Sun
Macca caught in Web rowSir Paul McCartney was under fire last night for "spam" website messages.
The star launched a contest offering tour tickets, with fans being told to submit their email address and a friend's.
Macca's site then sends a message to the pals, urging them to enter too. The British Computer Society said, "This is completely unethical."
Sir Paul's spokesman said, "There are worse things on the Internet."
click to enlargeMay 24, 2004 -- Post about Letter
Historical Paul McCartney letter to be auctioned
A rare and historical two page letter in the hand of Paul McCartney written to Peter Eckhorn, the owner of the Top Ten Club in Hamburg, Germany will be auctioned on ebay next week by Lancashire based music memorabilia dealers Tracks and is expected to fetch $26,000.
The letter was sent just days after The Beatles first met manager Brian Epstein at the Cavern Club on November 9th 1961.UPDATE
McCARTNEY LETTER 'TO NET £15,000 -- The Mirror
A rare letter from Sir Paul McCartney is set to fetch up to £15,000 ($28,000) in an Internet auction.He wrote the note in 1961 to the German owner of the Top Ten Club in Hamburg to ask about the Beatles playing another gig there.
It was written days before McCartney met Brian Epstein who was to make the unknown band the biggest in history.
And on it is scrawled Epstein's name (spelt Epstin) and phone number.
In the letter the young Paul says he has bought an amplifier "as big as me" and ends it: Cheers, Paul McCartney (The Beatles)."
With it are two photo-booth pictures of McCartney pulling faces and grabbing his hair.
A spokesman for memorabilia dealers Tracks, conducting The ebay sale, said, "This is important to the history of the Beatles."
May 21, 2004Paul McCartney's "04 Summer Tour" Electronic Press Kit is posted on www.paulmccartney.com.
You will need either Windows Media Player or Real Player to view this video. Click links below.
Windows Media LOW MED HIGHMay 21, 2004
"Hollywood Wives' Tales" E! Entertainment Special, Friday, May 21 at 8pm ET
Repeats: Saturday, May 22 at 12pm ET and 9pm ET - Tuesday, May 25 at 6pm ETFirst, we'll walk you down the aisle of some of the priciest weddings imaginable, from Catherine Zeta-Jones' $250,000 wedding dress to Paul McCartney and Heather Mills' million-dollar fireworks show.
May 20, 2004 -- The Sun
Stella Shows Her Art-orse
This £300,000 ($550,000)sculpture is Stella McCartney's first work of art - a tribute to her late mum Linda and her love of horses. The 10ft-tall steed is made up of 3,000 crystals suspended from the ceiling of 14th Century Belsay Hall, Northumberland.Designer Stella, 32, said, "I loved working in an historical setting to create something with a modern edge."
May 20 2004 -- Daily Post
Countdown to Festival 50
A month-long cultural festival for the over-50s has been unveiled to take place in Liverpool. Organizers last night revealed plans for the event, which will be held in arts venues across the city center from June 1 to 30.It will feature a range of performances, exhibitions, concerts and talks, as well as creative workshops including songwriting sessions. Most of the major Liverpool venues will be involved in the festival, it was revealed at yesterday's launch at the Liverpool Playhouse. The event was organized to give a flavor of what is in store for June and included workshop taster sessions.
Celebrity photographer Mike McCartney, pledged his support for Festival 50 at yesterday's special launch day.
McCartney, 60, a former member of The Scaffold, said, "Often people think that when you get to your 50s you no longer have anything to contribute but that's wrong. When you get to 50 or 60 and have retired, you have time on your hands again and you must not waste it because it is too important."
Festival 50 was first launched in Liverpool last May, as part of the city's Year of Celebrating Learning, with around 50 different events taking place across the city.
May 20, 2004 -- Yoko Talks About PaulYoko Ono was in Dublin, Ireland last week to open an art exhibition. She appeared on the "Late, Late Show" and was asked, "Do you still talk to Paul?" To which she replied, "YEAH! I TALK TO SIR PAUL." The interviewer inquired, "You're in touch with him from time to time?" "YES, YES!" she said and didn't talk anymore about Paul.
May 19, 2004 -- From the Dome
Paul came over to say a quick hi to fans again from the buggy (golf cart) and had a full dress rehearsal. He played to a small audience of family and friends. There was an unconfirmed sighting of Mary McCartney with her two sons.Macca was seen rehearsing his bows and concert banter, "You've been a great audience tonight," he said.
May 18, 2004 -- La Nueva EspanaAn interesting interview with Paul McCartney by Javier Blanco in The New Spain newspaper, about Paul's upcoming concert in Gijon, Spain. Paul talks about song selection for the set-list and other things. English translation and Spanish
May 18, 2004 -- Lucky Fan Meets Paul at the Dome!
Congrats to Dominic Jennings - Macca Reporter!
Paul greeted a small group of fans at the Dome on his way in and talked to Dom!"He rode over on his buggy and said hi and had a little chat. I asked him if he was going to turn the music up today and he mentioned about the complaints from across the water (I told him he was paying enough money to rehearse there!)... then a bit of small talk about how nice the weather was, have a nice day etc., and he buggied off into the dome. He's looking very healthy and happy and the music's sounding great."
See the set-list spoiler for songs to be played on this tour. Click here for list.
Note: rehearsals end tomorrow (Wednesday)
May 16, 2004 -- Hollywood ReporterDuets, awards, 'Smile' give Wilson good vibes
For the first time in their storied careers, longtime creative rivals Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney have recorded a song together -- "A Friend Like You" -- off of Wilson's forthcoming new album, "Gettin' in Over My Head.""Working with Paul McCartney was cool," Wilson says. "He got it in three takes; he did it real quick. He did a great job."
Wilson says the two "hung out for a while" after recording the song.
"We talked about the Beach Boys and the Beatles -- a mutual respect thing, you know?" Wilson says.
The relatively quiet Beach Boy is in good spirits. Wilson is back in the studio putting the finishing touches on his legendary "Smile" sessions -- a musical work he first conceived of almost 40 years ago.
"We got all the sounds right, all the verses, all the choruses are just right now," Wilson says.
It's turning out to be a very busy year for Wilson. On Tuesday, he will be honored with the BMI Icon Award during the 52nd annual BMI Pop Awards dinner at the Regent Beverly Wilshire. He is the first songwriter to be honored with both the BMI Icon and the President's Award, which he received in 1995.
"It's an honor to receive the award," Wilson says. "I'm very proud of myself for being a good songwriter."
Notes BMI Los Angeles vp and general manager Barbara Cane: "The Icon Award is an opportunity to salute and recognize an incomparable individual that has had an indelible influence on generations of music makers. Brian is revered as one of the greatest songwriters, artists and producers. He is considered a musical genius and really embodies all the ideals that the Icon Award represents."
Wilson is humbled by the accolades that keep coming his way. Earlier this year, Wilson debuted "Smile" live in the United Kingdom to critical acclaim.
"I was amazed," Wilson says. "I didn't think it was going to go over so well, but I got a 10-minute standing ovation!"
McCartney also was on hand to join Wilson onstage during one of the performances. "I was so honored I almost cried," Wilson says. "It was such an honor for me."
"Gettin' in Over My Head" marks numerous first-time recording collaborations for Wilson, including "How Could We Still Be Dancin' " with Elton John and "City Blues" with Eric Clapton.
The album also features a duet with his late brother, Carl Wilson, titled "Soul Searchin.' "
"It was quite a thrill," Wilson says. "My friend (producer) Andy Paley and I wrote 'Soul Searchin' ' about 10 years ago. It really turned out good."
Wilson will tour Europe in the summer in support of "Smile" and "Gettin' in Over My Head" (both to be released by Warner Music Group) and hopes to tour the United States by October.
Between touring and working on the two albums, Wilson says he has not written any new material lately. "I'm having a dry spell right now," he admits. Given Wilson's prolific nature, he'll surely be working on his next project soon.
May 15, 2004 -- Daily MirrorMACCA'S DOME REHEARSAL THRILLS COMMUTERS
Paul McCartney may have been getting complaints from residents about the level of noise coming from his rehearsals... but commuters at London's North Greenwich tube station are delighted.
Users of the station have been rolling up to work late for the past few days after dancing and singing to his set-list, thanks to the piping that links the Dome -- where he is performing - to the tube station. And to think he wrote The Pipes Of Peace...
May 15, 2004 -- Macca Report ExclusiveSpeculation about the McCartney Box Set that is to be released on September 21:
The Box Set will be a limited edition-special type of run, numbered much like the "WHITE ALBUM", and the purchaser of the right numbered box receives a prize. The approximate initial run of the limited edition will be 75,000 to 100,000. There will be prizes, for every country of release. What the prizes are, is yet to be determined. What is in the box is unknown. Rumored reports are: Wings and solo material, outtakes and DVD with promo videos.
This is not the new studio album which will be released sometime next year before the launch of the world tour.
May 13, 2004 -- New York Post
Stella McCartney might have to look for a new place to park her namesake fashion house next year. Parent company the Gucci Group has poured over $15 million into McCartney's outfit in the past two years, but it has still tallied losses of almost $13 million. And now that her close friend and booster Tom Ford has left Gucci after Pinault-Printemps Redoute's takeover of the company, a source said her days are numbered. "They're giving her until next year to make it work," the source said. A rep for PPR did not return calls.
May 13, 2004 -- The Scotsman
Keep the Noise Down, McCartney ToldSir Paul McCartney has turned down his practice sessions at the Millennium Dome after residents complained of a hard day's night.
The ex-Beatle has been rehearsing at the venue in Greenwich, south-east London, in preparation for his European tour. But locals have complained that the noise was traveling across the river and into their homes in the Isle of Dogs.
After inspections by environmental health officers yesterday, Sir Paul, who is reported to have paid £250,000 ($457,000) to rent the Dome for three weeks as a practice space, has agreed to keep the noise down to 92 decibels.
Local resident Eric Pemperton, 67, said, "I thought someone was listening to a ghettoblaster in one of the other flats. I had the windows closed and the front door just open enough to let the cat in and out. It took me a while to realize that this bass was coming from the Dome on the other side of the river."
He added, "I rang up the environmental health officers at the council and they told me 'It's Paul McCartney.' I said 'So what?, he doesn't pay my rates, and if it was me that was doing this I would have been prosecuted'.
"I don't care who it is. It is bad enough that he arrives every morning in a noisy helicopter. I thought it was quite unacceptable and even my cat was disturbed."
A spokesman for Sir Paul said today, "We love animals and so we're sorry about Mr. Pemberton's cat. But we're confident that the rest of Europe and Glastonbury will love it when we crank it up again at the end of the month."
A spokesman from Tower Hamlets council said. "Residents in our borough have complained about the noise levels. We took the complaints to Greenwich Council because the Dome is in their neck of the woods. Our environmental health team has been working with Greenwich Council and there has been an agreement to turn the noise down to no louder than 92 decibels. Today our environmental health officer has gone down there to check that the noise levels are being maintained."
May 12, 2004 -- Reports from the Millenium Dome (see updated setlists on Tour NEWS)Paul has been arriving by helicopter for rehearsals. Songs heard: "Jet," "Back in the USSR," "Coming Up," "Live and Let Die," "Let It Be," "Got To Get You Into My Life," "Penny Lane" and "Lady Madonna." Paul has been heard giving instructions to the band to give "more umph!" to the songs.
If you take the Jubilee line to Greenwich you can hear the rehearsals quite well outside the Dome. (email your reports from the Dome)Check out the Millenium Dome Webcam
May 11, 2004 -- The SunOasis unveiled their newest recruit - Zak Starkey, son of Beatles legend Ringo.
Noel Gallagher told the BBC's 6 Music that Zak had been working with them in the studio and would join them on tour and for next month's Glastonbury festival. He said, "We've known Zak for a while and we asked him if he'd play on a few songs and he said yeah, and he has done and it's been absolutely fantastic."
He reckoned Zak was stylish enough to join them even though he was not from Manchester.
"He's a good boy, he's got a good haircut ... good shoes - which is important."
Noel said it was a pity the band did not have any new material to play at Glastonbury - "but I think we kind of George Best'ed it the last time we headlined it so this time will be great I think, but then again we're not doing ourselves any favors because Zak's first gig will be to 150,000 people but y'know... He's rehearsing all the Oasis songs now."
Asked whether Oasis were becoming The Beatles Mark II, Gallagher said, "As long as I'm not becoming Paul McCartney it'll be all right."
May 10, 2004 -- Press ReleaseEast coast premieres of McCartney animation in June
Following the successful world premiere screening of Paul McCartney's new DVD project - "The Music And Animation Collection" in Hollywood last month - screenings have now been scheduled for both New York and the Washington DC-area. They will be the East Coast Premieres of Paul's new project.
The premiere screenings take place on Saturday June 5th at two of the most prestigious film theaters in America. Both screenings have been scheduled as Saturday matinees to make the occasions especially convenient for families.
The Washington DC-area premiere takes place at the American Film Institute - Silver Spring, MD.
Saturday June 5th at 1:00pm.
Click here for location & directions
Click here for details & ticketsThe New York premiere takes place at Lincoln Center.
Saturday June 5th - at 12 noon.
There will be a reprise screening at Lincoln Center the following weekend - Saturday June 12th - at 11:00am
Details of screenings (click on "June Schedule")
Theater location & box-office
Online ticket purchase (requires free registration)The program in both NY and DC will include state-of-the-art presentations of all three animated films "Tropic Island Hum," "Rupert And The Frog Song" and "Tuesday" - plus two short "making of" documentaries and a special filmed interview with Paul.
May 9, 2004 -- Sunday Mail
MACCA TO PLAY HIS 3,000TH CONCERTSir Paul McCartney will play his 3,000th gig next month on his world tour. The former Beatle will play the historic concert in St. Petersburg on June 20.
Macca, 62, said, "I never keep count so I was amazed when people told me I'll do my 3,000th gig. That's an awful lot of late nights. "I guess I must just like the live life. But, as I've said before, it's what I do."
Although exact records of early Quarrymen and Beatles gigs were not kept, a new count indicates Sir Paul has done 3,000 performances. Counting pub gigs, Shea Stadium, radio and TV appearances and the four, five and eight sets a night The Beatles played over three years in Hamburg clubs, Beatles performances total 2523. Adding Wings' 140 appearances, Paul's 285 solo gigs and 40 post-Beatles performances from Live Aid to Adopt-A-Minefield and the Super Bowl Macca's pre-tour tally is 2,988.
The summer tour will also set another landmark someone will be the 8 millionth person to see Macca perform since he turned solo.
May 8, 2004 -- National Post (Canada)
As a student at Toronto's St. Michael Cathedral Choir School in the late 1940s, Rudy Maugeri would get together with friends after school to practice singing around his family's piano. They weren't practicing rock or pop music like most of today's youth. Instead Maugeri used his baritone vocals in a doo-wop quartet known as the Crew Cuts.Maugeri died of pancreatic cancer early Friday at home in Las Vegas. He was 73.
Named after the popular hair style of the day, the Crew Cuts were one of the first white groups to record rock 'n' roll versions of black R&B songs.
Beatles Paul McCartney and George Harrison were also fans. McCartney wrote in The Beatles Anthology that he's good-natured about giving autographs because of people like Maugeri.
"I used to collect them myself at the Empire stage door (in Liverpool), from the Crew Cuts . . . and the fact that they treated me well never left me," he said, recalling his teenage years.
May 6, 2004 -- BBC News
Flame spotlights 'extraordinary' lives -- The 2004 Olympic Torch Relay takes in 27 countries
Dozens of "ordinary" people will get a taste of Olympic glory when the torch makes its way through the streets of London next month.Spectators can still indulge in plenty of star-gazing - Roger Bannister, Steve Redgrave, Heather Mills McCartney and Sally Gunnell will be among the celebs taking part - but the majority of London's 140 torchbearers will be ordinary people.
On 26 June, for just a moment - or as long as it takes to cover roughly 400 metres each - the Olympic torch will put these "extraordinary ordinary" people in the spotlight.
May 6, 2004 -- Hello Magazine (UK)
Heather Mills Interviews Paul Newman on TVHeather Mills McCartney left 79-year-old Paul Newman lost for words in her first live chat-show interview.
The charity ambassador and wife of Sir Paul McCartney was making a guest appearance as stand-in presenter for the host on US talk show Larry King Live.
During the hour-long interview, seen by 170 million people worldwide, she launched into the interview by asking the actor: "You're kind. You're generous. How come?"
"Well, you start quickly, don't you?" Paul replied.
She also tried to quiz the reticent actor on his son Scott's death from drink and drugs, his relationship with his wife and his thoughts on Iraq.
"Oh boy, I'm uncomfortable talking about stuff like that," he said.
Heather was invited to host the show after appearing as a guest in November 2002, during which she removed her prosthetic leg live on air.
May 6, 2004 -- The Sun (UK)
A lingo star, eh Macca?Paul McCartney has hired eleven personal language tutors in a bid to become multilingual.
The super-rich ex-Beatle is going on a European tour this summer - and has decided he wants to communicate with fans everywhere in their own lingo.
He has recruited tutors from Denmark, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Norway, the Czech Republic and France for crash courses.
Sir Paul, 61, will continue his lessons while he is on the road.
An aide said last night: "He's a very hardworking musician and doesn't want to rest on his laurels. He pushes himself to go that extra mile. He's always been fascinated by language."
Sir Paul kicks off his summer tour in Gijon, Spain, on May 25 and plays 14 dates up to his headline appearance at the Glastonbury Festival.
May 5, 2004 -- Interfax
McCartney's St. Pete concert to outshine Moscow showA St. Petersburg concert by British singer Paul McCartney will be a much grander affair that his Moscow show last year, the concert's organizers told Interfax on Wednesday.
Prior to the June 20 show in St. Petersburg's Palace Square, McCartney will celebrate his birthday, although his plans for a party are still unknown.
McCartney will likely stay at the Konstantinovsky Palace during his visit to St. Petersburg.
"A total of 10,000 seats and approximately 50,000 standing places will be available in St. Petersburg's Palace Square for the concert. Paul McCartney will perform both his new and popular old songs," he said.
A 18-meter (54 ft) stage, 1.5 times bigger than last year's Red Square stage, will be installed, flanked by two 18-meter video screens.
St. Petersburg police and private security firms will be responsible for public order during the event. "It is planned to deliver extra metal detectors through which viewers will pass. People will not be allowed the enter Palace Square with photo or video cameras," the source said.
The St. Petersburg government has already set up an organizing committee and a headquarters in charge of the concert.
McCartney's St. Petersburg concert, his second show in Russia, will take place as part of his "04 Summer Tour," which will be launched in Spain on May 25.
May 4, 2004 -- The Indiana Digital Student
Indiana University students intern with Stella McCartneyAshley Sadler, a junior majoring in accounting, and Tiffany Kraft, a junior majoring in finance, are two IU students currently interning in London. They work for Stella McCartney, a London-based fashion designer and daughter of Paul McCartney. While the girls are gaining valuable knowledge in their field of study, they are also realizing what types of professions they want to pursue.
When Kraft and Sadler heard Stella McCartney opened internship positions, the women jumped at the opportunity. They work in different departments where they fulfill the specific duties to their aspiring careers.
"I'm a finance major, but I was also interested in marketing," Sadler said. "I work for the marketing director of Stella McCartney and do a lot of public relations stuff."
Sadler is working in the public relations side of the company where she sets up events and is becoming accustomed to the marketing side of business while gaining the experience of living in another country. Sadler is in charge of planning a party at Stone with Vogue magazine. Her tasks include things like coordinating the RSVP lists and arranging catering for events.
Sadler's other major duty is competitive analysis. She travels to stores like Gucci at Bond Street and takes notes on new styles in certain areas of apparel. Sadler said she enjoys working in a multi-cultural place where she realizes people are more accepting of different nationalities and speak more languages as well.
Kraft works in the accounting department of Stella McCartney working with bills and invoices. Her boss and the CFO of the company assigns her tasks such as the daily recording of sales from the three Stella McCartney stores and ensuring they match the records at Gucci, since Stella McCartney is in a partnership with the Gucci Group. Kraft also finds invoices and makes sure her bosses pay their bills.
"It's really cool because I get to see exactly what they spend money on," Kraft said. "I sometimes find like £500 limo invoices for Stella to get to Kate Moss' party and just cool stuff like that. From this experience, I learned that I love working in the fashion industry," Kraft said. "It's really exciting stuff to be able to sit there all day and listen to people talking about who is wearing what to the Golden Globes."
May 3, 2004 -- EL PAISMcCartney taking Spanish lessons
The promotors from Paul McCartney's new tour, are looking for a special teacher who can teach him Spanish, just before he begins his new tour at Gijon on May 25th and later makes a stop at Madrid on May 30th.
May 3, 2004 -- The Mirror
Multi-talented singer, instrumentalist and producer Todd Rundgren is one of rock's undersung geniuses. He has had a chequered love life, including a near romance with Linda Eastman, before she became the first Mrs. Paul McCartney."Linda was a photographer in New York and we spent a lot of time together taking photos," he says. "It didn't turn romantic, although it might have done because we spent so much time with each other. Then she got to go to England, met The Beatles and Paul, and the rest is history.
"Some years later - after a show in New York - I got to meet Linda with Paul for the first time. It was strange. For someone so happy-go-lucky onstage, Paul had no sense of humor or irony."
May 3, 2004 -- New University NewspaperMcCartney Honored for Humanitarian Work
On April 28, the UCI Center for Unconventional Security Affairs sponsored a Human Security Summit at the Beckman Center inviting Heather Mills McCartney, anti-landmine activist and wife of former Beatles legend Paul McCartney to speak.
The summit also served to formally commemorate the creation of the Heather Mills McCartney fellowship in Human Security. The fellowship was founded to reward dedicated graduate students of social ecology with financial recourses to promote high quality research and provide opportunities for students to participate in fieldwork.
Richard A. Matthew, associate professor of international and environmental politics at UCI and director for the Center for Unconventional Security Affairs opened the event by addressing an audience comprised of policymakers, activists and scholars about the social problems prevalent in the world today and how landmines continue to take a toll on civilians.
An assistant professor of political science at Southeast Missouri State University and co-recipient of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, Kenneth R. Rutherford, who had lost his limbs due to an accident during his humanitarian work in Somalia, introduced McCartney calling her his personal inspiration as well as a visionary for humanity.
Throughout her life, McCartney has had many experiences, from being on her own at age 13, working at a carnival, marrying Paul McCartney to becoming a model and losing her left leg in a motorcycle accident. McCartney recounted her life with such a humorous flavor that many of the audience members had difficulty suppressing their laughter. McCartney referred to her life experiences as the "University of Life" that taught her the ways of the world. She first became aware of the cruelty of war when she lived in Yugoslavia, and returned to the United Kingdom as an activist.
In the summer of 1993, a police motorcycle hit McCartney, tearing off her left leg, crushing her pelvic bone, puncturing her lung and cracking her skull. After miraculously surviving the accident, McCartney decided that she would become an advocate for the victims of landmine explosions. McCartney then began collecting prosthetic limbs that were recycled and given to those whose limbs were amputated because of landmines.
Over the course of 11 years McCartney built a foundation to rid countries of landmines and provide victims with prosthetic limbs.
After her speech, a video was shown that depicted the horrors of landmines and the enormous humanitarian work that anti-landmine organizations have accomplished in war-torn countries like Croatia, Cambodia and Afghanistan. Chilling statistics, such as that one out of 10 Cambodians suffers from an amputation and that landmines kill approximately 26,000 people per year, paint a grim reality of the consequences of war and weapons.
McCartney stressed that charity is not just providing for people but teaching them to be self-sufficient in order to truly help them. She emphasized that everybody can make a difference in the world, saying that even a "homeless one-legged blonde bimbo" like herself is able to make an impact.
After her presentation, the audience was allowed to participate in a Q-and-A session with McCartney. One audience member asked whether landmines were still used today in which McCartney responded "yes" since the United States has yet to sign the anti-landmine treaty.
Another audience member expressed concern for the welfare of the dogs that were used to sniff for plastic bombs. She answered that even though she was an animal-rights activist herself, after researching the matter she found out that landmines kill 47,000 animals, and that only four detection dogs have been killed in the process of sniffing out potential hazards. After weighing the numbers, she concluded that it was a necessary sacrifice in order to save the lives of many others.
Chancellor Cicerone and Matthew presented McCartney with a framed certificate establishing her Fellowship.
Cicerone found McCartney "amazing on several levels. That one person has been able to do so much," adding that any recipient of the fellowship would have to be "really motivated and really committed."
UCI students attended the event like first-year criminology graduate student Michelle Walter thought McCartney was both amazing and motivating. "I realized you can do a lot of things, if you really want to, try to," Walter said.
May 3, 2004
Chris Carter of KLSX - 97.1 FM "Breakfast with the Beatles " in Los Angeles said on his show Sunday that while shopping at a record store in Los Angeles a few days ago, two excited guys came into the shop saying they had just seen Paul McCartney shopping at the baby store across the street!
May 3, 2004 -- The Sunday Herald (Scotland)
His dad was vet to McCartneys' pets now he's swapped legal practice to jet off with Madge
The Scots lawyer who piped at Stella McCartney's wedding last year has been asked to accompany Madonna on her forthcoming Re-invention world tour.Lorne Cousin, a rural property lawyer at the Edinburgh-based legal firm Turcan Connell, flew to Los Angeles last week where the rest of the show's performers are preparing for the five-month tour.
The concerts, which kick off in LA on May 24, are scheduled for 48 venues across the US, Britain and France, with sell-out gigs at London's Earls Court and Wembley Arena, as well as Madison Square Gardens in New York.
Cousin, who specializes in the sale of estates and country houses, will be adding his bagpipes to the tour.
Cousin, from Campbeltown, is no stranger to glittering events. Last August he piped at Stella McCartney's wedding to Alasdhair Willis on the Isle of Bute. The star-studded nuptials were attended by celebrities such as Chrissie Hynde, Kate Moss and Madonna and film director husband Ritchie.
Cousin is an accomplished solo piper and has regularly competed in major piping gatherings across Scotland for many years, in 1988 winning the prestigious Burgh Cup at the Cowal Highland Gathering.
He also plays with the Kintyre Piping Society at their recitals. Although Cousin is too young to have played with the rest of the Kintyre Piping Society on Paul McCartney's 1977 hit "Mull of Kintyre," his family have had celebrity ties for many years.His father, Alastair Cousin, who is a well-respected vet in the Campbeltown area, treated Linda McCartney's pets when she and her family spent time there, and he became a good friend over the years.
Alastair Cousin is also the chairman of the Linda McCartney Kintyre Memorial Trust, which helped to erect a statue of her two years ago after she died of cancer in 1998.
The bronze statue was commissioned and donated by Paul McCartney, but it was the trust who helped to facilitate the project in the area and create the garden in which the sculpture now stands.
June 2004
June 30, 2004 -- Daily Mail
McCARTNEY'S WIFE REFUSES TO BE PHOTOGRAPHEDSir Paul McCartney's wife Heather Mills angered photographers during her husband's headline performance at Britain's Glastonbury Festival when she refused to let them take pictures of her.
The one-time model, 36, was cheering on the former Beatles star from the photographer's pit, and was accompanied by a burly bodyguard to prevent anyone taking snaps of her.
A source tells British newspaper the Daily Mail, "Heather watched Paul from the photographers' pit, accompanied by a burly minder who told the snappers in no uncertain terms not to take pictures of her.
June 29, 2004Security refuse Gallagher entry to speak to McCartney
Oasis wildman Liam gallagher was forced to plea with security guards at Britain's Glastonbury festival on Saturday - so he could chat backstage with Paul McCartney.
The singer's band had headlined the music event in south-west England the previous night and Beatles fanatic Gallagher was desperate to chat with his hero.
An onlooker says, "It was very funny, because he was surrounded by photographers, he couldn't make too much of a fuss. In the end the supervisor had to be called over to sort it out. Liam was not a happy bunny."
June 27, 2004 -- The Sun
You've got to hide your lav away -- C-loo-d up ... Sir Paul knew all about the Glastonbury bogs
It doesn't matter who is on the bill at Glastonbury, all we care about is the state of the lavvies.And this year's top toilet talking point came from Paul McCartney, who had his own five-star facilities brought in specially for the day.
Macca was adamant that only he and Heather should use the loo - so he had a compound built around it.
The toilet was part of Macca's own virtual village that he had erected away from the mud-soaked masses. As well as the private privy, the ex-Beatle had a banqueting tent, offices, dressing rooms and kitchens.
Guarding the camp were some serious heavies who wouldn't allow access to anyone but Sir Paul's intimate circle of around 20 staff.
That's hardly keeping it real, Macca, is it?
Various celebs wanted an audience but were rebuffed. Only a beered-up Liam Gallagher was given access to his idol.
An insider in the camp said, "It wasn't just a festival performance for Macca - it was the final gig of his European tour.
"He wanted to make sure everything was perfect for him and Heather and unaffected by the mud. His toilet was top-of-the range and kept spotless."
Elsewhere on the site, the lavs took their usual battering and some fussy fans were soon turning their noses up.
Macca headlined on Saturday night and went down a storm. He met with BBC bosses a week ago to ensure they filmed his set perfectly.
To celebrate after the show, he laid on a meat-free meal as a thank-you to all his staff.
But not everything went smoothly for the multi-millionaire. He had to be chauffeur-driven to the site from Bristol after fog grounded his chopper.
Macca Cacka Top Ten:
1 Luv Me Do
2 Stool On The Hill
3 Band On The Runs
4 From Me To Loo
5 Here Comes The Bum
6 Spend a Penny Lane
7 Let It Pee
8 Toilet Paper-back Writer
9 Sgt .Pepper's Lonely Farts Club Band
10 Spashback in The USSR
June 27, 2004 -- NME
Saturday Pyramid Stage Part 2 - NME's Tim Jonze feels the love at Macca's return to formSo, you think you know Paul McCartney right? The wrinkly, thumbs-aloft cheeseball who your tipsy uncle could out-cool? The Quorn-scoffing dufus who wrote "Mull Of Kintyre?" Well think again because tonight he shed his goofy reputation and became the hero of Glastonbury 2004.
Oh sure, there were still moments with an alarmingly high cheese-factor stuff like the fists in the air during opener "Jet" or the use of lines like "I'm feeling the atmospheeeere. I'm feeling the vibraaaatiooooons." But in a way it's the cheese that makes it so special. There's no one caring about whether it will be credible all we want to do is bellow "Get Back" until our lungs burst.
So we get treated to some of the best songs ever written in the history of planet earth - "Got To Get You Into My Life," "All My Loving," "Back In The USSR" a version of "Hey Jude" kitted out with a singalong that could have warring nations to give each other cuddles. Plus "Live And Let Die" with an overload of fireworks and balls of fire.
Then there's the encore: "Yesterday," "Helter Skelter," "Let It Be" and "I Saw Her Standing There" (we'll ignore the new song that's not really what tonight was about). Just to prove he's written nearly all of the best songs ever in the history of the universe he tops it all with a verse from "Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" which segues into "The End," mirroring The Beatles swansong from "Abbey Road."
Now we know it all seems a bit wrong for NME to be frothing at the mouth over a 62-year-old man bashing through 'the hits'. But truly, this is something that will go down in Glasto history and how Eavis tops it is anyone's guess. So yeah, until now liking Macca was only saved from being the most uncool thing on earth by the existence of Keane. After tonight, we'll remember him this way forever.
FULL REPORT ON GLASTONBURY
June 27, 2004 -- Scotsman
Festival Just Keeps Getting Better - EavisGlastonbury Festival founder Michael Eavis today said that the world renowned music extravaganza "just keeps getting better."
On the last day of the three-day event, the smiling dairy farmer, who allows 150,000 music lovers on his land at Worthy Farm in Somerset each summer, said his highlight, so far, was Paul McCartney.
He summed up the festival saying, "It keeps getting better all the time ... I really enjoyed myself."
Sir Paul, who headlined on the main pyramid stage last night dazzled the crowd and Eavis said McCartney "won the day."
"He was so good and was so into it, "he said.
He said the former Beatle gave him a big hug and kissed him after the performance described by Eavis as "one of the best acts he'd ever seen."
Friday's main act, Oasis, however, did not live up to Eavis' expectations.
He said, "I'm an Oasis fan. I thought it was a good set but the two of them looked a bit grumpy and didn't talk to the audience at all. In that sense I was a bit disappointed."
June 27, 2004 -- BBC News OnlineSir Paul wins over happy campers
Sir Paul McCartney declared, "It's great to be here in Glastonbury finally," as he launched into his festival headline set on Saturday.The veteran star played an extensive two-and-a-half hour set of Beatles hits, solo songs and Wings tunes to a mixed crowd of muddy revellers.
His purple suit and red shirt were plain in comparison to the Spice Girls dress and furry tail worn earlier by Glastonbury performers PJ Harvey and Alison Goldfrapp respectively.
But Sir Paul has an unrivalled pop history to leaf through, and singalongs "Penny Lane," "Lady Madonna" and "Yellow Submarine" kept most of the rain at bay.
Younger festival goers showed a healthy disrespect for Sir Paul, in the same way that the Beatles once poked fun at authority.
Yet no amount of heckling could persuade him to perform "A Hard Day's Night" or "The Frog Chorus," and shouts of "boring" did nothing to silence Sir Paul's drawn-out Beatles anecdotes.
Whipping off his jacket, there was a touch of Tony Blair about his attempts to speak to the Glastonbury crowd in a language they would understand."Standing in the conference of ley lines we are buzzing," he said, prompting further sniggers by adopting rasta and Scouse accents, using the words "groovy" and "cool" and declaring, "We are digging it!"
The Glastonbury gig was the final date on Sir Paul's extensive world tour, and his performance was as smooth and well-rehearsed as his tribute to his late Beatles bandmates.
"Let's hear it for Johnny!" he shouted to huge cheers, then "let's hear it for Georgie!"
But before their wellies could stick in the mud of nostalgia, revellers were persuaded to dance to storming renditions of "All My Loving," "I Saw Her Standing There," "Live and Let Die" and "Get Back."One finale rolled into another, but a world-conquering "Hey Jude" inspired the greatest number of campsite sing-along.
As a man with a pretend pigeon on top of a stick led the crowd back to their tents, one beaming reveller said to her boyfriend, "What a Saturday night - a night with Paul."
June 27, 2004 -- PETAPETA is offering a Paul poster (18" x 24") circa 1990. For $6 they will mail you the poster or you can download it here for free.
June 26, 2004
Heather carried the Olympic torch through the streets of London today. She was one of several chosen to carry the torch.
June 25, 2004 -- The Guardian
Teenage Kicks
Do the heroes of '60s and '70s rock and pop have anything to offer the young? Or are they just surfing a wave of nostalgia? We sent Sam Wetherell, 17, along to their gigs to tell us (after we told him who Kraftwerk were and what Paul McCartney looks like)
Our taxi weaves its way though the Spanish town of Gijon, ferrying us to the opening night of Paul McCartney's 2004 European tour. Outside, the sky is grey and overcast, the weather humid. Inside the cab, however, a terrible frostiness has descended. It began when we passed an advert for tonight's show.
"So is that what Paul McCartney looks like, then?" I asked, pointing to the vast poster of a jowly middle-aged man brandishing a guitar. This perfectly innocent question did not receive the response I expected. My companion, Guardian rock critic Alexis Petridis, frowned, repeated it very slowly as if he thought I was joking, then nodded. Since then, Alexis's entire conversation has consisted of three words: "Jesus", "Christ" and "almighty". Even the taxi driver, who as far as I knew could not speak a word of English, seems to be scowling at me in his rear view mirror.It all seems a bit unfair: how am I supposed to know what Paul McCartney looks like? I'm 17 years old. The last time he had a top ten hit, in 1987, I was a little busy, being born. I have admired my dad's Led Zeppelin albums from a safe distance, and I once went through a phase of listening to his copy of the Clash's London Calling, but I have never really been a fan of "old" music. Instead, like thousands of other teenagers, I have been hungrily consuming Muse albums since the turn of the millennium, but I also listen to Faithless and Massive Attack, and break up the monotony of A-levels by visiting Milton Keynes' beer-soaked punk and ska clubs to see local bands. I had a brief nu-metal phase at 14, but now I hide my pile of dusty Slipknot CDs underneath a pile of GCSE textbooks in my cupboard: at my school at least, nu-metal is now a genre exclusively for the under-12s.
I think my music taste has always been eclectic, but, until three months ago, the closest I had ever come listening to a Beach Boys album was when I wrestled Pet Sounds from the arms of a tipsy middle-aged woman at a New Year's Eve party in 2001. I thought that Kraftwerk was a low budget German airline and that Abbey Road was John Leslie's ex-girlfriend.
This apparently makes me the ideal candidate for a socio-cultural experiment the Guardian are out to conduct. At the moment the heroes of classic 60s and 70s rock and pop music are all out on tour again: Brian Wilson, the Who, Paul McCartney. They are selling tickets by the caravan-load, but no one seems certain whether they have something genuine to offer musically, or are merely surfing a tidal wave of nostalgia and passionate, almost religious, hype. My role is to infiltrate their shows and judge them on music alone. I can't be nostalgic for something I've never experienced, and while I am vaguely aware of 60s music, I'm not informed enough to know the myths and legends that surround these artists.
"Oh yeah," I'd say to friends and teachers, "the Guardian is sending me off to Spain next week to see Paul McCartney." My friends would snort with laughter. "One man sitting on a stool playing an acoustic guitar for three hours!" they said. "Have fun with that."By the time we reached the football stadium Alexis's mood had recovered somewhat from the incident in the taxi, and I began to feel some of the infectious excitement sweeping the arena. While waiting for McCartney to come on, I learned the Spanish for "hot dog" (bocadillo) and noted that we were apparently the only people in the stadium who weren't eating sunflower seeds.
Sir Paul finally arrived on stage at the rebellious hour of 11. The first few Beatles songs he played reminded me of the problem I had with the Beatles stuff I'd already heard. They sound like a middle-of-the-road American/English rock band. As I seemed to be the only one that wasn't in floods of tears during "The Long and Winding Road," I couldn't help but think of all the people who would donate their kidney to be in my seat, and, not for the first time on this project, felt like a bit of waste of space. The feeling intensified when Paul dismissed his band and whipped out an acoustic guitar. One-man-and-his-acoustic-guitar music always sounds the same to me, whether it's played by Paul McCartney, or by a drunken uncle at three o'clock in the morning on New Year's Day. I went for a bocadillo.
But then things got much better. He launched into a string of amazing songs, beginning with "Back in the USSR," and ending with "Helter Skelter." He conducted mass sing-alongs to "Hey Jude" and "Yellow Submarine." It was 1:30 in the morning by the time "The End" drew to a close and Paul walked off, holding his acoustic guitar aloft in a gesture of defiance. I couldn't be entirely sure what he was being defiant about but I was feeling rather defiant myself.
I had learned many things on my Big Musical Adventure. Not only could I now pick out both Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney from a '60s music identity parade, but I also now "own" (and by that I mean illegally downloaded) a copy of both "Revolver" and "Abbey Road." I know that dance music was invented by men who look like German supermarket managers, and that, regardless of whether or not he is actually the Biggest Wanker in Rock Music, Mike Love should keep at least 100 miles away from Alexis Petridis at all times for his own personal safety.
June 25, 2004 -- Glastonbury Web Page
Imagine that...
Rumors are flying from the mill that geriatric rock thing Paul (Macca) McCartney has a sneaky little trick up his sleeve for for his Saturday night headline performance on The Pyramid Stage.It is alleged that the left-handed bassist and one time member of '60s 'supergroup' The Beatles plans to play an unplugged version of bandmate John Lennon's bling-bling hip-hop anthem "Imagine."
Reactions to this news ranged from an indifferent shrug to an angina attack during today's lunchtime poll conducted outside Lidl in Shepton Mallet, but the overall opinion was that it wasn't a very good idea. Andy Orletto from Yeovil, when asked for comment replied ,"I don't think it's a very good idea."
Additionally, in an unprecedented festival gesture we understand it has been requested that music cease on the other stages for the duration of this 'moment/episode/ordeal' (delete as applicable), so that everybody may ponder their own existence before hot-footing it over to the Dance Tent to catch what's left of Sister Sledge.
However, our personal opinion (for what it's worth) is that people are being a bit cruel because we love Paul McCartney and will be there to enjoy his performance in it's entirety.
Hope he plays the "Frog Song"....
June 25, 2004 -- Rock/Indie News-BBC
Matt Bellamy's outdone by dad
Muse are headlining the main stage on Sunday night at this year's Glastonbury, and lead singer Matt Bellamy is holding out for a chance meeting:"Hopefully bumping into Paul McCartney may be a bit of a thing. My dad met him once - apparently he once did a gig supporting Rolf Harris and The Beatles at Manchester Apollo years ago."
"There were so many crazy fans outside that they had to call police security and my dad's band ended up getting off with a whole load of female police officers - they were the good old days!!"
"Anyway, hopefully I'll bump into Paul McCartney - I'm not sure the same thing will happen, but I'm definitely hoping for the best!"
June 24, 2004 -- Getty Images
Paul greeted fans outside the Ritz Hotel in Paris today on his way out to his concert at Stade de France. PHOTOS
June 24, 2004 -- ExaminerMacca has a taste for Black Eyed Peas
Paul McCartney is such a huge fan of the Black Eyed Peas he demanded organizers of this weekend's Glastonbury Festival to ensure he performs immediately after the hip-hop group finish their set.
McCartney is Saturday's headline act at the British music event, and was delighted when he found out the US band were playing the same day as him.
And Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie is overjoyed McCartney is a fan, because Macca always been a hero of hers.
She says, "He wanted us to perform before him - he wanted us to be his warm- up act. It came as a massive shock when we found out."
June 24, 2004 -- Beatlefan
The Sankei Sports Paper in Japan reports that Paul McCartney will be coming to Japan in February 2005. No further details have been announced, but the paper expects Macca to do a total of five "Dome" shows in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Sapporo.
June 24, 2004 -- Western Morning NewsIS SIR PAUL IN THE RACE FOR HISTORIC TOR?
A Beatle legend is rumored to be among those interested in buying ancient Sheepstor and its bleak Dartmoor surroundings, Aislinn Simpson reports.One hundred thousand pounds could seem a little excessive for the ownership of a large rock, reportedly occupied by piskies, and 125 acres of desolate Dartmoor landscape.
But according to estate agents Symonds and Sampson, who are handling the sale of Sheepstor, near Tavistock, there has been a considerable amount of interest in acquiring this piece of moorland, which also boasts a prehistoric stone circle and previous owners who were related to Sir Francis Drake.
There are even suggestions that Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney, who already owns land on Exmoor, is toying with the idea of buying Sheepstor when it is auctioned in Somerset on July 2.
John White-Hamilton, of Symonds and Sampson, said the ancient tor - hugely popular with walkers, sightseers and rock climbers - would appeal to prospective buyers precisely because of its unusual qualities, while representing a sound investment. He said: "We have already had a certain amount of interest - this is an ideal opportunity for those wanting to own a little bit of England.
"Currently it produces just over four per cent return but if used for shoots, it could return up to seven per cent, which is better than a bank, and Dartmoor is a much nicer place to visit your money."
He said the current owner, Captain Maxwell Hislop, a distant relative of the Bayly family, who have owned the land since 1839, had decided to sell in view of his advancing years.
He added that as well as 125 acres of freehold moor, the buyer would bag 350 acres of shooting rights.
But the suggested use of the moorland, which offers open access to the public and has grazing rights for local sheep farmers, for shooting has concerned local groups. The chairman of Burrator Parish Council, Keith Scrivener, said exercising such rights would sit uncomfortably with its recreational use as a National Park.
"I can't quite envisage how parties of tweed-coated gunmen in deerstalkers could wander amid ramblers, rock climbers, and picnickers firing off their shotguns in all directions at low-flying grouse," he said. "For safety reasons, any new owner would have to close off this part of the moor if a shoot was to be organized and I can't believe denying access would go down well with the thousands of people from Plymouth and district who enjoy regular visits."
John Bainbridge, chairman of Dartmoor Preservation Society agreed shooting on the site would be inappropriate. He said: "It has shooting rights like every other piece of land but in practice such a use is not feasible."
He added that the preservation society itself was keen to invest in the tor, but the price was too high. Bainbridge said, "If we had the money we would buy it but there is not enough time to raise it."
Local historian Paul Rendell said he hoped whatever the outcome, the tor and surrounding land would go to a good home. He said, "It would be nice to see it go to a charity or local people who will respect it, but we will have to wait and see."
June 23, 2004 -- Bangles News
THEY USED TO GET MAD AT THEIR SCHOOL, THE TEACHERS WHO TAUGHT THEM WEREN'T COOL
BUT THINGS ARE DEFINITELY GETTING BETTER AS THE BANGLES RECEIVE AN HONORARY DEGREE FROM SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY AND LIPA!Formerly the site of the Liverpool Institute (where the young Paul McCartney and George Harrison attended grammar school together), LIPA - The Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts - was opened in 1996 by patron Sir Paul McCartney and cofounder Mark Featherstone-Witty. Inspired by New York's School of the Performing Arts, LIPA is dedicated to people who want to enter - and survive - the tough world of arts and entertainment, whether as performers or those who make performance possible.
In March 2003, the Bangles took time out from their European tour to conduct a master class at LIPA - reportedly the highest attended and most popular session the school has ever held.
Each year at graduation, LIPA inducts "Companions," people who have not only achieved greatness within the performing arts, but who have also passed advice and help to LIPA's students. Companionship is the equivalent of an honorary degree from LIPA, and the current list of eleven honorees includes artists such as Joan Armatrading, Stephen Bayley, Barbara Dickson, Benny Gallagher, and Andy McCluskey.
Now, for the first time since its inception, LIPA is offering a Companionship to an entire band ~ the Bangles.
Sir Paul McCartney will be on hand to personally induct the band into LIPA's ranks on Graduation day, Friday July, 30th.
The Bangles are honored and grateful to accept Companionship from this historic institution, and as long time Beatles fans, are absolutely delighted at involvement of Sir Paul, and to recieve their rock and roll "diplomas" from the great man himself.
June 22, 2004 -- Yahoo News
McCartney concert prompts outburst from Russian cultural guruOne of Russia's top cultural gurus, Hermitage Museum director Mikhail Piotrovski, blasted as "totally unacceptable" staging events like ex-Beatle Paul McCartney's rock concert in Saint Petersburg or any of the country's historic centers.
"The concert by Paul McCartney is an example of what must never happen in any case," said Piotrovski in an opinion column in the daily Izvestia.
McCartney's sell-out, open-air show late Sunday drew 60,000 enthusiastic fans to hear the rock legend perform in the city's central square outside the Winter Palace, part of the famed Hermitage, a former home of the Russian tsars that houses a priceless collection of art and antiquities.
"We prepared for this concert like we would for a flood, all the museum's departments were put on alert," the director said, contending that just the noise level alone was "damaging" for some of the famous paintings in the Hermitage collection.
When Hermitage pieces travel for shows elsewhere, "we do not ship any of our paintings by airplane" to avoid potentially damaging vibrations, and the sound generated by the McCartney concert was "incomparably more powerful that than of any airplane," Piotrovski said.
"Something had to be done so there are no more of these types of shows," he said.
June 21, 2004 -- BBC
Sir Paul McCartney ensured good weather for his 3,000th gig by spraying dry ice on the clouds above the venue to ensure it didn't rain.It was pouring down so the show's organizers sent up three planes with freezing agents that froze the clouds - within minutes it was bright sunshine and the band had to put on sunglasses. (NOTE: It did continue to rain on and off during the show - clearing up towards the end of the concert - see tour news)
Sir Paul's spokesman says he is going to try and get hold of the recipe and bring it to Glastonbury as showers are forecast for Thursday and Friday.
June 21, 2004
The Liverpool Oratorio will be released on DVD sometime this year with bonus footage.
June 21, 2004 -- UnconfirmedReports are that the 2005 tour will start in February with Japan, Australia and New Zealand to follow, South America (Brazil, Argentina, Chile) the US, Canada and Mexico will be during the months of March, April and May.
June 21, 2004 -- Gateway to Russia
Putin congratulates McCartney on birthday
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Paul McCartney on his birthday in their telephone conversation. He also congratulated Sir Paul McCartney on the success of his concert in St Petersburg on June 20, Rossiya television reported. About 60,000 viewers attended the unique performance in the Winter Palace Square.
June 20, 2004 -- AP
McCartney Plays for 50,000 in Russia
Paul McCartney kicked off his concert Sunday before an estimated crowd of 50,000 in St. Petersburg's Palace Square, making only his second appearance in Russia where fans once had to listen to the outlawed Beatles in secret.The concert got off to a late start, delayed almost an hour-and-a-half as fans waited in long lines to pass through metal detectors and super tight security cordons.
But the mood was upbeat and Beatlemania was in full swing in the square outside the Hermitage Museum. Lucky ticketholders waved Beatle memorabilia and proudly wore their Beatles' T-shirts. Russia's train system added extra train service to take fans from Moscow to St. Petersburg for the show.
"I grew up with this music,'' said Igor Malsky, a journalist who said he has been a Beatles fan for four decades. "When I first heard their music, I knew right away it was mine.''
The event, reportedly McCartney's 3,000th gig but his first ever in St. Petersburg, came on the peak of the northern city's famous White Nights, when the sun barely dips beyond the horizon before starting its upward climb again. But Sunday's weather was rainy and clouds hid the sun.
Tickets reportedly cost from about $20 to $1,720 for special VIP-seating, where President Vladimir Putin was expected to catch at least some of the show, according to Russia's Izvestia newspaper.
The Beatles were officially banned by Soviet authorities, who declared their music a corrupting influence of the West. Malsky recalled a school friend being punished for listening to the Beatles.
Young people had to listen surreptitiously to "Let It Be,'' "Yesterday,'' and "Imagine.'' Yet Beatlemania in the Soviet Union was as strong if not stronger than anywhere else in the world - perhaps because it was forbidden fruit.
Last year, McCartney fulfilled what he said was his longtime wish and performed in Moscow's Red Square before about 20,000 fans, including Putin. He delighted the crowd with a rousing rendition of "Back in the U.S.S.R.''
June 19, 2004 -- Interfax
2,500 cops to provide security at McCartney's St. Pete concert
As many as 2,500 policemen will provide security during Paul McCartney's outdoor concert in St. Petersburg on June 20, the regional police told Interfax.Palace Square, in the heart of the city, will be the venue for the performance. The square will be closed from 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, and ticket-holders will be admitted starting from 4:00 p.m.
About 70,000 people are expected to attend the concert, will last from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
June 19, 2004 -- Pravda
Paul McCartney to sing on St. Petersburg's Palace Square
Organizers of Paul McCartney's concert on St. Petersburg's Palace Square on June 20 at 6pm Moscow time guaranteed fine weather during the show, Alfa-bank's press service said."If rain is forecasted for Saturday organizers will take technical measures to improve weather conditions and disperse the clouds if necessary," the press service reported.
Spectators will be able to watch the show on four huge screens installed on Palace Square.
Paul McCartney will give a sole concert in St. Petersburg during his "04 Summer Tour" of Europe. The program includes The Beatles and Wings hits.
In May 2003 Paul MacCartney gave his first concert in Russia. It took place on Red Square, Moscow, and lasted for three hours. The star sang 36 hits, among them famous Beatles songs. About 20,000 tickets were sold. Those who failed to buy tickets saw the concert on big screens. All in all, 130,000 gathered to listen to the legendary ex-Beatle, including, Russian President Vladimir Putin.
June 19, 2004 -- Pravda
Extra trains to carry McCartney's fans from Moscow to St. Petersburg
Extra trains will be running from Moscow to St. Petersburg on Saturday and Sunday, the Russian Railways press service reported."Thus, everyone will be able to visit the concert of legendary
