MACCA CHAT THE PAUL McCARTNEY MESSAGE BOARD
RECOMMENDED NEW BOOKS CD'S AND DVDSNovember 30, 2004 -- BBC News
Has the landmine issue been neglected? How much of a difference would it make if the non-signatory countries were to sign up to the treaty banning landmines? Have you been affected by the landmine issue?We will be discussing these issues on the Talking Point phone-in program on Sunday, 5th December at 1400GMT (9am ET). The guest will be Heather Mills McCartney, patron of Adopt-A-Minefield and a UN Goodwill Ambassador, who has campaigned to raise funds and awareness to rid the world of landmines. If you would like to take part, please include a phone number on the form, it will not appear on the page. Click to fill out form
Call: +44 20 8749 5353
E-mail: talkingpoint@bbc.co.uk
SMS: send to +44 7736 100 100
November 30, 2004 -- Times Online (UK)Investigation: The girl can't help it
Her courage, gritty determination and undoubted commitment to charity work is held in high regard throughout the world. Now marriage to Sir Paul McCartney has given her a world stage. So why does Heather Mills still need to embroider her past? Russell Miller investigates.
Everyone agreed it was the hottest ticket in town. As a gloriously pink Hollywood sunset settled over LA, one limousine after another swept up to the Century-Plaza hotel. Liveried flunkies rushed forward to open the doors, TV lights flared, cameras flashed and the crowd cheered as Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas stepped into the blinding glare. Then came Jack Nicholson,then Rosanna Arquette, then Kiefer Sutherland, then Daryl Hannah, then Andy Garcia... There was no question that this invitation-only gala evening had attracted the cream of Hollywood. But few of the people gathered would have recognized the real star of the show: a lassie from Washington, Tyne and Wear, formerly known as plain Heather Mills, now Lady McCartney.
Heather and Paul McCartney were co-hosting the fourth annual Adopt-A-Minefield Gala, a $1,000-a-head dinner and concert at the Century-Plaza. The McCartneys are patrons of the charity, which aims to publicise the global landmine crisis and collect funds for mine-clearing; the concert would raise $2 million for landmine victims. For most of the 1,500 guests the highlight of the evening was the concert, featuring McCartney and Neil Young. But before the music began it was Heather's show - from the moment she emerged in a strapless Valentino gown, hand in hand with her husband, and walked through the ballroom with applause ringing in her ears.
All the early speakers paid tribute to her undoubted courage and spirit. The 2004 "honorees" were called up to receive awards for their work on behalf of Adopt-A-Minefield. "Calling her my friend is a great honor," gushed the honoree Wendy Walker Whitworth, producer of Larry King Live. "I am totally awed by her kindness and love." MORE
November 29, 2004 -- UPDATE!Confirmed Macca Sighting in Washington, Tyne and Wear
Paul was seen Saturday night guarded by his security in a back room reportedly having a drink with his father-in-law Mark Mills 63, and locals at the North Biddick Social Club in Fatfield.
Paul and Heather brought daughter, Beatrice for the weekend to meet her grandfather. It was Paul's first meeting with Heather's father.
On Sunday Heather, Paul and Bea went to the Wildfowl Park (a retreat for wild birds) in Washington.
November 29, 2004Fran Healy of the band Travis was on a UK chat show this morning talking about the recording session for "Do They Know It's Christmas?" He mentioned that Paul sent him a note after the session mentioning the pain he had from playing bass.
"I got a wee note from Paul after we did it, just the other day, and he said that his thumb and forefinger were throbbing for three days!"
See new Band Aid 20 promo clip with Paul in it. Click here
November 29, 2004 -- Sunderland Echo
Macca mine a pint please
POP legend Sir Paul McCartney surprised regulars at a Wearside club by popping in, unannounced, for a pint.
The ex-Beatles and Wings star, who married Washington-born model Heather Mills two years ago, spent two hours at North Biddick Social Club, in Fatfield, on Saturday.
And his visit was the talk of the town within minutes of ordering his drink, a pint of Smooth Beer, punters from neighboring bars piled into the club to meet the music legend.
Club stewardess Monica Graham said: "Everyone had a fantastic night. We knew he (McCartney )was coming, but had been sworn to secrecy. When he arrived people drinking here started ringing their pals in other pubs to tell them who they were sitting with. He stayed for two hours, sat in the lounge and had one pint.
"He shook everyone who came to see him by the hand and spoke to them. He was such a nice lad and acted just like he was someone from the village. It was amazing how well he fitted in. At the end of the night he came up and gave me a kiss on the cheek. It made my night."
Mrs. McCartney didn't go to the club, but was in the region over the weekend visiting relations and friends the Echo understands.
November 29, 2004 -- Contact Music
THE BEATLES' LOST LOVE CHILDRENA British TV documentary will shock Beatles fans with claims the Fab Four fathered a string of children before they married.
The Channel Five network alleges the group's manager Brian Epstein provided prostitutes for John Lennon, Sir Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr before his untimely death in 1967 of a drug overdose.
Tony Barrow, the publicist for the band between 1963 and 1966, reveals, "There are women in Liverpool who had children fathered by Beatles. They just never kissed and told."
The documentary claims Epstein paid off the mothers to keep them quiet after their brief affairs with the rockers.
November 29, 2004 -- InquirerA tour in the life
Maybe he thinks he missed his calling. Maybe he's amazed at how much work it takes to do one. But Paul McCartney wants to talk books.
Specifically, "Each One Believing: Paul McCartney, On Stage, Off Stage, and Backstage" (Chronicle Books, $35), an insider's coffee-table tome, an on-the-road eavesdropper's delight, that takes fans behind the scenes of his huge 2002-03 World Tour.
Produced with a little help from his friends, it arrives just in time for folks to carry it back this holiday season.
Sir Paul has directed his publicists to skip the pop music regulars on this go-around. He wants to be interviewed by literary journalists.
Hey, no problem. All you need is - to ask. Beyoncé isn't exactly on the other line, offering a one-on-one.
So listen to what the man said. It all began with the tour, which mushroomed into 91 dates, 36 songs a night, in 16 countries, and ended up as Billboard magazine's Tour of the Year.
"It was post-9/11," McCartney says, on the phone from London, "we'd done the Concert for New York, and we'd seen firsthand what it meant to the American people... . I was going to do it just to sort of dip my toe in the touring waters, and decide whether I liked it or not."
Turns out, he felt fine: "Some of this post-9/11 feeling, a lot of it in fact, was coming off our American audiences, they were really sort of giving us the thumbs up."
"That communicated itself to the band in particular," he continues, "and then sort of filtered through to all the people backstage... . We'd say, 'Yeah, I don't know what it is about this tour. It just feels really cool. So we said, you know, let's get a film camera."
Official photographer Bill Bernstein did the stills. Others conducted mini-interviews: "We thought, we should record this, if only for ourselves." The result for others is entree to Rome, Moscow and elsewhere, lots of photos, and plenty of first-person thoughts from the man in the middle.
"I was involved in the whole process," McCartney says. The aim was that "it read well, like a good book. It had to run across the page, to lead you on." And so it does. Though rock royalty did encounter that odd fetish: editing. "Of all the stuff we put together," he recalls, "there were only one or two little things that were pulled... the layout design girl would say, 'Oh, they don't really want that paragraph, they don't think that's very good, or whatever.' "If pop songs were books, some bright editor way back might have grabbed Sir Paul and complained, "Look, you don't need that line 'She didn't say' after 'Why she had to go, I don't know... . ' Obviously, if she had said why she had to go, you'd know!"
At this stage, now that he's 62, Sir Paul understands he's part of history. He intimidates. That's compounded by his successful post-Beatles career, his dignity through the death of his first wife, Linda, his romantic rebirth with activist and second wife Heather. All lend him a stature not enjoyed by rock elders still pretending to be wild and 25.
"Because the Beatles stuff was legendary," he explains, "people might sometimes not be as free in telling you no. That's a danger that you have to watch out for. I have to encourage people to have their own opinions." The good part is that people still want to know every little thing.
Why, for instance, is a billionaire associated with more ringing phrases in the English language than anyone since Shakespeare still happy just to play for fans?
Because.
"You know," he says, "with the Beatles, we probably used to play about 30 minutes... . Now, I sing for three hours. Well, there isn't an opera singer on Earth who sings nonstop for three hours - there's always a soprano to help him out!"
And yet: "I came off the end of the tour more energized than at the beginning... . People would say, 'You look well!' And I'd say, 'You know, it's actually kind of good exercise, good cardiovascular, what I'm doing. Every night, it's like going to the gym, only more fun."
OK. So it's good for him. But is he as good a musician as he used to be? Sir Paul laughs.
He thinks he's getting better all the time, "just cause I've sort of done more, learned a few more things, learned what not to do... singing isn't the sweat it used to be... I still do the songs in the original keys... . "
Another reason he likes touring is that he's still learning things about old songs such as "Yesterday." Earlier in the day, he'd listened to the original. "I don't sing it like that anymore," he admits. "I think I sing it OK. I probably sing it quite well. But there's just a boyishness to that recording. There's no way I can be a 24-year-old boy anymore."
In the book, McCartney says songs like "Yesterday" mean more to him now. "How did a 24-year-old kid write that?" he asks of his most famous ballad. "How did he know that? I now know it just because of life... . I suppose you'd also have to say, 'How did such and such a novelist write such an apparently mature thing when he was only 19?' I think you do have a sort of imagined maturity that kicks in."
It sounds as though he no longer feels the immensity of the Beatles phenomenon hanging over him. "That's a sort of true statement," he remarks.
"It's all sort of melted into one thing. So now it's not really a weight, it's not like, 'Oh, will you stop asking me Beatles questions!' It's like, 'Yeah, I'll talk about the Beatles.' "
He considers that a happy change. "It really is, particularly having lost two of the guys. It's nice to talk about them, because it sort of brings them back for those few seconds."
Actually, there's nothing better for reliving the old days than writing a real memoir. Ask Bill Clinton. Will Sir Paul ever give it a shot?
"It's one of those things that I've been putting off forever," he replies. "Because it didn't seem like it's time yet. I always feel like it's 80-year-old retired generals... . "
"I suppose it's such a daunting task. I would need time. I would really need to not do as much as I do... . I'd probably have to sit with someone and say, 'Right, what have I done? Give me some clues. Remind me.' " Yes, he really said that.
"But I agree with you, I would probably find it interesting... . it would be for my family and my kids and my loved ones, to have some sort of accurate idea of who I am, and what I think about what I've done... . It may be something I'll do when I'm an 80-year-old general!"
Many years from now.
November 29, 2004 -- Contact Music
DJ DANGERMOUSE PLAYS WITH THE BEATLES AGAIN
Cheeky New York DJ Dangermouse is incurring the wrath of the Beatles again by incorporating samples from the Fab Four's "Glass Onion" in his new remix of JAY-Z's ENCORE.The underground mixmaster upset Beatle Paul McCartney last year when he 'mashed' the group's White Album together with Jay-Z's Black Album to create The Grey Album without permission.
The accompanying video, which Dangermouse insists he had no part of, incorporates clips of the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night." This appeared on Internet sites for 24 hours last week before it was deactivated.
November 28, 2004 -- Boston Globe
The In and Out ListWhat's In
Religious foods (the Virgin Mary grilled cheese), U2, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney will be headlining the Super Bowl half-time show this season. We have no idea what the former Beatle has planned for us, but let's hope Justin Timberlake is not involved.What's Out
Rolling Stone Magazine, Ron Artest (Basketball player caught up in last week's huge brawl), and Alexander (the movie).
November 28, 2004 -- The Morning CallLinda McCartney photo exhibit keeps a musical age alive
In 1966 Linda Eastman, a secretary at a society magazine based in Manhattan, intercepted an invitation to join a boat party for the Rolling Stones. Figuring that no one else at Town and Country wanted to mingle with a bunch of wild long hairs, she took her camera to a yacht moored in the Hudson River. Her good fortune continued when she became the only photographer allowed on board.
Eastman's Rolling Stones scoop led to a gig as Rolling Stone magazine's first staff photographer. Impressed by her portrait of Brian Jones, the Stones' enigmatic, tragic genius, Beatles manager Brian Epstein invited her to a 1967 press party for the album ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.'' There Eastman met Paul McCartney for the first time, launching a romance that led to marriage, children, a band called Wings, campaigns for animal rights and vegetarianism and a career as a photographer of cultural movers and earthquakers.
Beatles, Stones and Doors star in ''Linda McCartney's Sixties: Portrait of an Era,'' an exhibition of 51 photos that will run from May 29 to Aug. 21 at the Allentown Art Museum. Allentown is the first Pennsylvania site for the only McCartney retrospective to tour museums in her native U.S. since she died in 1998.
Organized by the Estate of Linda McCartney with the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Conn., the exhibit chronicles a period of communal charisma. McCartney photographed the Who in quirky clothes and poses behind the Fillmore East, the funky, fabled Manhattan hall where she served as house photographer. She shot the Youngbloods in trees and the Grateful Dead as a playful tribe on the stoop of a Victorian house they shared in Haight Ashbury.
McCartney's photographic role models were Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange, who specialized in portraits that looked formal but felt informal. She relaxed her subjects by shooting naturally, without flash, and spontaneously. This casual attitude enabled her to infiltrate inner circles; indeed, she considered herself ''a band member whose chosen instrument was the camera.''
Armed with intimacy, McCartney witnessed the catastrophe of success. She captured Janis Joplin as a hurricane onstage, a shy victim offstage. One of her images of the Beatles, taken during the making of their final album, ''Abbey Road,'' illustrates the growing gulf between a onetime band of brothers. It's titled ''Four Strangers.''
The show contains one of McCartney's most endearing, enduring shots of her husband, Paul, holding their first child, Mary, inside his jacket. Non-rockers include soul diva Aretha Franklin; among the non-musicians is actor Michael J. Pollard, a goofy sidekick in the film ''Bonnie and Clyde.'' Three platinum prints demonstrate McCartney's passion for quieter scenes outside of the '60s. ''Stallion and Standing Stone'' hung in her last gallery exhibition, which opened shortly after her death from cancer at age 56.
McCartney was highly honored during her lifetime. In 1987 Women in Photography named her its top U.S. representative. In 1995 Bulfinch Press published ''Linda McCartney's Sixties: Portrait of an Era,'' one of five books of her photography. The Victoria & Albert Museum exhibited her images of popular culture, and the National Portrait Gallery in London acquired her pictures of Paul McCartney and John Lennon.
''Linda McCartney's Sixties'' bookends last year's Allentown Art Museum exhibit of Allen Ginsberg's photos of William S. Burroughs, Neal Cassady and other Beats, those literary rock 'n' rollers. David Brigham, the museum's executive director, says it was chosen for its broad appeal. He calls it a sort of sequel to the museum's recent display of inventive, historic clothes and jewelry designed by Mary McFadden, who began dressing fashionable people around the time McCartney began photographing fashionable people.
More than 350,000 have viewed the McCartney exhibit since it opened in March 1999. The next year Brigham shared the show's success as a director/curator at the Worcester (Mass.) Art Museum.
''Linda McCartney's generation alone doesn't own this music and these images,'' says Brigham. ''Every subsequent generation claims this work as their own. What makes it so compelling is that it's all about youth culture.''
November 28, 2004 -- The Spectrum
Suddenly, Beatles don't look so radicalImagine, if you can, a time when long-haired, dope-smoking hippies who preached peace love and understanding walked the Earth.
Flowing hair, colorful clothes, loud rock 'n' roll music and an innate distrust of the status quo marked this band of outlaws who questioned authority and the traditional world.
Now, those baby-booming rockers have evolved into a hip, older generation and, of all things, have suddenly become respectable, which is why Paul McCartney has been tabbed by the National Football League to entertain during halftime of the Super Bowl on Feb. 6 in Jacksonville, Fla.
Last year, of course, America was shocked at the sight of a bare breast -- a costume malfunction that was supposed to have been an accident.
The year before? We saw a very scantily clad pop singer who somehow made it in the world of country music being lifted high into the air aboard a crane that left very little to the imagination of those seated at the lower levels.
To save face, or at least not worry about other exposed body parts, enter Paul McCartney.
Forty-something years ago, when Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play, he taught them to play hard -- and we're not just talking music.
The Beatles, for all their gentlemanly suits, boyish charm and musical wizardry, were a raucous bunch who lived life in the fast lane while the members of the Eagles were still in junior high school.
The lads were ridiculed for haircuts that today would be modest, and they had political views that by today's standards would be fairly moderate.
When the counter-culture sprung up around guitar gurus and decided to inhale -- except for former President Clinton, that is -- it was The Beatles who were heaped with disdain for heading a cultural revolution.
"We weren't leaders, we were just a reflection of what was going on around us," George Harrison once said.
Ah, but being a Beatle wasn't easy, especially when they were honest.
More popular than Jesus? "Yes," John Lennon said. Drugs? "Yes," Paul McCartney said. Alternative spirituality? "Yes," Harrison said. Wine, women and song? "Yes ... yes ... yes," Ringo Starr said.
The revolution ended for Lennon 24 years ago, Harrison transcended this Earth three years ago, and Starr is still one of the most beloved figures in rock 'n' roll.
Sir Paul, however, has ascended to a level of rock royalty, and this one-time rebel with a million noble causes has become an icon of such proportions that those who once mocked his long locks, freewheeling lifestyle and politics are asking him to rescue the National Football League's premier showcase: The Super Bowl halftime show.
Imagewise, it's been a long and winding road for the former mop top to establish his credibility with the straight world.
For many of us, however, that happened yesterday.
November 27, 2004 -- More Macca album rumors
From an unconfirmed source:
"The song was originally called 'Testimony,' then was changed to 'I'll Testify' (To the Power of Love). It has a great classic R&B melody and most soulful. The song is Paul's testimony to how love has lifted him up and out of life's ups and downs. Very inspirational, moving stuff.
The album's working title is "Timelines."
November 27, 2004 -- Daily Mail
Hard Day's Night? Sir Paul on daddy duty looks ready for 40 winks.The day had barely begun. But it looked as if Sir Paul McCartney was already anticipating a morning nap. The dark shadows under his eyes suggested it was way past his bedtime.
Out for a morning stroll with his baby daughter, Sir Paul looked like the responsibilities of fatherhood were at 62 catching up to him. Or perhaps the standard-issue sleep deprivation that arrives with most new babies was simply kicking in.
At one point, the former Beatle started pulling the most alarming faces in his attempts to wake himself up.
His little girl Beatrice, who turned one last month, dozed blissfully in her stroller.
Sir Paul took her out for breakfast at a cafe near the London home he shares with her mother Heather Mills-McCartney. On the way home they stopped off to browse in a toy shop, emerging empty-handed. As they continued on their journey, Sir Paul huff and puffed with the exertion of it all.
"Paul often takes Beatrice out for walks and this time decided to get a bit of breakfast on the way," an onlooker said. "It would be fair to say that Paul didn't exactly look his best. He looked a bit haggard and kept yawning - perhaps Beatrice has been keeping him and Heather up at night. To try and stay awake he started pulling faces although they definitely were not for the benefit of his daughter who couldn't see what he was doing. Although the walk was taken at a slow pace, it appeared at times to be a bit much for Paul, who appeared to be huffing and puffing at certain points."
Sir Paul and his 36-year-old wife only recently returned to London from California, where Miss Mills-McCartney is hoping to land a television presenting job.
He is bracing himself for the patter of little feet again. His 33-year-old daughter Stella, the fashion designer, is expecting her first child with husband Alasdhair Willis in April.
November 26, 2004 -- Rocky Mountain News
RUMORS AND HEARSAY
Watch for Paul McCartney to use his Super Bowl halftime appearance to announce his 2005 tour dates.
November 25, 2004 -- The Sun
We can Macca Million
Sir Paul McCartney and wife Heather are to star on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? (UK Television) It is thought they will try to raise cash for Heather's landmine charity.The couple will be in a star pairs Christmas Day special hosted by Chris Tarrant.
Others taking part include Man Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson with fan GMTV host Eamonn Holmes and TV couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan.
Sir Paul, 62, and Heather, 36, are said to be "really excited" about going on the ITV1 quiz, filmed later this month.
November 24, 2004 -- The MirrorMacca to perform at Superbowl
There's no danger of a "nipplegate"-style incident at next year's Superbowl - old safe-hands Sir Paul McCartney is taking center stage.
The former Beatle will perform for a global audience of millions during half-time at the American football season's big event.
Sir Paul was picked as a reliable act following last February's fiasco, when Justin Timberlake exposed Janet Jackson's breast during the prime-time show.
November 24, 2004 -- BBC News
McCartney backs UK conservation
Sir Paul McCartney is adding his voice to The Conservation Awards by signing a deal to sponsor the them until 2009. The awards set out to honor excellence and innovation in preserving the UK's cultural heritage.Sir Paul, 62, agreed to fund the awards after meeting 2002 winner Ian Clark and hailed conservationists' work. The singer stressed the importance of conserving our cultural heritage "for us, and our children after us, to learn from and enjoy".
"People don't realize how lucky we are to have such brilliant conservation specialists in this country," said Sir Paul. "I've seen them in action. The Conservation Awards draw attention to those wonderful skills, and I'm delighted to help ensure they continue."
The awards are open to organizations across the heritage field, in museums, libraries, historic buildings and on private conservation projects.
Winners of the top prize receive £15,000 ($28,000).
David Leigh, director of the UK Institute for Conservation, welcomed Sir Paul's involvement with the awards, which are in their eighth year.
"The Awards have recognized the triumphs of conservation over the past decade, and Sir Paul's generous support will help us celebrate many more," said Leigh.
November 24, 2004 -- Oxford Uniton
Heather Mills-McCartney discussed her life and work at the Oxford Union in England on Monday, November 22.
The Union is the world's foremost debating society, with a deserved reputation for bringing international guests and speakers to Oxford. It has been established for 175 years, aiming to promote debate and discussion not just in Oxford University, but across the globe.
November 23, 2004 -- Guitar weekly News
THE PAUL McCARTNEY TEXANSGuitar aficionados everywhere are anxiously awaiting the release of the new Epiphone Paul McCartney Texans! The limited run of 40 hand-built Epiphones will be produced in the United States by Gibson under the supervision and direction of Sir Paul McCartney himself and will be hand-aged to replicate the playing wear on McCartney's Texan. The second run of Texans will be limited to 250 guitars, which will be mirror-images of McCartney's guitar. His is a right-handed instrument that he plays left-handed, reversing the strings; the new guitars will be lefty guitars set up for right-handed players. A third run of 1,964 Texans will be hand-crafted in Japan.
Epiphone has been a part of the Gibson family of brands since 1957, and McCartney's original guitar was made in the Gibson factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in 1964. He played it in the recording studio and on his famous performance of the Beatles hit "Yesterday" on the Ed Sullivan TV show on August 14, 1965. The guitar, serial number 194959, was officially a model FT-79N (N for natural finish), that had left the Gibson factory on May 23, 1964. McCartney bought it in New York in 1965. List price at the time was $175, and the case was extra.
It's exciting to have my old guitar reproduced by Gibson," said McCartney. "It's exact and what's more it sounds great."
November 22, 2004 -- thebeatles.com
THE BLUE MEANIE TO MARCH IN MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE
The Blue Meanie, the Beatle's infamous arch enemy who first came to fame in their much-loved magical animation adventure The Yellow Submarine, is surfacing again -- this time to promote "his" picture book, the Yellow Submarine in America's biggest parade, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.Mr. Meanie has been on a one-Meanie march since the book's September publication. He first reappeared in London, later arriving in Liverpool aboard Cunards' QE2 (his spokesperson told the awaiting press corps: "Mr. Meanie considers arriving on a Yellow Submarine beneath him, so he quite rightly booked a cabin on one of the world's greatest liners instead, hoping Cunard would rename the ship The Blue Queenie in his honor.") Cunard declined the opportunity.
Now he has brought his campaign to the US -- to join America in giving thanks by marching in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. ("I'd be thankful if they wouldn't play any music and buy my book!" he was recently overheard saying at one of his promotional appearances).
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will be broadcast 'nationally' Thursday, November 25, 2004 on NBC from 9:00 am- 12:00 pm in all time zones. The Yellow Submarine is Apple Corps' first picture book. Apple's only other publishing venture was the best-selling Beatles Anthology, which has sold more than two million copies worldwide since it was published in 1999.
Mr. Meanie is available for appearances in New York prior to the Parade.
November 21, 2004 -- The Guardian
Danny Goffey, Supergrass drummer recalls working with Paul McCartney on the new Band Aid charity single"We had a lot of fun recording it, and I got to jam with Paul McCartney! I had to ring my gran and tell her all about it. We recorded the music on a different day to all the singers but Thom [Yorke] and Jonny [Greenwood] from Radiohead were there as well as Fran Healy from Travis. I'd met a lot of them before but we'd never played together. It was such a great feeling playing drums along to Paul McCartney's bass.
"I did my Paul impression in front of him, although I'm not sure it went down too well. I don't think he minded too much though - he's a big kid at heart. And he kept us entertained with lots of anecdotes that I couldn't possibly reveal to a journalist. "
November 21, 2004 -- Sports Network
Paul McCartney to perform at Super Bowl halftimeLegendary music star Paul McCartney will perform at halftime of this year's Super Bowl in Jacksonville. This will be McCartney's second Super Bowl appearance.
"There's nothing bigger than being asked to perform at the Super Bowl," said McCartney. "We're looking forward to rocking the millions at home and in the stadium."
McCartney is one of the world's most recognized rock and roll artists, starting his career with The Beatles in the 1960s and continuing with the band Wings and as a solo performer from the 1970s through the present.
"We are extremely pleased to work again with Paul McCartney, one of the greatest musicians of our time, to create a memorable show," said Steve Bornstein, the NFL's executive vice president of media.
The NFL had a memorable Super Bowl halftime show last year when Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" revealed one of her breasts and created a widespread debate over decency on television.
November 21, 2004 -- PRN Newswire
NFL Scores Paul Mccartney for Ameriquest Mortgage Super Bowl XXXIX Halftime Show on FOX
Legendary rocker Paul McCartney will perform in the Ameriquest Mortgage Super Bowl XXXIX Halftime Show on FOX at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida on Sunday, February 6, the NFL announced today."We are extremely pleased to work again with Paul McCartney, one of the greatest musicians of our time, to create a memorable show," said Steve Bornstein, the NFL's executive vice president of media.
Added Bornstein, who will oversee the show for the NFL, "As one of the world's most beloved artists and incomparable live entertainers, Paul McCartney will deliver an inspirational performance."
"There's nothing bigger then being asked to perform at the Super Bowl," said McCartney. "We're looking forward to rocking the millions at home and in the stadium."
"We're thrilled Sir Paul McCartney has agreed to perform at halftime of Super Bowl XXXIX," said FOX Sports Chairman David Hill. "He is the world's most influential rock artist, and his music will forever be a part of our culture. He, more than any other musician, lives up to this year's Super Bowl theme of Building Bridges. His music bridges generations, countries, cultures and musical genres. I'm also sure that the duet Paul performed with Terry Bradshaw at Super Bowl XXXVI was such a major event, that he couldn't wait to reunite with Terry in Jacksonville."
This will be McCartney's second Super Bowl appearance. He provided a memorable pregame performance at Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans in 2002, the first Super Bowl after the tragic events of September 11.
As the climax to the pregame show and immediately prior to the singing of the two traditional anthems "America The Beautiful" and "The Star-Spangled Banner", McCartney performed "Freedom," a new anthem reflecting the spirit of freedom.
Watched by a record 144.4 million viewers in the U.S. last year, the Super Bowl is annually the nation's highest-rated TV program and the most-watched single-day sporting event. The game also will be broadcast in more than 200 countries worldwide. Game time is 6 p.m. ET.
Emmy-Award winning Don Mischer Productions will produce the Ameriquest Mortgage Super Bowl XXXIX Halftime Show starring Paul McCartney.
November 21, 2004
Heather's new cause?
Heather was on ITV's "This Morning" (UK) live on Friday November 19. She spoke about amputees and a new cause she is supporting, the banning of animals used for fur in clothing: specifically dogs and cats. The animals are kept cold to allow their fur to thicken and then they are skinned alive! She showed some horrific photos of the animals being tortured in China. Read more about this cruelty on Heather's website,
She was asked how Paul enjoyed the new Band Aid single.
"You know what, he was just over the moon about it. He works with a guy called Nigel Godrich, a producer and he's working on an album - he's taking his time just so as to get it great and Nigel was asked to produce the new Band Aid record. So he said you know, 'would you play bass or sing or whatever?' He said, 'Yeah, fine, do whatever you like.' So he's singing and playing bass on it and it's obviously for a great cause."
When asked if Paul was perfectly happy to take a bit of a back seat on the recording she said, "Yeah, he totally insisted because the whole point is that the new song is different and new, otherwise you might just as well.......... he's the thread. He started if off with the bass and the whole song was based round that. So, yeah, he's fantastic".
She talked about Beatrice, "She's gorgeous. I'd love to say more about her, but it just gives everyone carte blanche to sort of invade her privacy and I've got to give her a chance. But she's delicious. I'm a very happy mummy."
November 20, 2004 -- Timesonline
Has Macca had a lift?
"I believe that Paul McCartney, instead of looking young, looks simply startled," Dr. Z. Paul Lorenc (plastic surgeon to the stars) says of the former Beatle, another one of the targets in his new book" A Little Work: Behind the Doors of a Park Avenue Plastic Surgeon."
"He looks like he possibly had some surgery in the past. His face is very recognizable but if you look at the progression, it is not necessarily a natural one. Look at the position of the earlobes, for instance, they're too low, it's a giveaway sign. And I think his brow is too high, making him look surprised."
November 20, 2004 -- The Mirror
VID THE WORLDThe new Band Aid video was seen for the first time with Madonna urging fans to "feed the world". It was shown on more than 29 (UK) TV channels in one of the nation's biggest simultaneous broadcasts on Thursday.
Millions tuned in to hear "Do They Know It's Christmas?", due for release on November 29. They saw stars moved to tears by images of starving children.
Midge Ure and Bono shared a hug while Paul McCartney stayed in the background playing his guitar.
Most of the stars managed to sing the lyrics without help, although the Sugababes needed a prompt sheet.
Bono, who won the battle with Justin Hawkins to sing "Well tonight, thank God, it's them instead of you", was seen in a darkened studio after flying in at the 11th hour. The track is widely expected to be the Christmas number one despite lukewarm reviews.
Meanwhile, Geldof blasted music cheats thought to have stolen the single from the radio after it received its first airplay earlier this week.
Macca's appearance in the promo video
The ex-Beatle happily strums his guitar in a low-key appearance.
November 19, 2004 -- www.brian-ray.com
Brian Ray is busy working in the studio on his new CD on Who Ray! Records.Tracks have been recorded with Davey Faragher on bass from Elvis Costello's band and L.A. drummer, Matt Laug. Brian is recording at Ollywood Studios with Oliver Leiber adding some drums.
Abe, from Paul's band will be writing and playing with Brian on a song which will also feature Scott Shriner, of Weezer on bass.Some surprises to come, guests to be announced later.
November 19, 2004 -- New York Post
We hear that...
Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg threw Lorne Michaels a 60th birthday party at her apartment with Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger and many present and former "Saturday Night Live" stars.
November 19, 2004 -- Contact Music
McCARTNEY SNORTS SALTWATERSir Paul McCartney has developed a disgusting new way to warm up for live shows - he snorts saltwater up his nose.
The former Beatle picked up the odd habit from opera stars after seeking advice to keep his voice in top form, but he's not sure the nightly shock to the system is doing him any good.
He says, "I read somewhere that opera singers have a sort of saltwater gargle, and I thought that might be good to try.
"And then I thought I'd snort it up my nose. It was not that pleasant; it was like drowning before each show."
NOTE: Bill Bernstein describes just how Paul does this in part two of Jorie Gracen's interview.
November 19, 2004 -- BBC News
TV debut for Band Aid 20 singleThe video for Band Aid 20's single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was shown on TV for the first time on Thursday. Pop queen Madonna told fans to "feed the world" before the video got its premiere at 1755 GMT.
Madonna does not appear on the single itself - which is due to hit the shops in on 29 November - but recorded an introduction to its video instead.
It was shown simultaneously on BBC One, BBC Two, ITV1, Channel 4, Five, Sky One and other digital channels.
The video began with Coldplay's Chris Martin in the main hall of Air Studios, north London, where the song was recorded at the weekend.It also featured some stars whose voices did not appear on the song - including Sir Paul McCartney playing bass, Radiohead's Thom Yorke on piano and Blur's Damon Albarn, who served tea.
And it included footage of organiser Bob Geldof in the studio playing the stars a video of an emaciated young girl in the 1984 Ethiopian famine.
The girl, now a young woman, was then introduced to the singers, many of whom were moved to tears.
Madonna's introduction began: "Twenty years ago, I performed at Live Aid and the world watched. You saw me and my generation demanding a change.
"Once again, here we are 20 years later," she said, over images of starving African children. "More people die of hunger in Africa than war and Aids put together.
"In a world of plenty, it is hard to imagine that most African children will go to bed tonight hungry.
"Bob Geldof and his friends are here to remind you that we can never forget. Not ever. Feed the world. I am honored to introduce Band Aid 20."
The song, a remake of the 1984 original, was recorded on Friday, Saturday and Sunday by more than 50 artists including Joss Stone, Dizzee Rascal and The Darkness.
It is tipped to be the Christmas number one, but bookmakers have shortened the odds on the track's long-term success after it received lukewarm reviews.
The single, which also features Bono, Sugababes and Will Young, was made available to download from the internet on Thursday from a number of music services that will donate proceeds to the cause.
It is also being launched as a charity mobile phone ringtone with proceeds going to the Band Aid Trust, which is supporting food aid to the Sudan's troubled Darfur region.
November 18, 2004 -- The Star-LedgerHungerthon, around the dial
Guitars signed by Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash, Peter Frampton and members of the Allman Brothers Band, The Police, The Who and R.E.M. will be up for auction during the World Hunger Year organization's 29th annual Hungerthon. These items and others, most related to the worlds of rock 'n' roll and sports, will be auctioned off on six radio stations between Saturday and Wednesday.
Participating stations include WXRK (92.3 FM), WFAN (660 AM), WNEW (102.7 FM), WINS (1010 AM), WCBS-FM (101.1 FM) and WCBS-AM (880).
WPLJ (95.5 FM) and Sirius Satellite Radio will broadcast Hungerthon information all week, and another station, WAXQ (104.3 FM), will continue the Hungerthon from Dec. 13 to 17.
Hungerthon is both a fundraiser for WHY's anti-hunger efforts, and an attempt to educate the public on hunger-related issues. For information, visit www.worldhungeryear.org
November 18, 2004 -- NME.com
EXCLUSIVE - MACCA TALKS BAND AID!Paul McCartney has spoken to NME.COM about his participation in the surefire future Xmas number one "Do They Know Itg's Christmas?"
The former Beatle, Bono, Thom Yorke and Chris Martin were among a host of stars who laid down the historic Band Aid 20 version of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" last weekend (November 13-14) at George Martin's Air Studios in London.
NME.COM was there and spoke to McCartney just after he finished recording the bass part. He said that despite tabloid pressure to record vocals for the song, which is released on November 29, he was only asked to provide bass.
He said, "We're keeping away from the hullabaloo while we try and get a backing track. I play bass on it, that's really all I was really asked to do and that's what I fancied doing. It's kind of nice to do that. And then the national, wonderful press got into 'Why aren't you singing? Oh he's too old!' and did all that sh*t. I was like 'Oh, f*k off!' So I've just done what my producer asked me to do, he's producing it."
McCartney has been working on his new album with Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, who also produced the new version of "Do They Know It's Christmas?"
Playing his Hofner 'Beatle bass', McCartney was joined at Air by Radiohead's Thom Yorke, who plays piano and Supergrass' Danny Goffey, who plays drums. Also present in the studio were Jonny Greenwood and Fran Healy from Travis, although Darkness guitarists Justin and Dan Hawkins waited until Saturday (November 13) to record what Justin called some "very Eighties, twin harmony guitars."
For more on Band Aid, see this week's NME, out now.
November 17, 2004 -- The GuardianRumor has it that the McCartneys have bought a mansion in Pasadena, California. It's a "craftsman"-style structure, cost a cool $9 million, and is in an exclusive part of town.
Why would Sir Paul, owning half of Scotland and rich enough to buy the other half, choose sleepy Pasadena? It's true he and Lady M like the place. Mijares, a local Mexican restaurant, boasts that the couple eat there. But $9 million seems a lot to pay for your favorite burrito.
November 17, 2004 -- Daily Mail
Station bans 'Bland Aid' song after complaintsA radio station banned the new version of Do They Know It's Christmas today after being inundated by listeners claiming it was "rubbish".
Minutes after the updated Band Aid classic was broadcast for the first time the station switchboard was jammed with listeners calling for it to be axed.
Bosses at Pembrokeshire Radio, based in Narbeth, quickly bowed to listener-power and pulled the plug on the new festive single.
They pledged to continue backing the single's charitable aim and are advising listeners to buy it anyway - even if it is never played.
The new version mirrors the 20-year-old original with a line-up of current top recording stars including Rachel Stevens, Jamelia and Daniel Bedingfield.
While the original was a 3.5 million single-selling-phenomenon, the new version is raising passions for all the wrong reasons.
MORE
The first public broadcast of the Band Aid 20 single yesterday met with a cool reception.
Listeners e-mailing Radio 1's website after the premiere called the re-recording of Do They Know It's Christmas? "drivel", "incoherent", and "a pale imitation". Nevertheless, most said they would still buy it.
The original Band Aid single met with a similarly mixed reception on release. The Smiths singer Morrissey famously remarked that "one can have a great concern for the people of Ethiopia, but it's another thing to inflict daily torture on the people of England".
The most widespread complaint from listeners appeared to be that the new recording had desecrated a "classic".
One listener said it would not be "able to live up to the original with the likes of Phil Collins, Bananarama and the Quo involved".
Rock's post-Britpop obsession with referencing the musical past is enshrined in a Queen-pastiche guitar solo from The Darkness's Dan Hawkins and a climax featuring a burst of slightly self-congratulatory applause, which, knowingly or not, echoes the finale of The Beatles' Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill.
The record acknowledges the ongoing passion for unobtrusive "nu-easy listening" via Dido, whose vocal style, as ever, recalls a woman distractedly singing to herself while trying to remember where she parked her car.
The cumulative effect is nobody's idea of a great record, but provides a neat end of year review, in much the same way as the original, heavy on the tinny synthesizers and booming stadium rock drums, summed up the sound of pop music in 1984.
The recording was marked by an apparent squabble over the song's key line: "Tonight thank God it's them instead of you."
Initially given to Justin Hawkins, lead vocalist of The Darkness, it was later re-recorded by U2's Bono, who sang the line on the original 1984 single, as producers apparently felt Hawkins' comical public image and falsetto vocals inappropriate.
Hawkins said later: "I did it better than him."
November 16, 2004 -- Contact Music
McCARTNEY COLLAPSES AFTER BAND AID RECORDINGFormer Beatle Sir Paul McCartney was so exhausted after recording bass for the latest Band Aid charity single he dramatically collapsed on the floor.
The veteran rocker joined stars including Dido, Robbie Williams And Sir Bob Geldof on Friday, November 12 to record the 20th anniversary re-recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas?"
But after two hours in the studio, he fell to the floor shouting, "Enough. No More. Finish."
The shocking moment was captured on film and may be included at the end of the single's video, which will be introduced by Madonna on Thursday, November 18 at 6:05pm on the UK's five main TV channels.
November 16, 2004 -- The Hindu
Adopt a lab monkeyBeing somewhat hard to wrap, it is not the sort of gift usually found under the Christmas tree. It is, however, one of the few animal presents to come with a celebrity endorsement.
For an annual fee of £24 ($44), you can give someone close to you the Christmas present which the former Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney, is most keen to find under his Nordman fir this year : a rescued laboratory monkey.
The scheme
Thankfully, it does not have to be housed - or wrapped - but is adopted. Under a scheme being run by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV), it is possible to adopt a macaque monkey rescued from a Thai laboratory.
Sir Paul, who is endorsing the scheme, and appears in advertisements for it, has adopted one of them. He said: "I was delighted to be able to adopt a BUAV ex-laboratory monkey and wholeheartedly support the BUAV's important work, campaigning to end all experiments on primates.''
BUAV says its scheme is the first to allow the public to adopt an animal rescued from an experimental lab.
The adoptive parent does not receive the monkey, but does get a photo, a certificate and a monkey toy. BUAV rescued 50 macaque monkeys from a research laboratory in Thailand while a delegation was in the country to make a presentation on testing without animals. They were found in barren cages, but are now in a sanctuary with access to trees and ponds.
Karen Ruskin, director of fundraising at the BUAV, said: "We are thrilled that these monkeys will have the chance to live the rest of their lives in as natural surroundings as possible. However, cruel and unnecessary experiments on animals don't just happen abroad - the U.K. remains the largest user of primates in experiments in the European Union, with more being used each year.''
November 15, 2004 -- Daily Mail
IT WAS 20 YEARS AGO TODAYMadonna will spearhead the launch of the new Band Aid single "Do They Know It's Christmas," 20 years after the original rocked the world.
The Material Girl will introduce the new version of the 1984 charity hit when it is played on all five main TV channels(in the UK) at 6.05pm on Thursday.
Recording of the new song was completed at a studio in Hampstead, North London, yesterday.
Among the stars who performed were Sir Paul McCartney, Coldplay's Chris Martin, U2 frontman Bono, Jamelia, Miss Dynamite, Darkness star Justin Hawkins and boy band Busted.
The backing tracks were recorded by Radiohead's Thom Yorke on piano and Johnny Greenwood on electric guitar, with Dan Gaffney from Supergrass on drums, Travis's Fran Healey on acoustic guitar and Sir Paul McCartney on bass. Sir Bob said: "Paul played it on his Beatles guitar."
Former Ultravox frontman Ure, who produced the new single, said: "Macca was bloody brilliant."
The Band Aid single will be played for the first time on Radio One tomorrow and will be in the shops on Monday, November 29.
Sir Bob said: "It's a different arrangement. It simply doesn't sound like the first one, although all the melodies and harmonies are there.
"It really does have a representative from all parts of British music from Paul McCartney to Bono and then all the new lot."
November 12, 2004 -- AT&T News Service
Macca Reporter In McCartney's New Book
by Tom AustinTrini Schultz, long-time Macca Reporter (of the Macca Report), has discovered that a photo of her has been published in Sir Paul McCartneys new book "Each One Believing".
When this reporter was contacted by Trini she could hardly contain her excitement.
"I'm on page 133! That's me with one of those twirly light thingies I bought at Disneyland."She goes on to say, "I remember when Bill Bernstein took that pic too. Paul was singing 'Let It Be.' If you look closely you can see the drool on the side of my mouth."
Her initial reaction is best summed up in her own words, "Boy what a surprise this is! I'M IN PAUL'S BOOK! Woohoo!"
NOTE: Trini by the way is a professional photographer and is working on her own photo book.
November 12, 2004 -- The Guardian
Sir Paul McCartney has come up with a radical way to tackle the crisis faced by many an ageing rocker.
"I've decided that all young people should be done away with," the 62-year-old told Pendennis at the opening of Each One Believing, an exhibition of photographs of his latest world tour at Proud Galleries in Camden.
"Anyone under the age of 28. I've had enough of them," the former mop top snorted. Heather Mills McCartney is 36.
November 12, 2004 -- NME.com
Robbie Williams, Madonna, U2 and Queen were among the stars who turned up to be inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame at a glittering ceremony in east London last night (November 11).One act had been chosen by TV viewers of a Channel 4 program to represent each decade since the 1950s.
The '90s were represented by Robbie Williams, the '80s by Michael Jackson, the '70s by Queen, the '60s by The Rolling Stones and the '50s by Cliff Richard.
U2 frontman Bono and Madonna were at the ceremony at the Hackney Empire to pick up honorary awards, which were also awarded to The Beatles, Bob Marley and Elvis
Presley.Madonna was presented with her award by artist Tracey Emin Actress Gwyneth Paltrow and designer Stella McCartney put together a video tribute to the 46-year-old performer which saw them wear some of her most famous outfits, reports the BBC.
Paltrow wore a gold conical bodice and had her hair scooped to the top of her head, while McCartney donned a raspberry pink dress.
The pair sat on a bed with bare-chested men perched at the end, with Paltrow saying: "She's made it okay to be sexual as a woman."
Madonna said, "It means a lot to me that so many nice things have been said about me and that I have been voted into the UK Hall of Fame."
Bono was there to pick up U2's award from Dennis Hopper, while Elvis Presley's ex-wife Priscilla picked up his gong. Queen pair Brian May and Roger Taylor were presented with their award by the band's number one fan The Darkness's Justin Hawkins.
Also on hand to accept awards were Bob Marley's widow Rita and The Rolling Stones's Ronnie Wood. Ironically, although they were the nomination for the 60s, Wood didn't join the band until 1975."
MORE
November 12, 2004 -- Sky News/AOLNews
Gwyn & Stella's Video Show
Madonna has been inducted into the first UK Music Hall Of Fame - and received a hilarious message from close pals Stella McCartney and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Hollywood actress Gwyneth and designer Stella put together a video tribute to the Material Girl by wearing some of her outlandish outfits.
Gwyneth Paltrow modeled a gold conical bodice and scooped her hair to the top of her head, while Stella McCartney sported a raspberry pink " Like a Virgin" dress all in a filmed tribute to honoree Madonna.
Sitting on a bed framed with bare-chested men and McCartney at her side, Paltrow, 32, said, "She's made it okay to be sexual as a woman."
Meanwhile, McCartney said her pal " doesn't compromise that's why she's had such staying power." The designer also said about the get-up, "And you look a lot better in this than we do."Madge gasped as they appeared on a big screen at London's Hackney Empire.
Wearing a Remembrance Day poppy, Madge gushed, "If someone had told me while I was a little girl growing up in mid-west America that one day I'd be married to a Brit, living in England and inducted into the UK Hall Of Fame, I would have said: `b******s to that'."
November 11, 2004 -- The Mirror
STELLA IS MAD FOR ITAnd there we were thinking that Stella McCartney and Gwyneth Paltrow didn't have a funny bone in their bodies.
But the pair are set to honour pal Madonna at tonight's launch of the UK Hall Of Fame in Hackney, East London, by doing a parody of one her gigs and dressing up as her.
A source says: "Gwyneth and Stella wear outrageous Madonna costumes. It's a scream."
The show will feature a performance by Robbie Williams who will pick up a gong for Artist of the 90s.
November 11, 2004 -- Popbitch.com
TV's Hall of Fame program is secretly filming a gig at the Hackney Empire, featuring the likes of U2, David Bowie, Paul McCartney and Ringo, Robbie Williams and Elton "Lillian Lollipop" John. The organisers are also in frantic negotiations to get Michael Jackson to turn up, though there are problems with him being allowed to leave the US. Madonna is said to be miffed that so far she hasn't been invited.
If you can't penetrate the Empire's security cordon, the after-party is being held at the Ocean over the road.
November 11, 2004 -- Seattle Post
A 'sense of wonder' keeps Paul McCartney goingThere were times when he was onstage alone, doing those tribute songs to late wife Linda or to his departed bandmates, John Lennon and George Harrison, and Paul McCartney would teeter on the edge of losing all control of his own emotions, as he had feared before the 2002-03 world tour began.
"I remember certain occasions when I was dangerously close to losing it," McCartney said from London in a one-on-one telephone interview with the Post-Intelligencer. "The song to John was liable to set me off, since I'm talking about someone you love and someone you lost and baring your self in front of all those people in the audience, some of whom I couldn't help but zone in on. And I'd be thinking 'Jesus Christ, this woman or that man, and it was worse with a man, is weeping and I'm doing this to them.' If you're human at all, you can't help but go all to bloody hell. So I'd tell myself I've got to hold it ...
"But I made a decision before the tour: If I'm doing 'Something' for George or 'My Love' for Linda or 'Here Today' for John, then this might happen. I could have yanked those numbers, but I just made a decision to not be ashamed by tears now. At 18, a man crying onstage, I would have thought 'Jesus!' But not now."
Many things were different with that memorable McCartney world tour. The knighted musician was traveling with a new band, young players little known to each other, and McCartney was energized by their enthusiasm and their talent. And long gone were those Wings prohibitions about playing Beatles songs, lest that McCartney-led ensemble seem a Fab Four cover band.
Now McCartney felt at ease with performing songs from throughout his remarkable career and the tour set list grew to a staggering 36 tunes that consumed 2 1/2 hours onstage, to the great delight of both fans and critics. The tour's segments may have been called "Back in the U.S. 2002" and "Back in the World 2003" but the entire odyssey probably should have been called the "All You Need Is Love Tour," given the unbridled outpouring of sentiment and affection.
"In Mexico City, the crowd was so loud and so loving, it was like they were shouting vibrations onto the stage," McCartney remembered. "I was trying to sing, "You say yes, I say no,' and I was like Sally Field blubbering, 'You love me, you really love me!' That staggering emotion was coming off the crowd and it was all descending on me, one little person standing there onstage. It was like being submerged in their love ions."
The positive vibe continued this past summer when McCartney and the band resumed touring in Europe. They likely will continue late next year in the United States, where venues are being scouted. No formal announcement is expected soon on the next American tour, but McCartney stressed that he is "keen on doing it."
McCartney's enthusiasms were much on display during the upbeat interview. Questions about his work and that of the Beatles prompted expansive comments from the 62-year-old luminary. And his wit, that cheekiness so familiar since the Beatles' first tour of America in 1964, also was in evidence.
"You will certainly be remembered for 'Yesterday,' " McCartney was told, "but what song do you yourself want to be remembered for?"
" 'Why Don't We Do It in the Road!' " he responded without pause. "I keep waiting for 2,000 other artists to cover that song, but it never seems to happen. Maybe some Icelandic group will finally do their version, 'Why Don't We Do it in the Fjord!' "
"But 'Yesterday' (the most recorded song of all time) will always be a magical thing for me, since I woke up from a dream with that song in my head. Personally, I think I have written better songs -- 'Here, There and Everywhere' is well-constructed. And I wouldn't be ashamed to be remembered for 'Yesterday' or 'Hey, Jude' or "Let It Be.' I'm just lucky that there is some of my stuff that people remember and like. I mean, how lucky is that? I do have to sort of pinch myself that I was the guy who wrote 'Yesterday' and I was a guy who was one of only four Beatles."
McCartney was always seen as the cheery Beatle, the cute Beatle, the one who just might be all right for a sister to meet. That image stuck despite a few bumps on the long and winding road: McCartney's 1970 solo album and his comments then that the Beatles were no more, followed that same year by the lawsuit against his bandmates that signaled the group's demise; the 1980 discovery of a smidgen of marijuana in his suitcase during a trip to Japan and his jailing for nine days that he later described as "hell."
The Beatles remained archetypes long after they stopped playing together on "Let It Be," their last public performance on the rooftop of Apple headquarters glimpsed mostly by a few startled gawkers on the sidewalk. George Harrison was the mystical one, Ringo Starr was the madcap one, John Lennon was the serious arty one, the recognized leader later elevated to something approaching sainthood after his murder in 1980.
Lennon and McCartney created most of the Beatles' songs, sometimes together, often not, their collaboration resulting in the widespread belief that Lennon's hard-rocker edge served as a crucial counterweight to McCartney's sweet melodies. The persistent simplification of the Beatles' group dynamics rankles McCartney to this day.
"The thing is we were all a mixture," he emphasized. "I have a harder side, John had a softer side. I wrote 'Helter, Skelter' and that's harder than people think I wrote. John wrote 'Good Night,' which is so sentimental that people would not think John would do that, but he had a beautiful sentimental side, too.
"We were all infected by each other. We were not one-dimensional. People often minimize the influence of George and Ringo, inferring that George just stood there with a pick waiting for a solo and Ringo did nothing but drum. That's just wrong; they had a massive influence. We were a great democracy, the Beatles; that was one of the sources of our troubles, but also one of our great blessings."
McCartney seems to have led a charmed life in comparison to the other three Beatles, with the steadiest family life, the most successful solo career, the most sustained visibility and fame, the readiest affection in the hearts of millions of fans. He considers himself to be "very lucky" in many ways, including how his enthusiasm for performing remains undiminished after more than 3,000 gigs through concerts at such dazzling sites as Red Square in Moscow and the Coliseum in Rome that are captured in a new book (see sidebar).
But McCartney has hardly skated through life unscathed. He is only too familiar with personal loss -- his mother died from breast cancer when he was just 14; fellow Beatles were cut down by gunfire and cancer, forever dooming any chance of a long-anticipated Beatles' reunion; his beloved wife, Linda, also his partner onstage with Wings, died from breast cancer after nearly 30 years of marriage in which they had been apart only a handful of nights.
"The thing that teaches me," McCartney related, "is to enjoy things as they happen. I look at something like our tour -- I look out at all those people and I wonder where they have driven from to come hear us -- and that sort of thing is uplifting to me. That is what is rewarding to me. My sense of wonder keeps me going."
McCartney emerged from a year of mourning after the loss of his wife and later began a relationship with Heather Mills, 26 years younger, a stunning former model who had lost half of one leg in a motorcycle accident and went on to become a tireless campaigner for other amputees and against the use of land mines around the globe. The couple married in 2003 and had their first child, Beatrice, a year ago.
McCartney's two decades of activism on behalf of vegetarianism and the ethical treatment of animals, shared with Linda McCartney, has now been supplemented by activism on behalf of a worldwide ban on the use of land mines, shared with Heather Mills McCartney. Concert appearances where he appears in T-shirts emblazoned with "No More Land Mines" are just one aspect of his activism for that cause, which also includes benefits, philanthropy and using his celebrity to lobby world leaders.
Those entreaties have fallen on the deaf ears of President George W. Bush, who continues to oppose the United States' approval of the international land mines treaty, much to McCartney's dismay. The activist says the campaign against land mines is "a long haul, a slow haul, but we've made amazing progress," and he continues to believe that the Bush administration's opposition to the land-mine ban only worsens America's standing in the world.
"Lord knows where Mr. Bush thinks he's going," McCartney stressed. "This is the pity now about the perception of America; I always say there are lots of cool Americans, but the perception is that Mr. Bush is acting like a big bully in the playground who does not care who he hits.
"I've written to him about land mines and asked why don't you do something, this is a really cool cause. The military knows that they do not need land mines anymore; it's a cowardly device, with mainly children and women who get blown up. It's terrible for the survivors: kids are playing ball someplace and then, boom, they've lost arms and legs. It's just very cowardly. So if America would take a lead, it would mean that a lot could be done. China won't approve the ban if America won't. It could make Mr. Bush look much better around the world. So we keep writing to him -- and we won't quit."
Land mines are just one of the dangers of this 21st-century world afflicted by terrorism, famine, genocide and war. Heightened fears and security have altered daily lives everywhere, butMcCartney continues to appear in vast outdoor venues where security is problematic and in public, too, more than two decades after the murder of Lennon by a crazed fan outside his apartment complex in New York City.
McCartney, a global celebrity with few equals, insists that he never fears for his life.
"I don't, I must say," he related, "although that is probably surprising. Some people worry about setting foot on the street, but to me, I always think, 'Oh yes, I'll be fine.' Perhaps I should have more concern, but I'm very lucky and I've always been that kind of person -- as a kid in Liverpool, I'd get on a bus by myself and ride to the end and get enjoyment out of being new places.
"I do know there are a lot of celebrities who have overriding concerns about their security and wouldn't go to the supermarket without a bodyguard. But Heather and I go to the movies all the time in London and people are always surprised to see us without bodyguards. I just decided a long time ago: When it's your turn to go, there's not much you can do about it."
McCartney's attitude toward his security mirrors his attitude toward his celebrity. He can reflect over four decades in the klieg-light glare, can look all the way back to an unknown mop top from Liverpool who was so hungry for recognition and fame, never expecting that his struggling musician dreams would be exceeded a million times over.
He is a grandfather now, just 19 months short of truthfully singing "When I'm 64," but he can readily recall those smoky dives in Liverpool and Hamburg where that striving, left-handed lad wielded a cheap Hofner bass.
"I'd tell him, 'Relax, kid,' " McCartney said. "... Don't make so much of fame. Take it with a grain of salt. Don't believe your own legends. Maintain some humility."
November 10, 2004 -- Ananova
McCartney ready to reactivate When I'm 64Sir Paul McCartney says he may perform The Beatles' classic When I'm 64 on his next tour.
McCartney, who will turn 64 on June 18, 2006, hasn't performed the song onstage before, but admits the getting time is near when it might be ready to "reactivate" the track which originally appeared on 1967's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.
He told America's National Public Radio, "It's getting dangerously close I must say. If I still have the urge and the energy and the desire to be on tour then, I think that might be the year that I reactivate that song.
"Funny story with that was that I was talking to some lady and she said 'You know I play piano in an old person's home and I hope you will forgive me, but I play When I'm 64,' and I said, 'Oh, that's great, that's lovely, it's a great tribute.'
"And, she said, 'But, I hope you will forgive me because I have to change the lyrics because 64 is very young for these people. I have to do When I'm 84.'"
McCartney wrote When I'm 64 with its lyrics about spending summers in the Isle of Wight "if it's not too dear" with grandchildren "Vera, Chuck and Dave" while he was dating British actress Jane Asher.
November 10, 2004 -- Ananova
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da voted worst songThe Beatles' 1968 song Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da has been voted the worst song ever in an online poll.
The track was on the band's White Album - which is often regarded as one of the best albums ever made reports BBC online.
It was rated as being worse than former footballer Paul Gascoigne's Fog On The Tyne in a Mars survey of 1,000 people.
In third place was Meat Loaf's 1993 hit I'll Do Anything For Love, while 5ive, Cliff Richard, Vanilla Ice and Steps were also in the top 10.
Three of the songs on the list are sung by footballers, including the 1987 song Diamond Lights by Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle.
Liverpool's Anfield Rap, featuring John Barnes, also makes the top 10.
Ian Edwards, lecturer at the Academy of Contemporary Music, said, "Admit it or not, most of these are songs that we liked when they first came out.
"That is the nature of pop music as a part of fashion. Songs are popular at the time, but times change and often this results in embarrassing additions to your record collections. It is interesting to note that they were nearly all hits."
November 10, 2004 -- PRESS RELEASE
RARE BEATLES PERFORMANCE FOOTAGE TO AIR FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 40 YEARS ON U.S. TELEVISION ON THE 32ND ANNUAL "AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS," NOVEMBER 14 ON ABC-TVOn November 15th, 1964, for the first and last time on U.S. television, a TV special entitled "Around The Beatles" aired on ABC-TV. One day short of exactly 40 years later, some of this rare performance footage will be seen on the 32nd annual "American Music Awards" airing on ABC-TV, Sunday, November 14. Introducing the footage will be ex-Beatles drummer Ringo Starr.
The Beatles first entered the American record charts in January of 1964 with "I Want To Hold Your Hand," which reached #1 and stayed in that lofty position for seven weeks. It was followed by "She Loves You," which shot to the top of the charts and remained there for two weeks. Performance footage of these two songs from the "Around The Beatles" UK special will be seen for the first time on U.S. TV in 40 years on the "American Music Awards," courtesy of EMI Music. On November 16th, Capitol Records' first 4 Beatles' U.S. albums will be released on CD for the first time ever, and these songs will be featured in the special 4-CD set.
Dick Clark, Executive Producer of the "American Music Awards" noted, "Just over 40 years ago, the Beatles changed the landscape of contemporary music in the United States. We are thrilled to have been given permission to air these two historical performances on this year's show."
November 10, 2004 -- Adopt-A-Minefield
Heather Mills McCartney and Phil Collins were honored with the inaugural "Children In Need" UNESCO Award at the organization's annual benefit gala in Dusseldorf, Germany Saturday, November 6.
Humanitarian charity campaigner Heather Mills McCartney was honored with the inaugural UNESCO CHILDREN IN NEED AWARD in recognition of her commitment to the struggle against landmines. Music legend Phil Collins also received the award in recognition of his work for his "Little Dreams" Foundation.
The awards were presented at an International Charity Gala Dinner hosted by UNESCO Special Ambassador Ute-Henriette Ohoven.
Most recently Heather Mills McCartney's charity work has been particularly focused on the Adopt-A-Minefield campaign to clear landmines and help landmine survivors. About a third of those who suffer landmine explosions are children. Heather is the founding patron of Adopt-A-Minefield UK, and ambassador for the global campaign. Adopt-A-Minefield has raised over £6.5 million ($11.8 million) to date, funding clearance of 18 million square metres of mined land and benefiting more than 400,000 people. Through her work, AAM is now the largest funder of landmine clearance in the world.
The UNESCO Children in Need Award was created by Lorenzo Quinn, son of the late actor Anthony Quinn. He personally presented the awards together with Dr Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, the German Federal Minister for Development. The award is given to people who work in the fields of humanity, tolerance and peace.
1,400 VIP guests from around the world working in every field attended this high profile event including Linda Evangelista, Vivienne Westwood, Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu and top model Bibi Russell from Bangladesh. Lisa Stansfield, Kool & the Gang, Prima Donna Assoluta Montserrat Cabelle and the young Israeli singer Liel all performed at the Gala, together with children from Israel and Palestine, a symbol for peace and tolerance in the Middle East and the world.
The Education for Children in Need program is entirely funded from private donations. Since 1992 Ute-Henriette Ohoven has helped raise some 25 million Euros for this programme, which directly supports some 207 projects in 75 countries, helping hundreds of thousands of children and adolescents. Vocational training, schools, food, shelters and diverse projects help to rescue the most vulnerable street children, victims of wars and disasters, sick and disabled youngsters from a miserable life and early death, and also give them the chance to help themselves.
190 independent nations are members of UNESCO. Their pledge is to actively pursue a policy for peace, respect for human rights and tolerance, independent of origin, language, culture, race or religion.
Heather Mills McCartney comments, "I am thrilled to have been given this award; I am a great admirer of UNESCO and the wonderful work the Education for Children in Need program does to help vulnerable children. We can all work together to help Adopt-A-Minefield in their struggle to rid the world of landmines by visiting http://www.landmines.org.uk even the smallest donation can make a difference."
November 8, 2004 -- PaulMcCartney.com
"Liverpool Oratorio" released on DVD!!
"Liverpool Oratorio" was Paul McCartney's first full-length work of classical music. It was first released on VHS and the double-CD album topped the classical charts in both the UK and the USA.
The Oratorio received its world premiere in Liverpool Cathedral in 1991 and this momentous event was both recorded and filmed by EMI Classics. Now available for the first time on DVD, this new version includes a particular highlight as Paul performs "In Liverpool," a song which has never previously been released.
The oratorio was co-written with conductor Carl Davis over two years, and Davis directs this performance joined by soloists Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Jerry Hadley, Willard White and Sally Burgess alongside The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir and the Liverpool Cathedral Choristers.
The work is written in eight movements and celebrates Paul's home town. Initially following Paul's childhood through the character 'Shanty' the text is chronological, opening with 'War' which describes the birth of a new life during a World War II air raid.
Subsequent movements are devoted to life within School, growing-up, a wedding, work and the oratorio finally concludes on a note of hope as Shanty and his wife sing a hymn to God, family life and peace.
The DVD now features 5.1 surround sound and the live recording of Liverpool Oratorio is coupled with the documentary "Ghosts of the Past," which provides an insight into the making of the work. This was broadcast by the BBC shortly after the release of the audio recording which is still available on CD.
Additional footage entitled "Echoes," features Paul taking a nostalgic visit around his old school which is now the Liverpool Institute of the Performing Arts.
November 8, 2004 -- Daily Mail
Will you still need me when I'm 62? Er, no Sir PaulSir Paul McCartney was dealt a humiliating snub last night when the man behind the new Band Aid single suggested he was too old to sing on it.
Sir Paul, 62, revealed last week that he had been invited to play bass on the latest version of "Do They Know It's Christmas," but said he was keen to sing on it too.
"If they want me to sing on it, if there is a spot for me, I'll do it," he said. "I have absolutely no intention of letting younger artists take over this time around."
But, in what will be an embarrassment to Sir Paul, organizer Midge Ure has said the former Beatle is unlikely to be asked to sing on the track because he is too old.
The former Ultravox frontman, who is 51, said, "Paul McCartney is reputedly going to play bass but I don't think he's going to turn up because he realizes it's all about the new kids on the block. He came on as the penultimate act at Live Aid so he's got every right to do it. But the emphasis is on youth. The only person we're talking about having back is (U2 singer) Bono because I'm not sure anyone could sing the line the way he sang it."
The song - first released in 1984 - will be rerecorded next Sunday at a studio (Air Studios) in Hampstead, North London, with contributions from many top acts including Robbie Williams, Dido and Jamelia.
Gordon Brown yesterday gave the project a boost when he announced that the Treasury would refund the VAT paid on purchases of the single and the Live Aid DVD.
The Chancellor's concession is likely to free up an estimated extra £4 million ($7.3 million) for charity.
November 8, 2004 -- BBC News
Sir Paul vies for festival award
Scissor Sisters, rapper 50 Cent and Sir Paul McCartney will compete in the first awards ceremony to honor UK music festival stars and organizers.Set up by music site Virtual Festivals, all 12 winners will be decided by online public vote from 15 November.
Sir Paul's Glastonbury appearance has been shortlisted in the "best live moment of the summer" category.
He competes with 50 Cent's hasty exit at Reading and Scissor Sister Jake Shears losing his T in the Park kilt.
"Well over two million music fans attend festivals in the UK alone every year, so the Festival Awards gives these people an opportunity to recognize and reward those artists and organizers who made the summer one to remember," a Virtual Festivals spokesman said.
November 7, 2004 -- The Mirror
HELP! A CHAIN REACTION AS PAUL BLOCKS THE BOGTalk about taking the pee... guests at Sir Paul McCartney's party had to ask permission to use the loo.
Hundreds of partygoers were hopping mad at the launch of an exhibition of pics from Macca's 2003 world tour on Thursday.
Staff at London's Proud gallery ushered guests into a back room so they wouldn't disturb the 62-year-old ex-Beatle as he and wife Heather Mills toured the show. But after a while desperate guests pleaded with stewards to leave.
One guest said, "We were stuck there an hour. Grown men had to beg to use the toilet. They didn't want Paul to be disturbed. There was almost a riot."
November 6, 2004 -- Times Online
Let him be
For four decades, Paul McCartney's fame has been marked by his portrayal as the relentlessly chirpy, cheeky one. But today, Alan Franks meets a very different man: proud, defiant, and raw with love and loss.He's not at all as you might have expected. He just happens to live in a world which still likes to see him as the cherubic one with the sweet voice and a guitar the wrong way round. He was, and never quite stopped being, the Beatle who was every mother's nomination for son-in-law (John too snarly, George not eating properly, and Ringo... please). The reality of him is sharp, restless, wary, defended, sardonic and, after everything that's happened to him these past few years, a little scuffed. In another age, the one which he and his universal music helped to end, you might even have used that hideous adjective "chippy", but this would have said more about you than him.
As if to rub in time's utter indifference to everything we hold dear, Sir Paul McCartney is now 62. To put it more tellingly, he is barely 18 months off The Age which he and Lennon created in that confoundedly catchy song about getting older. Far from contemplating a cottage holiday in the Isle of Wight, "if it's not too dear", he is drawing breath between two of the most enormous international rock tours ever seen. As for the hair, he's not losing it at all. Earlier this year, Uppercuts salon in Brighton, from which he was seen emerging apparently less grey than he went in, declared it a very fine head. Pension arrangements? Depends what you read, but the figure that keeps coming up in relation to his fortune is £1 billion ($1.8 billion).
I meet him at the Ocean Way studio on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, where he has come to work on a new album. It doesn't look much on the outside, but it's where a lot of the most celebrated musicians feel at home. Their photos and their high-selling albums line the corridors: Stones, Joe Cocker, Barry White, Michael Bolton, Bon Jovi, going back to Nat King Cole, one of McCartney's heroes, and to a young Paul of about half his present years. Seeping from one of the studios is the unmistakable sound of his voice, true and plangent, still able to sing the Beatles numbers in their original keys. Waiting for him to break, I get chatting with John Hammel, his personal assistant for 30 years. I remember him from nearly 20 years ago, when I'd interviewed McCartney at an odd little studio in Eastbourne, not far from where he lived with his first wife Linda and their children. John answers all my questions with "you'd better ask him that yourself", or "Paul will be able to answer that one". Then, in the silence, he adds that "a fish gets caught when its mouth is open".
McCartney appears in the doorway, casual and humming. He looks me up and down in a flash and then suddenly we're going up some narrow stairs and crouching our way through a sort of attic lined with cubby holes full of old studio components. He fingers them approvingly as we pass. Next, we're out on the roof, with no railings and a nasty little drop, sitting at a table under a big parasol. I want to say something about the Beatles' rooftop concert back in 1969, and how the police broke it up, but just then a cop car roars down Sunset with everything going. He stretches an arm out across the view. I'm surprised by his approval of it because it is an endless plain of low roofs like ours, all squared off and gridded by serious highways. Right at the back of all this is the sign saying Hollywood, and the faint trace of hills. No trees, no parks, no people. Think how Penny Lane, that fantastic little English place-hymn, just teemed.
I ask him if there is any truth in the rumour that he and his wife Heather are planning to settle in America. He rolls his eyes and goes into a long lament about the way rumours like this circulate and pick up strength until they acquire the status of a received truth, no matter how forcefully they are denied. He gives the sobering example of how his first wife was continually referred to as "the photography heiress Linda Eastman", when there was in fact no connection between her family and that of George Eastman, the founder of Eastman Kodak. There's plenty more where this came from, and some of it pretty angry. So I ask about late fatherhood. Has he found it difficult? Does he enjoy it? Would he like another baby?
"It's been great fun for me," he replies with enthusiasm. "I love it. She [Beatrice] is a delicious little baby. But I don't really want to talk about that. I want to give her the choice of a private life. If we were talking just as guys, I'd go on talking about her endlessly. But with the newspapers, no matter who it is, Heather and I have a rule that we don't really talk about it. But yeah, it's great. She's great."
And he's coping with it all OK? "It's fine. I love it. I just love it." To the last question, about another baby, he replies very firmly: "I don't want to answer that." Nor does he choose to talk about his life with Heather, let alone about the stress that re-marriage can impose on the existing family, as well as on the couple themselves. However, much later in the conversation, he comes back to the subject and mounts a heartfelt defence of his wife, passionate in its content and defiant in its tone.
In the course of his 2002/3 tour, McCartney played live to more than two million people at 90 packed concerts, from Madison Square Garden in New York to Red Square in Moscow. Now a book of that regal progress, Each One Believing, has been published, with photos by Bill Bernstein, a New York photographer whose 15-year association with the former Beatle secured him access to the offstage life of the tour. The result is relentlessly fizzy, professional and upbeat, just like the image of the man at the heart of the account. Here is Macca sharing a quiet moment with Heather in the sumptuous dressing room; Macca learning how to say "hi guys" to his Russian fans. "I was with Putin this afternoon; he invited me and Heather to the Kremlin. I was telling him I like to speak to the crowd"; Vladimir taking his seat at the Red Square gig, flanked by archetypal heavies; Macca in one of the band's private huddles before performing; Macca with guys who would love to consider themselves members of his peer group, if such a thing existed: Sting, Geldof, Stallone, Cage (Nicolas, not John), Spacey, Clinton (Bill). Some are openly delighted to be sharing a frame with the legend, others are still trying to wrestle humility into their smile as the shutter clicks.
The gallery goes on: Jay Leno, James Taylor, Ozzy Osbourne and Sir George Martin, the former Beatles producer and, some would say, fifth member of the band in the Abbey Road studio days. He is the only one whom McCartney seems overjoyed to see. Sir George - just like Sir Paul, and like Putin's companions, and like the expressions of almost tragic devotion on the girls' faces - seems unchanged. Tall, grey, decent, sober, the ultimate liberal uncle. Riffle through the book and the whole tour, the whole world that it encapsulates, becomes strangely glazed by a similar immutability. And the poses: Paul emerging from somewhere giving yet another thumbs-up or a victory V-sign; Paul and the guys doing some routine that makes him look as though he is levitating, always with the wide-eyed and winsome look which somehow kept innocence alive in an era apparently embarrassed by it. Words like looning, larking and goofing come to mind; postwar words of a Carry On England kind. Glance through the set lists and you find up to 23 Beatles numbers, two-thirds of the material. This is a heritage tour, never mind that many of the fans were not born when the songs were made. It is the very same heritage that so extraordinarily upstaged monarchy itself at the Queen's jubilee concert.
Now think of some of the Beatles songs that emerged between Love Me Do and Let It Be. Think of how they fused every kind of vernacular music from Liverpool/Irish folk, through the dance-hall jazz of the kind played by McCartney's father Jim, to the R 'n 'B arriving in boatloads from the States. Add to this the plain genius of the Lennon/McCartney collaboration - up there with Schubert, said Leonard Bernstein - and you come a little closer to explaining how the songs and their original singers became and remain monumental. The phenomenon brings problems, and McCartney knows this better than anyone. Though he makes the point that he became even bigger after the Beatles, "into another league of very famous", it would be hard to claim that his songs with Wings, or subsequently, reached the same heights as his work alone and with Lennon in the Sixties. His harshest critics say there's been hardly anything of note these past three decades, never mind that, in 1977, Mull of Kintyre became the best-selling single of all time in Britain, in the process winning its composer an Ivor Novello Award.
I wonder whether it is harder to write good pop songs when you are no longer young, and I ask him how he approaches the process these days. He replies "same as ever", and says repeatedly that he hates to analyse these things, much prefers to allow the presence of mystery. Almost at once he starts talking about Lennon. "I wrote Yesterday without John and he wrote Imagine without me, so we were very lucky that when the break-up came we weren't totally reliant on each other. We'd written a lot of stuff individually. But I miss him a lot, and any time you could bring him back I'd be grateful, so that I could sit him down and get him to sort out some of the problems with my songs. But, knowing that's not possible, I miss him, yeah, as you would miss any great collaborator. And he was the greatest. He and I, for each other, were it. Maybe that thing about both of our mothers having died gave us some kind of solidity. And we liked each other, we could take the piss out of each other, it worked on a million levels."
He says what he has said before, that he would have liked the Beatles to have gone on for longer. His face becomes ruminative, like I've never seen in the photos these past 40 years. He sighs and continues: "The way I look at it is, I'm a great optimist, but I do recognise that nobody gets out of this one alive. And so it's just very, very sad to think that these people won't be coming through that door again. You know, John, George, Linda, mum and dad. It's a hopelessly sad fact that we all have to live with. It's the nature of the beast, the nature of what we are all in. I've known that for an awfully long time. I remember saying to my dad, 'Will you die? Will I die?' As a kid, you do. It's very final, very horrible. I'd like everyone to go on for ever, but none of us is going to, and so you grieve. I just cry when I have to. It strikes me at odd moments. Sometimes, on stage, I'm singing the song I wrote for John [Here Today], and I just find myself going... [he makes a gasping noise], and not being able to handle it. If I'm doing a lot of emotional songs, I think, what if I blub, what if I start to lose it?"
The greatest loss of all has been Linda, who died six years ago of breast cancer. They had married in 1969, had three children, and had been virtually inseparable. As well as his wife, she had been a member of Wings, albeit much derided by the music press. As with John and George, so with Linda: you grieve, you get on with it, you count your blessings, which are considerable, and you lean on your music, which never lets you down. "When I was a teenager in Liverpool, no one expressed their grief. You just had to put your head down and carry on. You didn't talk to a psychiatrist because there weren't any. Today, I just think what an amazingly lucky person I am to have found Heather."
It was the year after Linda's death that he met the former model Heather Mills, whom he then married in 2002. Once more, hostility surrounded his choice of partner. There was reportedly a family crisis, with his eldest (sic) daughter, the fashion designer Stella, said to be at loggerheads both with her father and his intended bride of 34. The couple met at a charity awards dinner. "I just liked the look of her, same as had happened when I saw Linda. I was just physically attracted. Then we got together and found we had so much in common. And I was thinking, what if I hadn't seen her?"
They married in the small village of Glaslough in County Monahan, with an inevitably starry list of guests, and strangers travelling from as far as Zurich to line the narrow lanes and cheer. "The more we go on, the more we realise how lucky the pair of us are. But that's what I find all the time. My mum dies, and I find John. Linda dies, and I find Heather."
Jim McCartney also remarried after bringing up Paul and his younger brother Mike. The boys' mother, Mary, had also died of breast cancer. His second wife had been widowed and already had a five-year-old daughter. This girl, Ruth, is now 42 and, unbeknown to Paul, lives in California. By comparison with his father, who remarried eight years after being widowed, Paul's getting together with Heather was swift. And even though his own children were grown up, it must have caused some difficulties for everyone.
Paul nods ruefully and says: "I think these things are part and parcel. It can be difficult, you know. For them [the children], for Heather, for all of us. But, you know, luckily these things clear up. Time is a great healer. These things have healed - amazingly. I'd prefer not to go on about any difficulties. I like much more the fact that we get over these things, that people grow, and they get used to stuff and get through things. So we are doing very well as a family." At several points in this conversation, I find myself thinking how much nicer it would be if we were, in his words, just guys, rather than me being press and him being what he is.
Impossible, of course, with me asking what I think are legitimate questions about how he copes with the raw and ragged bits of life familiar to the ordinary and unfamous, and him guarding his privacy with the ferocity of a man who knows what it is like to lose it. So it's ironic. Someone like me would never have the chance to spend time with someone like him without the licence of belonging to the press. Yet it is that very belonging that blocks off certain avenues of discussion.From what I've heard two of his friends say, he is great company, witty and generous. If he doesn't much like the press, and he doesn't, it is surely in part because he dislikes the thought of losing control of his image. And yes, that image is definitely at odds with the man. I'd go further and say it doesn't really do him justice. At one point, when we are talking about the (false) rumour of him moving to America, he floats the following fantasy with me: "You and I have to write something for this bare page today. Look, it could be a lot of fun. How about... Stevie Wonder is moving to London to be near Paul, and the neighbours are up in arms. OK? That will run. Or else... Madonna has asked Paul to write the music for her new children's book. I could do better than that if I spent half an hour on it. But no, for the 50th time, I am not dead [a reference to the 1969 rumour that Paul had died and it was a stand-in on the Abbey Road cover], and no, we are not moving to America."
The posh papers (his word again) are not exempted. He goes into plummy-voice to imitate the reader of one such paper - not this one - learning that McCartney is to relocate. Perhaps it is my turn to be paranoid when I say there is a hint of aggression in it. But why has there been so much ill feeling towards his wives? And not just from the press. That would not be accurate. As he says: "Linda got a lot of flak when we married, and Heather has had similar types of experiences... I don't know why. Look, I was due to marry Jane [Asher]. The public appeared to like that." True enough. Jane came from an impeccably middle-class professional family. Because of their address and the girls' hair colour, they were known as the Carrotts of Wimpole Street. Paul lived there for a while, and the couple were a classier Posh and Becks of the Sixties. And so much more wholesome than Mick and Marianne. "She was a nice girl. A British girl. And then I realised that I wasn't in love with her. Which was a slight problem. Then I realised I was in love with Linda, and we got married and had a delicious romance. We met on the cusp of Jane and me breaking up. But number one, she was American. And we didn't like Americans. And she was divorced."
Wallis Simpson Syndrome. "That. And she had a child. These were all reasons for not liking someone. But like the Linda thing, it [the Heather thing] is clearing. People are realising who Heather is. We were at a stop-the-mines benefit the other evening. The simple perception of this was that Princess Diana dies and therefore anyone going into it is trying to be Diana. But Heather had been doing this a long time before. She gave a fantastic speech. She is a very intelligent girl, a very impressive woman. She left school at 13 with virtually no education. She's just written an article for The New Statesman. You should read it. It's in the Labour Party conference issue. A 90-year-old gent I met on holiday said [of the magazine]: 'Oh, that's a formidable book.' This is the side that people don't bother to find out about. She spends her days helping people."
And when people said it was too soon for a new partnership? "I never listened to gossips in the street in Liverpool. 'Ooo, look at 'im wairin' those those tight trowsers. Look at the length of 'er skairt. It's a bloody scandal!' It's just a variation on that."
At the time of this conversation there's a fortnight to go until the presidential election, so I ask him who he's rooting for. Kerry is the answer. "I've got the Bushisms book. 'Most of our imports are from overseas.' From a president, I'm not so sure this is good." Ever since Give Ireland Back to the Irish (banned by the BBC), I've had him down as a naïf. Or call it broad-brush. "Great Britain you are tremendous, And nobody knows like me, But really what are you doin' in the land across the sea?" Can the medium of song change the way that people think and vote? "Well, Give Peace a Chance was something that did make a difference. I remember seeing thousands of people chanting that on the White House lawn... They're not easy to write, those protest songs."
His American contemporary Bob Dylan, an equally durable musician, managed a few in his time. "He's a great guy. Great poet. I run into him every so often. I saw him in an anorak in the corner of some airport lounge. He's so courageous. A guy from his band said, 'Mr Tambourine Man went down well tonight,' so Bob said, 'OK, take it out of the set.' I'm not like that. I'd say keep it in."
Of course he would. This is not a man who got famous by being controversial, even if he was there at the heart of the biggest popular music revolution this country has ever known. The fact is that you could probably have set him down anywhere, any time, and his melodic brilliance would have propelled him to the top. Everyone sensed that in their own way, from George Martin right the way down to toddlers hearing those sounds coming down the hall from their parents' transistor.
John Hammel comes up to call time and we make our way back off the roof. Paul gathers up his lunch box, which had contained the veggie roll made for him by Heather. The box is actually a little blue plastic handbag in the shape of an old Roberts radio, with a photo of the new Mrs Macca occupying the whole of one side. Through the attic with the components, down the steep steps and into the studio. He bashes out a Lady Madonna riff on the Crown Upright, then has a quick go on his famous Hofner violin-shaped bass. He got this one for £30 ($55) more than 40 years ago because he couldn't afford £100 ($183) for a Fender solid. You wouldn't dare put a price on it now. Then he picks up his acoustic six-string and starts singing.
I say I must be the smallest audience he has played to since he used to practise in the bathroom, and he nods. His eyes have gone all distant, just like they always did, and instead of hearing just soulfulness in the voice, I find I'm picking up a great weight of downright sadness. It's that something in the throat, that compulsive catch that words, thankfully, can't describe. It's funny to think that, when it was a third as old as it is now, it only had to make itself heard on a stage to be instantly drowned by screaming girls. Even as it idles its way above the chords, with no one else about, it's as distinctive in its own way as Frank Sinatra or Billie Holiday. But oh so mournful.
Before leaving I ask him if the Beatles will ever re-form. I'm hardly the first. These days, sadly, it would only entail one phone call, from Paul to Ringo, or vice-versa. "I would if he asked me," says Paul. There was a time when this would have constituted a scoop. He goes on: "I thought I was going to play with him once, but he got a shoulder thing." The Who do it with just two of the originals. So if Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend were to join Paul and Ringo, you'd have the full line-up of vocals, bass, lead and drums. "Right," says McCartney. "The Whootles." Remember you read it here first.
November 6, 2004 -- The Sun
Watch out ... Beatle's about
Sir Paul McCartney won't be standing for any nonsense from whippersnapper Band Aid 20 stars.The Beatles legend, who played a big part in 1985's Live Aid show, joked last night: "I certainly have no intention of letting younger artists take over this time."
Macca has been lined-up to play bass on "Do They Know It's Christmas?" with the new charity supergroup.
November 5, 2004 -- Beatlefan Bulletin
McCartney confirms Band Aid role
Sir Paul McCartney has confirmed he will appear on the new Band Aid charity single to be recorded later this month. He told BBC Radio One he will play bass guitar on the track but would also be up for singing if asked.
"If they want me to sing on it and there's a spot for me, I'll probably do it," he told presenter Colin Murray.
Busted, Will Young and Ms. Dynamite have also confirmed they will appear on the new version of the 1984 hit "Do They Know It's Christmas?"
Sir Paul said the song's producer, Nigel Godrich, persuaded him to take part. "He just said 'Will you do us a favour and play bass?' and I said 'yes'."
The track will be released on 29 November, with all proceeds going to the Band Aid Trust, which will raise funds for famine in the Darfur region of Sudan.
November 5, 2004 -- Beatles in London.com
Paul at Proud Gallery photo exhibit and book launch
by Richard Porter
Paul got to the gallery at about 7:30 pm. He had done the Adopt-A-Minefield Webcast from MPL and was apparently upset with fans who were hanging out there.
A huge marquee (tent) was built at the back of the Proud Gallery and there must have been 500 people there. Paul spent lots of time in a roped off VIP area, but did mingle with the other guests. However because there were so many people there it was hard to to get near him - as of course everyone there wanted to talk to him.
He looked good, had on a black suit and had longer hair.
Disappointingly, there was no real stucture to the evening - I was hoping Paul might give a speech or something.
Free beer was handed out to most of the guests while free champagne was given to the VIPs. At one point Paul was drinking an orange coloured drink out of a large glass - don't know what that was!
Other VIPs there included: Heather Mills, Mark Hudson, Peter Blake and Bill Bernstein. None of the McCartney children were there.
Paul left from a back exit at around 9:15pm.
November 4, 2004 -- Ireland Online
McCartney launches tour photo exhibition PHOTOSEx-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney tonight launched an exhibition of photographs of his recent world tour.
Dozens of snaps were taken throughout the two-year tour by Sir Paul's photographer, Bill Bernstein.One shows Sir Paul, 62, snatching a kiss with his wife Heather, 36, in a corridor, while another captures the pair cuddling just before the legend goes on stage.
A total of 46 of the pictures in the London exhibition, which opened tonight, also show the singer performing.
Wearing a dark pin-striped suit, Sir Paul and his wife, in jeans and a slinky top, looked at the pictures and chatted to some of their fans about them.
Sir Paul's wife of two years, an anti-landmines campaigner, said: "Paul has known Bill for about 20 years, so it wasn't difficult. I didn't even notice him. They decided to do a book."
The book, featuring the intimate photograph, is called "Each One Believing: On Stage, Off Stage And Back Stage."
Bernstein said: "I got really close to Paul during the two years of the tour. He is one of the most fantastic people I have met in my life. He is dead funny. There are two people: the rock icon and the regular guy." He added: "They were a fun couple to be around. The are both very up. They have a tremendous amount of fun."
The Each One Believing exhibition at the Proud Gallery in Camden, north London ends on November 27.
Prints signed by Sir Paul and the photographer are being sold at the gallery to raise money for the Adopt A Minefield charity
November 4, 2004Paul and Heather hosted the reception tonight at London's Proud Camden Gallery to launch the "Each One Believing" photo exhibit and book.
November 4, 2004 -- Landmine Web Chat Transcript
Heather and Paul McCartney and Steve Sinnott, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers and official Friend of Adopt-A-Minefield did a Webchat on November 4, 2004.
INTERVIEWER: OK WE ARE READY LETS GO
PAUL: Hi welcome to our chat we are looking forward to talking with you today... Heather & Paul
INTERVIEWER: Hi everybody, hi Paul and Heather. Can I really make a difference by only donating 2 Pounds a month? I mean, what happens with the money?
PAUL: Yes Neena every pound makes a difference. It costs about a pound to clear one square metre of minefield and £50 will fit a child out with a prosthetic limb and the training to be able to use it - thanks for your question.
HEATHER: In addition by donating £2 a month this money can be pooled together to make a big difference for many donors to clear a minefield.
INTERVIEWER: How long do you think it will take to rid the world of all landmines?
HEATHER: Hi Michelle - good question - the great news about this question is that it is actually possible to achieve a mine free world - the way to do that is obviously to raise funds, the more funds raised the quicker we will remove the mines already planted especially now that more and more countries are not laying down more landmines due mainly to the Mine Ban Treaty.
PAUL: If the money comes flooding in - maybe we could rid the world of landmines in 0 years - if the money comes in more slowly it could take much longer... it's up to you.
INTERVIEWER: Heather, thousands of civilians are affected by the Landmines every year. What kind of assistance and treatment does a Landmine Survivor need? FROM Danielle Gomes (27), Rio de Janerio, Brazil
HEATHER: Hi Danielle Landmine Survivor Assistance is the most important thing to me as care for an amputee is for life - so if you are lucky it's a lot more than 20 years - even once we reach the reality of a landmine free world, survivors will always need help - the good news is by giving them the independence and helping them to become self sufficient - we can minimise the help need and encourage them to go on and help others - around £50 can get these innocent survivors of the atrocious weapons back on their feet again.
INTERVIEWER: We're raising funds for landmine clearance at Sacred Heart Catholic College in Crosby, Merseyside. We've raised just short of £2000. FROM David Moor head, Head of RE
STEVE: You know this question makes me think of Paul's Liverpool Oratorio. Now i come from Liverpool as does Paul and everytime i hear this line - it makes me shiver "being born where i was born carries with it certain responsibilities" and i think that's exactly right. So i'd say to the teenagers of Merseyside - YOU know what's fair and what's right - and Landmines are the opposite of that. Getting rid of Landmines is absolutely fair and absolutely right and we should all work together to rid the world of this terrible scourge.
PAUL: My old school motto was in Latin but translated it meant 'not for ourselves - but for the whole world were we born' and i think that's an important thing to remember and i'm sure kids at Sacred Heart know this already - thanks for the question and your great donation.
INTERVIEWER: How many people die or get hurt every because of landmines?? FROM Elsa Rut Gylfad, Kopavogur
HEATHER: So Elsa - one person gets killed or maimed by a landmine every 20 mins that's about 18,000 a year - it used to be every 22 mins which made it 24,000. The improvement is based on organisations like AAM working to clear minefield or mine affected countries as quickly as possible and teaching local communities about mine awareness - interestingly enough - your country Iceland has one of the biggest prosthetic manufacturing company's in the world called Ossur and we are trying to work with them and your government to help amputees around the world who have been affected by Landmines.
INTERVIEWER: We are planning on having friends over for a bonfire in our yard this November. We will be serving hot soup, hot chocolate and, of course could beer. What is "The Night of 1000 Dinners" and would our little get together qualify? Love ya, FROM Lorri Hughes, Woodbury, Minnesota, USA
PAUL: Yes Lorri - your little get-together will definitely qualify - we don't mind how people organise these dinners as long as they take part in A Night of 1000 Dinners... the main thing is to have a good time, raise awareness about the Landmine problem and then raise some money to help clear them and to help survivors.
HEATHER: Maybe one of you is a good storyteller and can log on to our website and read up about a young survivor who has been helped with previous funds raised through Night of A 100 Dinners - this way you can motivate your guests by relaying this story around the fire and explaining what a huge difference - people like yourselves are making by giving their time and money contributing to this cause...
PAUL: More info about a Night OF 1000 Dinners and all our work can be found on www.landines.org.uk
INTERVIEWER: Hi Heather, Paul, and Steve! Thank you for all your work to help people and your effort to make more people and governments aware of this important issue. How many areas has Adopt-A-Minefield cleared since it began? Approximately how many landmines have been removed? FROM Tori in Texas
HEATHER: Hi Tori - Adopt A Minefield have cleared over 18,000,000 square metres of land - we don't have a total of how many landmines that is... as it costs nearly the same amount of money, to clear an area filled with mines as it does to clear an area of only a few, the reason being clearance is mainly done by hand for many reasons, and because of this every area has to be checked through inch by inch - so the costs works out the same.
INTERVIEWER: Will there be a No More Landmines Day next year? FROM Isabella, Lisa, Jess, Kate and Anna from St. Pardarn's Primary School, Aberystwyth
PAUL: Hi Isabella, Lisa, Jess, Kate and Anna - yes there will definitely be a No More Landmines day next year and we hope as the years go by - it will get bigger and better with more cool people like yourselves joining in to help us.
HEATHER: In addition to your generosity and continued support over the years to come we hope and pray - that one day No More Landmines Day will no longer be needed.
INTERVIEWER: As a primary school teacher I'd love to get my pupils involved in this campaign how can we help Paul? FROM Daniel Barratt, Hull, United Kingdom
STEVE: I think Paul is going to hand this one over to me. The first thing you can do is get on the Internet and download the free lesson plans the National Union of teachers has worked on with Adopt-A-Minefield at www.landines.org.uk and the thing i think is really important to say is that these lessons are based on real people's stories. Real stories of real kids affected by landmines - who kids in every school and every class will be able to identify with. Stories like the one about Lai, who was playing on the beach when he got blown up - i mean these are real kids. So raise awareness in class and assembly and the second thing and this is really important - is to raise funds.Schools are perfect places for fundraising aren't they? And the thing that's smashing - absolutely smashing about this campaign is that you'll get feedback sent to your school about exactly how the money is used and exactly who has benefitted from your hard work.
PAUL: Hey guys and girls thanks for being with us on this webchat, and mostly thanks for your enthusiasm for the subject and your energetic fund raising efforts to help us with this global problem that we are determined with your help to overcome.
Keep up the good work, keep in touch with us at Adopt-A-Minefield. Adopt-A-Minefield and let us know your progress... Thanks once again... Love from Paul and Heather
November 4, 2004 -- Times Online
Getting personalMary McCartney Donald: I wish I had a flat stomach
Born in London in 1969, the photographer Mary McCartney Donald inherited her passion for photography from her mother, Linda McCartney.
Despite her parentage, McCartney Donald enjoyed a distinctly unstarry upbringing. She became a photo editor for the music-book publisher Omnibus Press and 12 years ago began taking photographs professionally, specialising in portrait and fashion photography.
Her portrait subjects have included Sam Taylor-Wood, Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law and Cherie Blair with baby Leo soon after his birth in 2003. She has also been responsible for many magazine fashion shoots. She is now working on Keep The Faith, a collection of images of rockabilly fans. She lives in London.
What's in your make-up bag?
Dr Hauschka powder; No 7 mascara; Rosebud lip balm and Ren's jojoba body moisturiser.Name your desert-island essentials.
Sun hat, sun dress, iPod, book.Do you have a beauty secret?
Vegetarian eating and lots of sleep.What do you wear on a fat day?
The same as usual, I just don't look in the mirror.How would friends describe your style?
Eclectic.What's the most treasured item in your wardrobe and why?
A primrose-yellow Dior top that belonged to my mum.What do you never leave home without?
My keys and an Olympus camera.Hot date. What do you wear?
A dress and heels.And when you're home alone?
A T-shirt or pyjamas.What do you wear to bed?
My husband.You're the fashion police for the day. what do you ban?
Fur.Has your outfit ever embarrassed you?
Yes, often throughout the years.How old is too old for a micro-mini?
If you wear thick enough tights, then maybe never.If you could live in period of time for its fashion, when would you choose and why?
The Twenties; it was such a stylish and beautiful period, with all those beaded dresses and headpieces and fabulous accessories.What is your most recent purchase?
Superfly black cord trousers and a biker jacket that I bought in Selfridges.What qualities do you most admire in a person?
Friendship and trust.Can you judge a book by its cover?
It would be good if you could, but unfortunately not.What is your greatest extravagance?
Vintage black-and-white prints.What is your guilty pleasure?
Green and Black's chocolate.Any dirty habits?
I don't know if it's dirty but I have a bad habit of interrupting people in mid-sentence.Name a cheap thrill.
A roller coaster.What's the best advice that you've ever been given?
I suppose it's to follow your heart, but sometimes that is the most difficult thing to do.What's your favourite smell?
Lavender.Describe your best holiday.
In New Orleans when dating my husband, who was then my boyfriend.What are you most and least proud of?
Most proud of my kids and least proud, well, let's not go there.What's your idea of pure bliss?
Being in a quiet place of great natural beauty.As whom or what would you like to come back in your next life?
A cat, because they get to sleep all the time.What would you eat for your last supper and with whom, dead or alive, would you most like to share it?
I'd share it with my mum and we'd eat her tomato and rosemary soup, quiche and mixed salad, and ice-cream and chocolate.Yes or no to a nip 'n' tuck?
No, but only because I'm a coward.What part of your body would you change?
I'd have a flatter stomach.What would you like to achieve before you die?
Peace of mind.How would you like to be remembered?
As a great photographer, mother and friend.How good-looking are you on scale of 1-10?
7 on a good day, 4 on a bad one.The Olympus-sponsored Mary McCartney Donald Off Pointe exhibition is at the Royal Opera House until January 1, 2005. To view the photographs and find details of how to win Mary's E1 digital camera, go to www.olympus.co.uk or call 0800 0720070
November 3, 2004 -- The Celebrity CafePaul sighting in Hollywood (date unknown)
We were staying in a Condo near San Diego, but we met some friends at the Hard Rock Cafe at Universal Studios in Hollywood. We needed to get some coffee, so we stopped at Ralph's Market on Laurel Canyon on the way.We were in the check out line behind a guy with a lot of fruit. Well, he had a certain melon that the cashier couldn't identify. This gentleman turned to us and in a clear British accent, asked us if we knew what the name of the melon was.
My wife said to him, "you're buying a piece of fruit that you don't know the name of? Have you ever eaten that kind of melon before?"
He just laughed and said, "call me adventurous."
As we were paying next, I asked the cashier if he thought the man looked familiar. He popped right out with Paul McCartney. That was my thought, too.
As we were leaving, a black Caddy started to drive by us, and the back window rolled down. Paul said to us, "Thanks for the laugh" and drove off.
November 3, 2004 -- The Globe
Sir Paul, with LovePulling up to the Cinnabar studios in Burbank in a bright blue Corvette convertible was none other than Sir Paul McCartney who was there rehearsing for a benefit concert. Taking note of the swarms of people outside, the artist formerly known as the cute Beatle walked up to a few folks and asked what they were working on. When my source told him she was slaving away at CBS Studios, putting up with star trips and typical Hollywood harrassment, Sir Paul invited her into his rehearsal, in which he played piano and Neil Young played guitar.
"Paul McCartney was the coolest guy ever," says my source. "I was thrilled just to say hello to him, but to get to watch him play was absolutely unbelievable."
November 3, 2004 -- The Sun
Sir Paul McCartney for Band Aid
Sir Paul McCartney has added his name to the list of stars playing on the new Band Aid single!As revealed in The Sun, the ex-Beatle won't be singing on the track. Instead he will be playing bass guitar on the re-recording of the 1984 smash 'Do They Know It's Christmas?'
20 years on from his original appearance, U2 front man Bono will be returning to sing on the track. So far he's the only original member to be re-appearing, and is expected to sing his emotionally-charged original line.
The Sun has also confirmed some of the roles the stars will be taking - Chris Martin is taking up piano duties as well as singing, Fran Healy will appear in the guitar section, and Supergrass's Danny Goffey will play drums.
It is claimed that Robbie Williams has already recorded a version of the track, and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich will pick which line will appear on the final version.
Dido will also record an entire version of the track as she's also unable to attend the recording session in London at the end of next week.
Other stars performing on the track are The Darkness, Snow Patrol, Keane, Jamelia and the Sugababes.
The track is a dead-cert to top the charts when it is released on November 29.
November 2, 2004 -- The Mirror
POACHERS HACK OFF STAG HEADPoachers cut off a stag's head to sell as a trophy near a forest owned by Sir Paul McCartney. It was shot on land he shares with the League Against Cruel Sports. Police hunting the killers said the head could fetch up to £600 ($1,100).
Estate manager Paul Tillesley, who found the carcass near Dulverton, Somerset, said, "It was awful. This is a sanctuary and stags come because it's out of the way."
Tom Yandle, of the Devon and Somerset Hunt, said, "This is no way to treat a proud animal."
The League have named part of their land Linda's Wood after Sir Paul's animal-loving wife who died of cancer in 1998.
November 2, 2004 -- ITV
McCartney's mini-book fetches £13,000
A charity auction organized by a lifestyle magazine raised a total of £125,000 ($228,750)last night at Sotheby's in London.Tatler magazine sent 24 miniature books to celebrities from the worlds of arts, sport and politics and asked them to fill the pages with whatever they liked.
Sir Paul McCartney's contribution, the handwritten lyrics to "Hey Jude," fetched £13,000 ($23,790). Tatler substituted the leather-bound book with a special acrylic-bound version for the vegetarian former Beatle.
November 1, 2004 -- Press Release
Adopt-A-Minefield successes to date:400,000 people have directly benefitted from your donations.
£6.5 million ($11 million) have been raised - funding clearance of over 18 million square metres (54 million square feet) of land in 126 villages in 7 of the world's most landmine-affected countries.
No More Landmines Day
November 4th is No More Landmines Day - schools across the UK, in almost every county, are taking part in one of the fastest growing Citizenship in Schools events of the year. The Adopt-A-Minefield schools campaign is run with the National Union of Teachers (NUT). For more info click the link at http://www.landmines.org.uk
In support of this event Paul and Heather McCartney will be taking part in a live webchat with Steve Sinnott the General Secretary of the NUT. For more info about the webchat visit http://www.landmines.org.uk/334
Christmas sale - in the Adopt-A-Minefield Shop
We've reduced our prices this Christmas to help you get the Adopt-A-Minefield message out there. New products include juggling balls, posters of Paul and Heather in No More Landmines t-shirts, and the film "A Quiet Earth" which was featured at the L.A. Benefit Gala this year.
Also for a limited period only we're offering one free Adopt-A-Minefield (white, small logo) t-shirt with every other t-shirt order we receive - while stocks last... so hurry! Visit the shop at http://www.landmines.org.uk/product_catalogue.asp
Why not an Adopt-A-Minefield gift voucher for a friend or relative this year. Details at http://www.landmines.org.uk/59
Bonfire Night of 1000 DinnersNight of 1000 Dinners is changing...
This year - why not make your bonfire celebrations a Night of 1000 Dinners event?
As you know Night of 1000 Dinners is on or around the 4th November...
...but from then on we will be proudly running the 1000 Dinners campaign throughout the year which means you can host your meal anytime you wish. You could even do one every week!! ;-)
Register your dinner with Adopt-A-Minefield at www.1000dinners.com.For more info, click the link at http://www.landmines.org.uk
December 2004
December 31, 2004 -- Macca Report Exclusive
Paul and Heather held a huge party for all their Liverpool relatives at their Wirral home on Merseyside tonight.
December 31, 2004 -- The Bulletin
Although he only graduated from high school five years ago, then spent two years studying at Paul McCartney's Liverpool Institute of the Performing Arts, rising Texas singer/songscribe Django Walker has already penned a number one tune on the Texas Music Charts, Pat Green and Cory Morrow's duet "Texas On My Mind."
December 31, 2004 -- Female First UK
Sir Paul McCartney can't use cash machines!
Sir Paul McCartney has confessed he doesn't use cash machines because he doesn't know how to. The legendary ex-Beatle admits he never uses the dispensers like ordinary people because he is such a technophobe.Instead, he relies on the staff at his offices to get him any cash he needs while he is out and about.
He said, "I don't use the machines. I'm terrible. I'm so low-tech, it's horrible. I've got an office and I ring them up and say, 'Give me some money.'"
The rocker, who is married to Heather Mills, admits he sometimes even has to borrow money from his personal assistant because he can't use the machines.
December 30, 2004
Macca Report Exclusive!!!
Paul and Heather are said to be organizing a large scale rock concert to raise money for the Tsunami/earthquake victims in southern Asia.
The live concert with multiple acts, will take place early next year and will most likely be shown first on Pay Per View.
December 30, 2004 -- CNN
The oddest items offered on ebay according to a USA Today report
Despite the frenzy it caused over the holidays, the No. 1 search item on eBay in 2004 wasn't "iPod." In fact it was "RV," short for recreational vehicle, a published report said Thursday. For the second year in a row, USA Today asked the online auction behemoth to slice and dice its database of transactions to draw out trends that could help define 2004.
The most disconcerting conclusion drawn from eBay's statistics, the report said, was that people appear to be getting weirder.For example, in 2003, the oddest item sold on eBay was a tissue used by Paul McCartney. In 2004, there was a plethora of strange and often bizarre items on both the seller and the buyer side.
Among them, a 10-year-old grilled cheese sandwich marked by scorches that seem to look like the Virgin Mary, or someone who listed her father's cane along with her father's ghost, the paper said.
Other listings included a piece of gum chewed by Britney Spears that fetched more than $500, the report said.
December 29, 2004Update on the Abbey Road Wall from Richard Porter
Letter from the Westminster Council
Wall of Abbey Road Studios
Thank you for your recent e-mail concerning Abbey Road.
The Council has received numerous complaints from local residents, as it affects the amenity of the area. It is a very large wall and it does become an eyesore.
It has now had a special coating placed on it which was paid for in total by EMI studios, and so the only activity that takes place is the weekly washing down of the wall.
This cleansing project was scheduled for 3 months, and so it will be reviewed at the end of January 2005 at which time we will take note of representations from all parties, including your petition.
Yours Sincerely,
Councilor Alan Bradley
Save a Beatles fan tradition!
There is still time to sign the petition and save the Abbey Road wall and have your voices as Beatles fans heard!
You can sign the petition at:
http://www.petitiononline.com/abbeyrd/petition.html
December 29, 2004 -- AP
The book of superlatives, Guinness World Records, is itself a superlative.According to Guinness, its annual compendium of the shortest and tallest, biggest and smallest, fastest and slowest, and highest and lowest is the bestselling copyrighted book in publishing history. Between the glittering gold-foil covers of the latest large-format version, "Guinness World Records 2005: Special 50th Anniversary Edition," information-seekers and curious browsers will find thousands of records, including hundreds of new ones, in categories that range from politics to pop music, birds to buildings, toys to tennis, and reptiles to religion.
Sir Paul McCartney has the record number of Guinness World Records, at 22 - 16 as a Beatle.
December 28, 2004 -- Daily MailYoko's feud with Paul looks as though it's here to stay.
More than four years after their public row over the song "Yesterday," Sir Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono are still squabbling.
John Lennon's widow has banned Sir Paul from including his best-known ballad on a solo album of love songs because she insists it is by the Beatles.
And he is so unhappy about Yoko's decision that he is considering abandoning the entire project. "He can't believe she is being so petty," said a source close to Sir Paul.
Yoko, 71, has always been accused of breaking up the Beatles by distancing Lennon from his bandmates McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. But the ill-feeling between her and Sir Paul did not break into the open until 2000, ten years after Lennon's murder, when Yoko and the three surviving group members put together the "Beatles 1" album and the "Anthology" DVD and book.
Although "Yesterday" is credited to Lennon/McCartney, it was entirely the work of Sir Paul and he asked for his name to be put first this time.
"I felt that after 30 years this would be a nice gesture and something that might be easy for Yoko to agree with," 62-year-old Sir Paul said at the time. "At first she said yes then she rang back a couple of hours later and reversed her decision."
Two years later, Sir Paul hit back. On his album "Back In The U.S. Live 2002," the credits for all the Beatles songs read "composed by Paul McCartney and John Lennon."
Yoko responded by removing McCartney's credit from "Give Peace A Chance" on the "Lennon Legend" DVD. Even though the song was written by Lennon it had always had McCartney's name on it because it was written when they were still in The Beatles.
The latest installment of the feud involves an album called "Paul McCartney Love Songs," due out early in the New Year.
Although it features mainly music from his post-Beatles days including, "My Love," "Silly Love Songs," "Girlfriend," and "Pipes of Peace," he had hoped to include "Yesterday" because it was a solo effort.
The source close to Sir Paul said last night that the album had been due to come out around Valentine's Day.
"The Apple group - which is now essentially Paul, Ringo, Yoko and George's widow Olivia - has a final decision about what happens with all Beatles music. All of the others were happy to let Paul put 'Yesterday' on the new album but Yoko refused.
"Even though she knows John did not have a hand in writing 'Yesterday' she insisted that as a Beatles song it should not be on a Paul McCartney solo album.
"This situation is becoming more and more petty. And what infuriates Paul the most is that he knows if John were still around there would not be a problem."
A spokesman for Yoko said, "This is a Beatles decision - you to speak to Apple."
A spokesman for Apple was unavailable for comment.
December 28, 2004 -- Contact MusicMcCARTNEY ANGRY WITH ONO'S BEATLES SONG BAN
Sir Paul McCartney is fuming over Yoko Ono's refusal to allow him to include his ballad "Yesterday" on a new solo album.
Ono, the widow of late Beatle John Lennon, insists the classic 60s song was a collaborative effort and has denied McCartney access to the track for upcoming disc "Paul McCartney Love Songs," even though he wrote it.
In order for any Beatles song to be released all four principals in the APPLE group - McCartney, Ono, Ringo Starr and George Harrison's widow Olivia must agree on every detail.
But Ono's decision has reportedly infuriated McCartney, reigniting a similar feud over the song from four years ago.
A source says, "He can't believe she is being so petty. Even though she knows John did not have a hand in writing Yesterday she insisted that as a Beatles song it should not be included on a Paul McCartney solo album.
"The situation is becoming more and more petty. And what infuriates Paul the most is that he knows if John were still around there would not even be a problem."
December 27, 2004 -- Macca Report Exclusive"Love Songs" on hold because of Yoko?
A new gliche may keep the "Paul McCartney Love Songs" album indefinitely on the back burner.
According to a source, Yoko Ono is not giving her permission to use the "Lennon/McCartney" compositions that include "Yesterday," "Here There and Everywhere" and "For No One," because the songs are "Beatles Love Songs" not "Paul McCartney Love Songs."
The album had a tenative release date of February 8, 2005 from Capitol.
December 27, 2004 -- Yahoo UK News
Richard and Judy top of the couples
TV hosts Richard and Judy defeated Paul and Heather McCartney in the celebrity special of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire "- winning £64,000 ($123,289) for charity.Paul and Heather Mills McCartney won £32,000 ($61,645) for Adopt-a-Minefield after sitting on the hotseat.
After appearing on the Christmas Eve show, the former Beatle and his wife reappeared on the Christmas Day program to face the £32,000 question with no lifelines remaining.They failed on the £64,000 question: "B is the symbol for which element?" With a choice of Barium, Bromine, Boron and Bismuth, the couple gambled on Barium, but the correct answer was Boron.
December 26, 2004 -- American PhotoCelebrity photographer Kevin Mazur recalls the first time he met Paul and Linda McCartney in the January/February 2005 issue of American Photo. One of his first professional assignments was to cover a luncheon for Paul and Linda.
"It was a real learning experience. Paul and Linda were the nicest people I'd ever met. I think it was partly because Linda herself was a photographer, and took an active interest in what was going on with the camera. So I walked out of there expecting every celebrity to be as nice as they were..."
December 24, 2004 -- Press Release
Meet the Beatle
Ameriquest Mortgage sponsor of the NFL Super Bowl will be offering a sweepstakes starting on December 27 to win tickets to the Super Bowl and meet Paul McCartney!
One Super Bowl fan will have an opportunity to meet Paul McCartney and attend the game in Jacksonville.McCartney will headline the halftime show. The lucky fan will be escorted by Paula Abdul to a private halftime show rehearsal at which the winner will meet the former Beatle. The fan also will talk football with Detroit Lions coach Steve Mariucci, sit at the game with Hall of Famer Jim Kelly and also join Marcus Allen, another Hall of Famer, in the broadcast booth.
Fans can enter the "Ameriquest Live Like A Legend" contest at www.ameriquest.com before Jan. 18.
December 24, 2004 -- BBC Radio 2Steve Wright of BBC Radio 2 interviewed Ringo Starr on his show Monday, December 20. When asked if he still had a fantastic relationship with Paul, Ringo said, "I still have A relationship with Paul. We don't hang out anymore. He has a new life now and I'm doing my thing..."
December 24, 2004 -- Star Tribune
Inspiring women will talk in seriesFrom rags to riches to royalty, the 2005 Star Tribune Women's Lecture Series has it all.
Now in its ninth year, the lecture series brings to the Twin Cities inspiring women who have made a difference through activism, philosophy and philanthropy.
If ever a youngster seemed destined to fail, it would have been Heather Mills McCartney. Living under a bridge in London after her mother threw her out, she was saved by having the kind of face a camera loves. She was beginning to make a name for herself as a model when she was hit by a police motorcycle and lost her left leg below the knee.
But as McCartney says, "I definitely lost my leg for a reason." As she adjusted to life with a prosthesis, McCartney learned that as people outgrow or get more high-tech artificial limbs, the old ones are thrown away. In October 1994, she delivered prostheses to the former Yugoslavia, and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998 for her work in war-ravaged areas.
Married to former Beatle Paul McCartney, she will speak April 21 on "A Single Step."
Speakers for the 9th annual Star Tribune Women's Lecture Series are:
Feb. 14 - Queen Noor of Jordan
March 9 - Patti LaBelle
April 21- Heather Mills McCartney (7:30 pm)
May 11- Brooke Ellison
May 24 - Jane Seymour
Lectures will be at 7:30 p.m. at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. Tickets will be sold for the entire series only. Prices range from $149 to $269. Tickets may be purchased at the Minnestota Orchestra box office at 11th St. and Marquette Ave. or by calling 612-371-5642 or 1-800-292-4141, ext. 642.
December 23, 2004 -- Contact MusicMcCARTNEY THANKS STAFF WITH A WHITE CHRISTMAS
Festive Sir Paul McCartney has thanked his road crew by throwing a Christmas party for them - and covering the ground with snow.
The former Beatle and his wife Heather Mills held the seasonal bash in a school playground near their home in East Sussex, England.
McCartney arranged for snow machines to provide a white Christmas for all his employees who worked on his '04 Summer Tour.
A source says, "Everyone had a great, great time. The ground was a couple of inches thick with snow."
December 20, 2005 -- The Mail On Sunday
Macca's Bea line for Ireland
Sir Paul McCartney and his wife Heather Mills McCartney have returned to Castle Leslie, where they married two-and-a-half years ago, to have their baby daughter Beatrice blessed in time for her first birthday.
The former Beatle and his 36-year-old spouse booked into the 21,000-acre stately pile in County Monaghan after returning from the States, where the 62-year-old musician has been finishing a new album. They stayed in the Red Room, where they spent their wedding night, and Beatrice Milly, who turned one in October, was blessed in the fairytale church in the castle's grounds.
"Paul and Heather booked in under pseudonyms and seemed very at home," a member of staff said. "Paul was even allowed to wear trainers in the dining room, which is against house rules. He and Heather are clearly very much in love. They only really left their quarters to go to the ceremony."
Perhaps the patter of more tiny feet is not far off?
December 20, 2004 -- Cincinnati Arts Association
Heather Mills McCartney will be a guest lecturer on April 19, 2005 for the Smart Talk Women's Lecture Series
Heather Mills McCartney: A Single Step
Tuesday, April 19, 2005 7:30PMShe didn't seem to have a chance in life. Neglectful parents, a life on the streets, a devastating accident in which she lost part of her leg, a promising modeling career suddenly ended. Despite the odds, Heather Mills McCartney has achieved unparalleled success, becoming a Nobel Prize nominee, a patron of Adopt-A-Minefield and a United Nations Association Goodwill Ambassador. Heather Mills McCartney's amazing story of triumph over adversity will surprise, uplift and reward.
Aronoff Center For The Arts
650 Walnut St.
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Tickets: $150-$300 for new subscribers, $119-$279 for renewals.
call (513) 621-2787; www.cincinnatiarts.org; or Aronoff Center for the ArtsTicket Office, 650 Walnut St.Ticket Office
Phone: (513) 621-2787
ticketing@cincinnatiarts.org
December 19, 2004 -- UK News
Sir Paul McCartney treated diners at a top London restaurant to an impromptu gig this week. He broke into song at Zillis in Soho and belted out Christmas songs.
Owner Aldo Zilli said, "He just walked in, had a glass with us and started singing - everyone joined in."
December 19, 2004 -- News of the WorldSir Paul bows to missus
Sir Paul McCartney and his wife Heather had a festive ding-dong during their charity stint on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" And it was all over the birthplace of civil rights leader Martin Luther King.
Macca was convinced the American was born in Charleston -- his missus was certain it was Atlanta.
But after a heated debate in front of a giggling Chris Tarrant, Heather got her way and won.
A show insider said: "The £16,000 ($30,880) question about Martin Luther King started a jokey row and Chris just sat back laughing as they argued over who was right.
"They were both certain they knew best, but in the end Paul gave in. When she won, Heather started celebrating. I bet she still is."
The "Millionaire" special airs Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and also stars Sir Alex Ferguson and showbiz couple Richard and Judy.
The Maccas managed to raise £32,000 ($61,760) for the Adopt-A-Minefield charity.
December 19, 2004
Update On "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire"
Paul and Heather won £32,000 ($61,760) on the UK version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" for their Adopt-A-Minefield charity. Paul and Heather came on at the second part of the first show and continued on the second show.
Paul lost two lifelines (50/50 and phone a friend) on the £16,000 ($30,880) question: "Where was civil rights leader Martin Luther King born?" He did answer the question correctly at the last second. (answer : Atlanta, Georgia)
The quiz show airs in the UK on ITV1, Christmas Eve at 9 pm GMT with the second show airing on Christmas Day at 5:40 pm GMT and a repeat at 12:25 am December 26.
December 19, 2004 -- Holiday Message from Brian RayHello my dears,
I would like to send each of you big Holiday Hello!
I wish you all the best now and in this New Year.Much love happiness and harmony for you all.
take care,
p.s.
I have expanded my CD to be a full length record...
It'll be ready in February...xoxo,
Brian
December 19, 2004 -- Press Release
Win a signed Paul McCartney Lithograph for £20 ($38)!!!
Canvas UK Ltd. raffles limited edition signed Sir Paul McCartney lithograph print for Adopt-A-Minefield!Canvas is delighted to be hosting a very special new year raffle to win a limited edition signed lithograph print by Sir Paul McCartney along with his and her jewellery by kindly donated by renowned Brighton jeweller Katie Weiner. The lithograph, one of only 100, is of Sir Paul's 'Amnesty' painting others have been sold for up to £2,000. Katie Weiner's collections, which range from delicate rings to striking headpieces, have a custom base throughout the UK as well as New York and Tokyo.
Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills who have a home in Brighton are patrons of Adopt-A-Minefield, Canvas's nominated charity, and have kindly donated the piece.
It costs just £20 to have your name put in the hat! The draw will be held at the end of January.
Just go to www.canvasuk.org
December 17, 2004 -- Yahoo NewsOno! she's at it again
Paul McCartney is reportedly furious that Yoko Ono has removed his name from the credit of the song "Give Peace A Chance" on the DVD, Lennon Legend.
The song - released in 1969 by the Plastic Ono Band - was written by Lennon. But, as he was still in the Beatles at the time, it has always carried the Lennon-McCartney credit.
A year ago McCartney enraged Yoko by changing the familiar Beatles credit Lennon & McCartney to McCartney/Lennon but said he only did it on the songs he wrote alone.
In June, Sir Paul said he would not swop any more credits. And the feud appeared to be over when he, Yoko, Ringo Starr and George Harrison's widow Olivia agreed on a new version of the "Let It Be" album.
Thisislondon.co.uk reports a source close to Sir Paul saying, "He thought they had sorted everything out. He's really angry that she has chosen to do something this petty."
December 17, 2004 -- Adopt-A-Minefield
Who wants to be a Millionaire Christmas Special - Paul & Heather play to win funds to clear landminesChristmas Eve and Christmas Day will see Paul and Heather McCartney pitting their wits against Chris Tarrant's Who Wants to be a Millionaire questions to win funds to clear landmines and help landmine survivors.
Watch it live - or check back on our home page for news about how they get on - http://www.landmines.org.uk
Best wishes,
The Adopt-A-Minefield (UK) team
December 15, 2004
Paul and Heather tape "Millionaire"
Paul and Heather taped "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" today in London. Heather chatted with host Chris Tarrant who asked Paul if ever got a word in edgewise and made a joke of it.
Heather told stories and said that Paul had written a so many songs that he couldn't remember the words to all of them! Paul mentioned that he will be finishing his studio album next year and plans to tour the US later in the year.
The quiz show airs in the UK on ITV1, Christmas Day.
December 15, 2004 -- Tour RumorThe Boston Herald newspaper reported that the Boston Fleet Center was booked for a McCartney 2005 summer show.
December 15, 2004 -- Guitar World Acoustic
Paul is on the cover of the Dec/January '05 Guitar World's "Acoustic Guitar" magazine with a lengthy interview. Here are some excerpts.
Q: Has wearing an acrylic nail made you feel like less of a man?
Paul: I still feel like a man - a full grown man!I use a flatpick on more chordal stuff - it's my own goofball version of fingerpicking. The main drawback to my approach is that because of the way I flick the chords and notes with my finger, it wears my nail down. A couple of years ago, my wife Heather suggested that I put an acrylic nail on. I said 'No, I can't do that!' But I did do it on the last tour and it works like a dream!
Next month I'm going to be in L.A. to do some recording. I'm doing an album that's being produced by Nigel Godrich (Radiohead). But we're not looking to release anything until this time next year.
December 13, 2004 -- Reno Gazette Journal
McCartney vocalizes about Heather, Wings and moreDid you miss out on Paul McCartney's latest concert tour? There's a second chance to take it all in without leaving home. Just in time for the holiday shopping season, McCartney is unveiling an autobiography chronicling his world tour that featured 91 concerts, 36 songs and crowds totaling 2 million.
"Each One Believing: Paul McCartney On Stage, Off Stage and Backstage" (Chronicle Books, $35) provides a revealing look at the 62-year-old music legend. It's full of inside information on McCartney, who touches on everything a music fan could want and more.
Want to know what McCartney eats? What about reuniting Wings, his relationship with his wife Heather, his routine, love of America, relentless work ethic and upbeat attitude?
It's all there, along with the messages/motivation behind his music and a "Tourasaurus" (musical glossary) explaining key terms. Supplemented with hundreds of exclusive photos, "Each One Believing" provides "a record of a very special tour."
"After a tough few years, I feel like I'm back in the land of the living," McCartney writes. "I've had my low points, but now I've got this great band, Heather, and my familyWell, that's the magic of life."
Anyone who's been to a McCartney concert knows he doesn't skimp. Most fans want to hear Beatles songs. But then there's the Wings contingent and fans of his solo career. He tries not to disappoint anyone, noting that he's "lucky to have a lot of songs to choose from."
"I wanted to give the audience what I thought they'd like, because I like that when I go to a show," McCartney writes.
His tour was historic, with stops that included The Colosseum in Rome, where he performed an acoustic-type show so the walls wouldn't crumble, and Red Square in Moscow. Guests there included Russian President Vladimir Putin (who made a surprise visit with a half-dozen KGB agents) and former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.
Promoters expected a crowd of 35,000 but 95,000 showed up.
One Russian newspaper declared, "McCartney storms the Kremlin. He is the victor."
Expect to hear a lot about McCartney in the coming weeks. He's set to highlight one of the biggest stages of all: the 2005 Super Bowl halftime show Feb. 6 in Jacksonville, Fla.
After the dustup over Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" at the 2004 Super Bowl, organizers are counting on McCartney for the nation's highest-rated television event.
"Say what you will about Paul McCartney, but the former Beatle is unlikely to tear his shirt off at public singing engagements," Zap2it.com recently declared. "Perhaps the minimal threat of nipple exposure is a major reason why McCartney has been given the coveted, but recently stained, Super Bowl halftime slot."
In 2002, McCartney performed at Super Bowl XXXVI, the first Super Bowl after 9/11. Echoing a theme of his concert tour account, McCartney told Reuters the 2005 Super Bowl show will have wide audience appeal and bridge several generations of fans. "There's nothing bigger than being asked to perform at the Super Bowl," McCartney said in a statement. "We're looking forward to rocking the millions at home and in the stadium."
December 12, 2004 -- Western Mail
A most curious Christmas DayChristmas 2004 will mark the 90th anniversary of one of the most remarkable truces in modern warfare, when soldiers in the world's bloodiest conflict decided to take a day off from killing in honour of the season.
History and legend both tell us that on Christmas Day 1914, men from German and British trenches joined in spontaneous bouts of carol singing, drinking, and even an impromptu game of football.
And Welsh soldiers played a large part in the celebrations, according to surviving accounts of the day. The truce was in part organised by an officer in the Royal Welch Fusiliers, who enjoyed a gift of German beer in exchange for plum pudding, during the unique and brief lull in a four-year war.
One of the best accounts of a momentous day of peace and goodwill was in fact provided by Captain Clifton Inglis Stockwell of the Royal Welch Fusiliers.
He eventually survived the war and died in December 1953, almost 40 years after the truce he helped make famous.
But on Christmas Eve 1914, he was part of a British Army manning a stretch of the line running south from the infamous Ypres salient for 27 miles to the La Bassee Canal.
Only months beforehand, millions of servicemen, reservists and volunteers from all over the continent had rushed enthusiastically to the banners of war. They were promised that they would be home by Christmas, and some accounts suggest the atmosphere at the start of the war was one of holiday rather than the bloody conflict it became. That changed when armies equipped with repeating rifles, machine guns and a vast array of artillery tore chunks out of each other, and thousands of men perished.
But the incessant shooting and shelling that characterised the Western Front was stopped in some places on December 25 as men ventured freely into No Man's Land.
Capt Stockwell, 35 years old at the time, helped record the astonishing event for posterity when he wrote a passage beginning, "I and my Company have just spent one of the most curious Christmas Days we are ever likely to see.
"The Saxons [Germans] were shouting, 'Don't shoot. We don't want to fight today. We will send you some beer'."
Capt Stockwell then arranged for a one-day ceasefire along his stretch of the front, resulting in a silent night the North Wales regiment would remember throughout the war.
Peter Crocker, curator at the Royal Welch Fusiliers museum at Caernarfon Castle, said the brief peace was indeed remarkable.
"It reflects the fact that generally speaking, soldiers bear little animosity towards the enemy," said Mr Crocker.
"They were in their position because of the failure of politicians.
"I am sure this had happened at other times in other wars but never before had it been so spontaneous, which made it unique."
The camaraderie of Christmas Day 1914 was made possible by the fact that in the trenches, the enemy was sometimes no more than 50 or even 30 yards away.
As Christmas approached the festive mood and the desire for a lull in the fighting increased as parcels packed with goodies from home started to arrive.
And despite orders otherwise, many of the men fraternised with the enemy when Christmas Day arrived.
On January 1, 1915, the London Times reported that the British played a game against the Germans opposite and were beaten 3-2. But the truce could not last, as Capt Stockwell himself realised when he made arrangements with his German equivalent to recommence shooting the following morning.
Award-winning 1980s comedy Blackadder shrewdly commented that both sides advanced more in one Christmas knees-up than during the next two-and-a-half years of war.
But the events of the day have been held up as an ideal of seasonal goodwill ever since, and Paul McCartney's 1982 Christmas number one Pipes of Peace is based on the story.
December 9, 2004 -- New StatesmanDiary - By Heather Mills McCartney
"A dog is for life," the advert proclaims, "not just for Christmas." How about a dog's fur - or even a cat's? Because that is exactly what thousands of Brits will be buying their loved ones this Christmas, and almost none of them will realise. . .
Because of a customs classification loophole, thousands of mislabelled furs are making their way into the UK from China. There our furry friends are kept in refrigerators to thicken their fur, before being pierced with a metal rod and hung up by the neck as the blood drips from their agonised bodies; all this to ensure their pelt is in pristine condition to be worn by some insecure fashion diva who's so unhappy in her own skin that she has to wear a dog's (even though she thinks it's mink, sable, fox or rabbit).
Our western psyche prides itself on its deeply ingrained love of animals. Elvis Presley's song to his old dog Shep continues to reduce people to tears; and generations of children have asked: "How much is that doggy in the window, the one with the waggly tail?" We love tales of the loyal friend saving a drowning child or an injured man, or soothing a heartbroken wife.
Promoting the wearing of fur is just as sick as buying it. Women's magazines editors are all telling us that fur is back in fashion - so they can be held personally responsible for the slaughter of thousands of animals, alongside the hypocritical supermodels Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell, who all promoted the Peta "I'd rather go naked than wear fur" campaign in the early 1990s, only to join the long list of turncoats.
Much of December has sadly been spent discussing with lawyers whether I should sue the Sunday Times Magazine, after it published an extraordinary article libelling me and my charity work. I heard it had called upon the usual suspects as "proof"; but the subsequent fantastic support from friends and colleagues from all stages of my life, who, unprompted, have offered to tell the real story, has been truly overwhelming.
And this month I've discovered a new hobby - my bruised and aching body bears testament to my working hard all week with my wing chun kick-boxing teacher. No, I haven't gone insane. It struck me - after a girlfriend was recently held at knifepoint while her valuables were violently stripped from her body - that a metal leg might well come in handy at full force in the gonads of some unsuspecting, knife-wielding coward. Unfortunately, in practice, I misjudged and decked my instructor!
This month, the Nairobi landmine summit was held, which made us all euphoric. The 23 non-signatory countries, including China, Russia and the US, all attended. That shows huge promise for the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which has gathered 144 state party signatories in just seven years, a huge achievement that few believed possible. It shows what can be done when a group of like-minded people get together and focus on the issue of clearing the world of landmines.
Which leads me back to the waggly tail . . . the one I saw on a loving German shepherd being pulled out of a sack, before he stiffened and cowered, his tail between his legs. I will never forget the horror on his face as he was tied up and skinned alive in front of other terrified dogs whimpering in the corner. These animals are abused purely for our consumption here in the west; only the poorest of the poor eat dog and cat now in China. The US has banned their import, as have some EU countries, so sales have shifted to the UK to make up for lost revenue.
Asian merchants told Humane Society undercover investigators that they would give up the business immediately if there was a ban, rather than risk high-end exports being banned as a punishment. So get your act together, European Commission; while you are dilly-dallying around, your dog or cat may be next in line. Dogs and cats have no voice. We do. They have no choice. We do. Choose not to wear fur and you will contribute towards diminishing the market for which two million innocent dogs and cats are slaughtered every year.
December 7, 2004
Paul McCartney is nominated for a Grammy along with Eric Clapton for "Something" (Concert For George) in the category of "Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals."
The 47th Grammy Awards will be aired live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, February 13 at 8pm - 11:30pm ET on CBS.
December 7, 2004 -- Contact Music
McCARTNEY BOOK HIGH ON "SEX AND SURPRISES"Sir Paul McCartney's former aide is vowing to include explosive sex stories and shocking revelations in his forthcoming biography on the ex-Beatle.
Geoff Baker quit as the "Hey Jude" legend's publicity guru in September, amid reports he'd fallen out with McCartney and his wife Heather Mills.
And now Baker - who was one of McCartney's main confidantes for almost 20 years - is working on a tell-all book, which he hopes will surprise his legions of fans.
He says, "The book is coming along well and there's going to be a few surprises in it for some people. There's a lot of sex involved and a few buried secrets will be unearthed.
"It centers around the world of celebrity and what they get up to in private."
December 6, 2004 -- Daily Record
McCARTNEY "SEX" BOOKPaul McCartney's former publicity guru has promised "lots of sex and surprises" in an explosive new book.
Geoff Baker and the ex-Beatle parted in September after 20 years, after claims that Macca's wife Heather had gone off him.
Now Baker has revealed he's writing a warts-and-all book that will lift the lid on some closely guarded secrets.
At his home in Wiltshire, Baker said, "There are bound to be a few raised eyebrows."
December 5, 2004Watch short home movie clip of Paul and Jane Asher in India from 1968. Click here.
December 4, 2004 -- Music Tap
Capitol puts the delayed "Love Songs" title from Paul McCartney back onto the schedules for February 8, 2005.
December 4, 2004 -- Message from Brian Ray
Hello friends, near and far....I'm basking in the afterglow of an amazing day in the studio. Yesterday, at Eldorado studios in Burbank, I recorded 2 new tracks for my new CD.
With Abe Laboriel and Scott Shriner, from Weezer, we cut a new one which I wrote with Abe on Monday called "Night is Callin'" and a ballad I wrote about a week ago called "Now I Know". The day was fun and fast and we laughed our asses off all day.
"Night" is a fairly ferocious rocker, with Abe exorcising some demons on his vintage Ludwig/Leedy drumkit, and Scott punishing his 1960 Fender bass through an old '70s Ampeg SVT [details for those who care!]. I played my old '57 Goldtop LP through a '59 Fender Bassman and '58 Gibson GA40 amps..It sounded a bit angry[!]... On the ballad I used a 1955 LP Junior which I bought [with Abe] in Lyon, France, in 1998.. The sound engineer, Joe Zook, is so talented, his sounds are... amazing.
Man.. these are the days!
Watch this space, ok?
Take care,
Brian
December 3, 2004 -- Contact Music
McCARTNEY SPREADS THE LOVE TO FANSRock legend Sir Paul McCartney has credited his passionate, loyal fans with firing his enthusiasm for touring.
The former Beatle has been performing for over 40 years and admits he would have given up years ago, if it were not for his fans.
McCartney enthuses, "I love what I do. I love playing music and the intense feedback you get from the audience. Touring is all about the excitement of contact with people.
"If you're lucky, you get some really great moments when you're soaring, singing good and playing good. I've got a clear recollection from the 1989 tour of a tall guy and his daughter in the crowd. He had his arm around her, and the pair of them were crying during 'Let It Be.' You see people moved by what you're doing. And that is thrilling."
December 2, 2004 -- Scotsman.com
Tributes as city A-list bodyguard dies in sleepA Former bodyguard to A-list celebrities including Sir Paul McCartney and Donald Sutherland has died aged 50.
William Finlayson, known as "Big Billy" to his friends, died of a heart attack in his sleep at a friend's Stockbridge home.
The 6 foot 6inch "gentle giant" regularly toured with bands such as Simple Minds and Genesis.
City-born Finlayson made such an impression on Sir Paul that he gave him special responsibility to look after his children when they were young.
He became so close to the family that Sir Paul's wife Linda, a photographer of the stars during the 1960s, even shot pictures of Finlayson. He was invited to Linda's funeral after her death in 1998.
Bruce Findlay, who managed Simple Minds for 12 years said, "It's true, Billy was a gentle giant - because he was so formidable physically, people didn't mess with him. He was invariably pleasant, good to have around."
Finlayson started work as a bouncer in the Capital's clubs, before teaming up with Mark Hamilton, the founder of entertainment security firm Rock Steady.
Hamilton said, "His death has been a real knock to us all. He's one of those guys who has always been around. He was just 50, it doesn't seem that old.
December 2, 2004 -- WENN.com
Paul McCartney Plans 64th Celebration
Rock legend Paul McCartney is considering re-recording Beatles hit "When I'm 64," when he reaches the landmark in 2006. McCartney's only surviving Beatle band mate Ringo Starr resisted the temptation to mark the occasion when he turned 64 in July, but the rocker admits he'd consider "doing something" to celebrate the song he wrote for his father as a teenager and released in 1967 to coincide with his dad Jim's 64th birthday.
He says, "As the date looms ever nearer, I'm not making any particular plans. However, I've got a feeling that I won't be able to get away with it without doing something."
December 1, 2004 -- The Independent
Sir Paul McCartney: You Ask The QuestionsSir Paul McCartney, 62, was born in Allerton, Liverpool. In 1960, he formed The Beatles with John Lennon and George Harrison. They were later joined by Ringo Starr. In 1962, they signed a recording contract and their third single, "From Me to You", went to Number One in April 1963. In 1964, Beatlemania hit the US and the band proceeded to exceed all previous figures for concert attendances and record sales. In 1970, the band split and McCartney went on to form Wings with his wife, Linda, with whom he had three children, the photographer Mary, the designer Stella and the musician James. He lives with his second wife, Heather Mills McCartney, and their daughter, Beatrice.
Q: Will you be re-releasing "When I'm 64" on the occasion of your 64th birthday in June 2006?
Mark Orzechowski, SomersetPaul: As the date looms ever nearer, I'm not making any particular plans. However, I've got a feeling that I won't be able to get away with it without doing something.
Q: When you sing live, do particular songs bring back memories? What song do you find the hardest to sing?
Oliver Simon, Great YarmouthPaul: Yes, there is an element of nostalgia, particularly when I sing the early Beatles stuff, but probably the hardest to sing now is a song I wrote for John called "Here Today", which takes the form of an imaginary conversation with him. Sometimes, on stage, when I'm singing the song, I just find myself not being able to handle it. If I'm doing a lot of emotional songs, I think: "What if I blub? What if I start to lose it?" But these days I'm less embarrassed of showing emotions than I was when I was 18.
Q: Of all the other songwriters you've collaborated with since the break-up of the Beatles, which partnership did you think worked best?
Gareth JonesPaul: Elvis Costello. He and I sat down with two acoustic guitars and threw ideas at each other. When we were happy enough with the result we made a quick demo to capture the feel. It was also a great privilege to work with Stevie Wonder.
Q: In how many languages can you say, "Hello, I'm Paul McCartney"?
Yvonne Eliot, CarlislePaul: With a little coaching, all of them. I like languages. In school I learnt Latin, Spanish and German. On tour I have good translators that I work with. They translate what I want to say to the audience, I write it down and learn it.
In 2003, Putin invited me and Heather to the Kremlin. I was telling him how I like to speak to the crowd, and I said I was going to say "privyet Maskvichi..." He said "Don't say that, say "priv-ee-et ribiata". It means "Hi guys". He said it's much cooler. Talk about how things have changed. For years the Kremlin wouldn't let you sing in Russia, and now they're coming to your gig and they're giving you language lessons on the side. I love it.
Q: After your recent gig in St Petersburg, the director of The Hermitage accused you of damaging the former home of the Tsars. What's the weirdest complaint you've received after a gig?
Susie Pelling, PortsmouthPaul: At a concert in 1977 to save Venice from flooding, one of our trucks was accused of breaking an ancient paving stone in St Mark's Square!
Q: Do you cook? What is your specialty?
Jessie EconomakisPaul: Yeah, I can turn my hand to a bit of cooking and my speciality is probably a fine mashed potato. Tofu is another favourite and quite easy. You just cut it into cubes, stick it in some olive oil in the frying pan with a bit of flavouring... and this is the Paul McCartney cookery show.
Q: Next to the Beatles, of course, who are the greatest rock'n'roll band?
Paul LohsePaul: That's a difficult question. There are a lot of great rock'n'roll bands, among them The Stones, The Who and a thousand others.
Q: What do you do in the last five minutes before you go on stage?
Bill Parkinson, LeedsPaul: While it should be something deep and meaningful, it tends to be goofing around with the band.
Q: When someone asks you "Where is home?" where is the first place that comes into your head?
Stuart Gray, BournemouthPaul: England.
Q: You've played 3,000 gigs. How many do you remember? And what is the best audience you've ever played to?
Olivia Brown, ChichesterPaul: I remember many of the gigs - some bad, some good, some dreadful, some delicious. It's therefore almost impossible to choose a favourite audience, but this year's Glastonbury has to be a strong contender.
Q: What motivates you to go out on the road again?
Christian TaylorPaul: I love what I do. I love playing music and the intense feedback you get from the audience. Touring is all about the excitement of contact with people. If you're lucky you get some really great moments when you're soaring, singing good and playing good. I've got a clear recollection from the 1989 tour of a tall guy and his daughter in the crowd. He had his arm around her, and the pair of them were crying during "Let It Be". You see people moved by what you're doing. And that is thrilling.
Q: The Beatles first toured America in the aftermath of Kennedy's assassination. Three years ago, you toured America after September 11. Were there parallels between the tours? What sense did you get of the mood of America on both occasions?
Naomi Ellen, LondonPaul: Strangely enough, even though we had obviously not planned it that way, there were echoes of the post-Kennedy years when I toured after September 11. In the Sixties, the American audiences seemed to need something to smile about, to reaffirm their belief in the joys of life and this time around it was strangely similar. I was at JFK airport when the September 11 attacks happened. Immediately afterwards, Heather and I felt a deep empathy for the American people and this developed into a concert for New York, which in turn led to my tour of the US. We had a feeling that the audiences needed the healing power of music. I think that's what made the tour so special.
Q: I run a small-scale variety night in Winchester and we're looking for acts. Would you be interested in playing a couple of songs? We can't afford to pay, but we could cover expenses.
Richard Ryan, WinchesterPaul: You wouldn't be the same guy that asked us to play for all the Coca-Cola we could drink, would you?
Q: Was there ever a time when you wanted to give it all up for the quiet life?
Belinda Baxter, PeterboroughPaul: There was a time when I realised that if we didn't stop, we were only going to get more famous, but I also realised that I loved music too much to give it up.
Q: Though you're unlikely to remember, I met you once, when you were on a train to the West Country during the storms in 1987. You and Linda couldn't have been more courteous, patient and kind towards me. You've met so many fans, how are you able to sustain your interest in all of them?
Tim CostonPaul: Nice question, but the truth is that there are a lot of pleasant people out there who it's good to meet, particularly on a train or boat or plane. I've always found that by chatting you nearly always find out something you didn't know.
Q: Do you still believe that there will be an answer?
Sam Bristow, LondonPaul: In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.
December 1, 2004 -- Telegraph
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December 1, 2004 -- Yahoo NewsNewsreader won role over McCartney
Sir Paul McCartney was eclipsed in his school play by newsreader Peter Sissons, according to his school records which have been unveiled.The former Beatle took a minor role in a performance of George Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan at his old school - the Liverpool Institute.
But his schoolfriend Peter Sissons claimed one of the main roles, starring as Richard de Beauchamp, the Earl of Warwick.
The information is contained in a series of public documents which are going on display at Liverpool's Central Library as part of Family History Day.
Further documents reveal McCartney won a special prize for Art at a speech day at the school in 1959 and opted out of religious instruction in May 1956.
Records from Dovedale Primary School show John Lennon was a pupil in 1948 after moving from Mosspits Lane Primary School. His address is listed as 251 Menlove Avenue - now a National Trust tourist attraction.
The exhibition includes baptism records for George Harrison who is listed as 'Georgius Harrison'. He was baptised at Our Lady of Good Help Church in Liverpool in 1943.
Ringo Starr was baptised at St Silas Church in Toxteth in July 1940 under his real name Richard Starkey with his father's profession recorded as a confectioner.
Liverpool City Councillor Warren Bradley, spokesman for leisure and culture, said: "The Beatles documents are just one part of the treasure trove at Liverpool Record Office."
The documents will be on display on Saturday December 4 from 10am-4pm.
December 1, 2004 -- The Independent
In the week the Band Aid single was released, Bill Wyman, who wasn't invited to contribute to the project, is recording a tribute of his own.On Thursday, the former Rolling Stone will be filmed at the Abbey Road Studios, alongside Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney, with whom Wyman is not thought to have collaborated in the past.
In two days, they aim to compile - from scratch - a musical tribute to Scotty Moore, who was Elvis Presley's guitarist.
"There's going to be me, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton and a load of other guitarists all jamming together," explains Wyman. "It's being filmed for television, and also a DVD, the works.
"I'm basically looking forward to sitting down to play with the other guys, and seeing what we come up with. Scotty himself is flying over to take part too."
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