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August 2008

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August 31, 2008 -- Pantagraph Blogs
by Susan Hazlet

Meeting McCartney would have been magical, mysterious

Imagine my surprise when I read in Bill Flick's column in The Pantagraph that former Beatle Paul McCartney toured Route 66 earlier this month.

Could it be true? Could it be that one of my long-adored idols was playing the role of Midwestern Day Tripper? He could've passed me on the road, I thought.

It was past my bedtime, but I was now wide awake as I looked at a photo of McCartney and some fans outside a Springfield gas station. My mouth fell open. There was no maybe. I was amazed. I had to tell my husband.

"You aren't going to believe who was on Route 66 earlier this month," I said, nudging him awake.

"Paul McCartney and his girlfriend, Nancy Shevell," he mumbled. (Oh, I hate it when he knows everything!)

I crawled into bed, but my mind was racing. Just think, Paul McCartney was here!

Isn't it wonderful, I said aloud in the dark, that a great legend like Sir Paul wants to see this great land of ours! He and his girlfriend are driving along the very same roads we drive all the time, in a 1989 Ford Bronco!

"Maybe he took a wrong turn. Maybe he was really looking for Penny Lane or Abbey Road," said my husband. "Or maybe he just wanted to spend some time on a Long and Winding Road."

A Band on the Run, you say?

Just imagine, I continued. They drove right past the Old Log Cabin in Pontiac. What if I had seen him? What would I have done?

Why, it would've been the most thrilling moment of my life.

"THE most thrilling?" asked my husband.

Well, next to marrying you, of course, dear.

For starters, I would've told the man who wrote the songs that changed my life that I know all the words to every Beatle song ever recorded, and I even know his birth date (June 18, 1942). I would've told him I loved him in "A Hard Day's Night" and I spent months my freshman year in high school learning to play "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" on the piano.

I would've said, "Nice to meet you, Nancy" and then secretly thought, I hope you're nicer than his last love interest.

I would NOT have quipped, "Oh, getting your kicks on Route 66, eh? (How many times do you suppose he heard that?)

Perhaps I would have said, "Say, Paul - is it OK if I call you Paul? - if you really want to know about Route 66, I'll introduce you to my dad who lived on Route 66 as a kid. He can tell you stories about counting cars, just for excitement, that drove by.

Then I'd offer to give him a personalized tour of the area. Just to be funny, maybe I'd say, "Baby, You Can Drive My Car." (Well, maybe not.)

"I know all about your life, Paul, (including the fact that you had a sheepdog named Martha) but let me tell you about my history. This is where I'm from, and along this road are some terrific, small American towns.

"You'll find we are genuine people with small-town, traditional values. Chenoa and Towanda have big Fourth of July celebrations every year - too bad you weren't here for that, but I understand you're a busy guy.

"You have a lot of fans, here, Paul. We love you, and there are some things you might love about Central Illinois. I bet you didn't realize the best sweet corn on earth is grown by our local farmers. If you really want to experience Americana at its best, you have got to try this sweet corn. You won't get anything this good in London. No siree."

"Say, I heard you almost got your car towed in Joliet. (Losing your Ticket to Ride, one reporter said.)

"Did you happen to see the Meramec Caverns sign on the side of the barn not too farm from here? Back in the '50s, when everyone was driving out West on Route 66, there were all kinds of advertisements and "Mom and Pop" businesses along the road.

"You'll find lots of interesting places here. I'm so glad you stopped by. And thanks for the personalized autograph that says, 'To my favorite fan in the universe.'"

Yes, if I had met Paul (and Nancy, too), we would've had a grand old time tooling along Route 66. Indeed, it would've been my own personal magical mystery tour.

Sir Paul McCartney has defended the fact that his youngest daughter Beatrice is a vegan.

Sir Paul's daughter with his ex-wife Heather Mills is nearly five and, having a vegetarian father and a vegan mother, is not given meat or diary to eat.

In an interview with Sainsbury's Magazine, Sir Paul said he liked to think of it as "careful" parenting.

"My youngest daughter is vegan, so I'm often looking for vegan food and I need to know if there's any dairy products. I prefer to think of it as caring; it's a good thing, you do it for the right reasons," he said.

Sir Paul, who is relaunching his late wife Linda's vegetarian food range, added that he can get upset if people are dismissive of his views.

"I will talk to people about the advantages of vegetarianism, and it will upset me if we've had a good conversation and then they turn around and say something stupid."

The full interview features in Sainsbury's Magazine, October issue, on sale September 4.

Sir Paul McCartney has criticised Gordon Ramsay - calling the TV chef 'stupid'. Ramsay, 41, has angered the ex-Beatle, 66, with his outspoken comments against vegetarians.

The foul-mouthed chef has annoyed the music legend by saying he could not tolerate it if one of his three daughters came home with a vegetarian boyfriend.

Kitchen Nightmares star Ramsay said recently: 'If one of my daughters' boyfriends turns out to be vegetarian I swear to God I'd never forgive them.'

In another tirade, he said: 'My biggest nightmare would be if the kids ever came up to me and said "Dad, I'm a vegetarian". Then I would sit them on the fence and electrocute them.'

Sir Paul, who has not eaten meat for 30 years, told Sainsbury's Magazine: 'I think it's a case of live and let live.

'I will talk to people about the advantages of vegetarianism, and it will upset me if we've had a good conversation and they turn around and say something stupid.

'I just read a quote from Gordon Ramsay... "If my daughter ever grew up and married a vegetarian, I'd never forgive her."

'But even that I would forgive because it's not my affair, it's not up to me if he talks stupid or not.'

The music legend, whose youngest daughter Beatrice, four, is vegan, said: 'I'd be happier if everyone was vegetarian. The planet would be better off for it.'

He said of the nation's changing eating habits: 'We pretty much used to eat whatever we were provided with, and there were no ingredients on the packet.

'One of the first things I do, like most people now, is to look at the ingredients.

'My youngest daughter is vegan, so I'm often looking for vegan food and I need to know if there's any dairy products... It's a good thing, you do it for the right reasons.'

Sir Paul, who is preparing to relaunch his late wife Linda McCartney's vegetarian range, has penned letters to Prime Minister Gordon Brown about the issue of meat-eating.

He said just before the end of the interview: 'If you do see Gordon... tell him he's a lovely boy.'

In Ramsay's Channel 4 show The F Word, the chef persuaded 50 vegetarians to feast on Janet Street-Porter's recently butchered veal.

In July, outraged animal welfare groups accused Ramsay of employing shock tactics to gain publicity after he was seen on the show killing and eating puffins.

In another outburst against vegetarians, Ramsay told Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole when she appeared on the show: 'Didn't you get the message? Vegetarians aren't welcome here.'

Sir Paul's comments come after Ramsay was toppled by former protege Marcus Wareing from his place as the king of the London restaurant scene.

Petrus - where Wareing is head chef - overtook Ramsay's Chelsea establishment to win the accolade of the capital's finest top-end restaurant yesterday.

Sainsbury's is to launch its new-look customer magazine, Sainsbury's Magazine, with an interview featuring Sir Paul McCartney.

The new-look October issue, on sale from September 3 and published by Seven Squared, will feature a range of new features and a move to a slightly smaller sized format.

Music Icon Set To Rock Israel 43 Years After Ban Historic 'Friendship First' Concert Announced

Hayarkon Park, Tel Aviv, Israel, 25th September 2008

43 years after being banned by the Israeli government, Paul McCartney today announces his 'Friendship First' concert in Israel. Following months of feverish speculation the wait is finally over as music's most revered star announces that he will be playing in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Thursday, September 25, 2008, for the first time ever. This is in keeping with a series of special one-off unique shows that Paul has performed this year in places he has never visited before. Israel will finally get the chance to experience a night of music and history Macca-style; the night they have been waiting decades for.

Paul McCartney holds true the key principals of friendship ­ loyalty and respect ­ and the 'Friendship First' concert is an opportunity for people to celebrate these values whilst having a memorable night of fun and rock n' roll.

Looking ahead to his first trip to Tel Aviv, Paul Said, "I've heard so many great things about Tel Aviv and Israel, but hearing is one thing and experiencing it for yourself is another. We are planning to have a great time and a great evening. We can't wait to get out there and rock."

Paul McCartney has nearly visited Israel on two previous occasions. The first was with The Beatles at the height of Beatlemania in the mid 60s, however at the time because Israel was short of foreign currency the promoter was unable to raise sufficient funds. After applying to a government committee for help the promoter's appeal was declined as it was thought The Beatles might corrupt their youth. Some even believed that artistically The Beatles were not of a high enough standard! The second miss was with Wings in the late 70s, when the shows were cancelled after problems with the venue.

Earlier this year, Israel's ambassador to Britain, Ron Prosor, apologised to The Beatles during a trip to Liverpool for the 'misunderstanding'. In a letter he wrote: "There is no doubt that it was a great missed opportunity to prevent people like you, who shaped the minds of the generation, to come to Israel and perform."

2008 has already seen Paul McCartney play a number of special one off concerts, whilst making international headlines and taking him to places he's never been before. In June he received a hero's welcome as he rocked the city of Liverpool when he played at Anfield Stadium as part of the city's celebrations for the European Capital Of Culture. A couple of weeks later and Paul performed a spectacular free show, the 'Independence Concert', to over 350,000 people in Kiev's Independence Square which was the largest outdoor music event in the history of the Ukraine. July then took Paul to the city of Quebec for yet another huge headline-making event as he performed to 300,000 people in the city's national park, The Plains Of Abraham, to help celebrate Quebec's 400th anniversary. Paul also found the time (only just though!) to join Billy Joel on stage for the 'Last Play At Shea' show in July, marking the last show ever at New York's famous Shea Stadium. The Beatles were the first band to perform at Shea Stadium in 1965, which went down in history as the first ever stadium rock show. Speaking after his appearance at Shea, Paul commented, "It was great to complete the circle, starting there with The Beatles and then finishing this time round with 'Let It Be'."

If you add the attendance figures of the last 3 special shows together, Paul has performed to well over 650,000 people which is the equivalent of filling London's O2 Arena over 36 times.

The episode is often fondly quoted as a relic of a long-lost Israel where the public's innocence needed protecting.

Trouble is, the story might not be true: With Israelis in a tizzy about McCartney's arrival, the official's son is taking the opportunity to try to clear his father's name, calling the tale a "Zionist urban legend."

So pervasive is the story of the concert's cancellation 43 years ago that this year Israel's ambassador in London wrote a letter expressing regret over the matter to surviving members of the band. He told them the country would like to make it up to them: come play during this year's celebrations marking Israel's 60th anniversary.

"Israel missed a chance to learn from the most influential musicians of the decade, and the Beatles missed an opportunity to reach out to one of the most passionate audiences in the world," Ambassador Ron Prosor wrote.

On Wednesday, McCartney confirmed the Sept. 25 concert in Tel Aviv, which had been rumored for days.

In a news release, McCartney acknowledged the brouhaha, saying he is finally coming "43 years after being banned by the Israeli government." He promised to give Israelis "the night they have been waiting decades for."

Even before McCartney announced the show, tickets went on sale at prices ranging from $140 to $430.

The Israeli official blamed for canceling the 1965 concert was Yaakov Sarid, a stern-faced man in horn-rimmed glasses who was the Education Ministry's director.

He is remembered today - to the extent that he is remembered at all - mainly for his alleged role in denying Israeli youth their chance to faint and scream at the Fab Four. Also implicated is David Ben-Gurion, Israel's founding father and prime minister at the time.

Sarid, who died in 1976, was the father of Yossi Sarid, for years an outspoken member of Israel's parliament and currently a newspaper columnist.

The younger Sarid, now 67, claims his father had nothing to do with the decision. He wrote a column - only partially tongue in cheek - for the daily Haaretz this week to call the story "a Zionist urban legend." He has tried to make the point in the past, he said, but the story has become too firmly ensconced to budge.

The real story, Sarid said, involved a more mundane feud between two Israeli concert promoters.

The competition was so bitter that when one of them, Yaakov Uri, was about to bring the Beatles to the Jewish state, the other, Giora Godik, used his official connections to torpedo the government approval his rival needed to get the foreign currency to pay for the gig. Sarid said his father was not involved.

This version of events is supported by Israel's pre-eminent pop music critic and historian, Yoav Kutner, who recounted the details in Haaretz on Monday. "It never happened that way," Kutner said of the oft-told story.

Sarid said his father had never heard of the Beatles - his artistic tastes leaned more toward European Jewish liturgical music - and that Ben-Gurion probably hadn't either.

The false version of events only emerged after his father's death, or "after my father was unable to listen to the Beatles," in Sarid's words.

Sarid said the story was first written in a journalist's anthology about Israeli history and gained traction because of Sarid's own political career. Sarid the son was one of the most liberal members of parliament and an outspoken critic of government censorship, which gave the story the necessary ironic punch.

The story has lived on because - accurate or not - it accurately reflected the times. The 1960s was the heyday of Israel's socialist ideology, which sanctified sacrifice and scorned materialism and Western frivolities. Officially, earnest Hebrew paeans to the beauty of the Land of Israel and to the military were in. "Love Me Do" was out.

Though Sarid wants the record set straight and his father's name cleared, he also finds the story amusing and realizes it has taken on a life of its own.

"It's a nice story, in this case much nicer than the truth," he said.

Stella and kids head for the Med

Rest and relaxation are not really words that feature in Stella McCartney's vocabulary. Since her debut on the fashion scene over a decade ago, Paul McCartney's designer daughter has worked tirelessly to build her business. Yet she's also mum to three small children-- and there are occasions, like this week's visit to an aquarium in Majorca (Spain), when she unwinds with the family.

In her customary style Stella kept the trip low-key, strolling the attraction incognito in a panama hat and Bermuda shorts, while husband Alasdhair Willis carried their 20-month-old daughter Bailey Linda in his arms.

Tickets for Paul McCartney's performance at Hayarkon Park on September 25th went on sale at midnight Tuesday night.

Tickets can be ordered either via telephone a *8584 or on the Web site www.leaan.co.il

According to the producers, the first 200 buyers will receive a special price of NIS 400 ($113) per ticket. The regular price for the general admission tickets will be NIS 490 ($138). A special reserved seating VIP section next to the stage will cost NIS 1,500 ($424) per ticket.

According to the producers, the internet sales site can handle up to 1,000 hits per minute. But as of a few minutes past midnight, the site was inaccessible.

The hours that the telephone ordering number is open are Sunday-Thursday from 9 am to 10 pm, Friday from 9 am to 8 pm and Saturday from noon until 10 pm.

Fearing yet another last-minute cancelation by big-name performer, concert producers not taking chances with the McCartney gig, to transfer payment mere half hour before show begins

The not-so-recent trend of famous performers cancelling their Israeli engagements at the last minute has prompted the organizers of the upcoming Paul McCartney concert to take somewhat unorthodox precautions.

Yedioth Ahronoth has learned that according to the agreement between the two sides, McCartney is expected to receive the payment for his performance a mere half hour before taking the stage.

The sides agreed that McCartney would receive NIS 15 million ($4.3 million) for the concert, but that the money would be deposited in the trust of a New York firm's account and transferred to the singer just 30 minutes before the show.

The show is expected to take place in Israel on September 25.

McCartney's agents, the trust company and the ticket box office were all signatory to the agreement.

An associate said that "the sides decided that the money will initially be deposited in a trust account and will be released a half an hour before the concert in order to insure all sides.

"On the one hand, the singer will be sure that the money is at his disposal and that there won't be a problem with the payment and on the other hand, the organizers in Israel will insure their money in case the singer does not arrive for one reason or another."

Attorney Haim Pitchon from Zeltner, Heilpern and Pitchon Law Offices, who will be representing the producers, brothers Dudu and Boaz Zerzevsky said, "The only thing that has been clear to the producers the entire time, is that Paul McCartney really wants to perform in Israel and that they are involved in a little history.

"This was the most important thing for us and this bridged all the divides."

Yedioth Ahronoth was informed that a VIP ticket will cost NIS 5,000 ($1,440) and will reserve the buyer a seat close to the stage.

Moreover, because of the high demand, tickets for people wanting to stand are expected to be raised to NIS 1000 ($287) and higher.

Why was 1965 Beatles concert in Israel really canceled?

Beatles fans in Israel were on cloud nine Sunday after unofficial reports emerged that former band member Sir Paul McCartney is to perform in the country. "It would be nice to see him in concert in our own backyard," Beatles diehard Yarden Uriel of Givatayim said.

"Despite the high price of the tickets, I plan on going with my wife and daughter in accordance with the saying 'And thou shalt tell thy daughter in that day.'"

Uriel rejected rumors that McCartney's current tour will be his last, and said: "When [Beatles member] George Harrison was still alive he commented that every McCartney tour is said to be his last. This is a public relations stunt aimed at selling tickets. I've seen him five times so far, and I'll certainly go to see him again."

Meanwhile, music aficionado and historian Yoav Kutner on Sunday took the opportunity to dispel the apocryphal story that the Beatles' planned concert in Israel in the early 1960s were canceled because the government was scared that the Fab Four would corrupt the country's youth. "It never happened that way," Kutner explained. "The concert was canceled because of a dispute between music promoters Giora Godik and Yaakov Uri. In 1962, Godik received an offer from the mother of the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein that they come to Israel. But [Godik] preferred to bring singer Cliff Richard, who was much more famous at the time. When Uri bought the rights to hold the concert two years later, Godik was angry that he blew the opportunity and went to the Knesset's Finance Committee to persuade them to bar the promoters from taking out foreign currency."

At the time, expenditures of large amounts of foreign currency in Israel, which would have been used to pay the band, required government approval.

Uriel estimates that the concert would not have been held even if access to foreign currency was approved, because the organizers lacked funds. "It wasn't meant to be," he said.

The truth behind the cancellation of what would have been a historic Beatles performance in Israel was only made public a few years ago in the documentary film "Waiting for Godik," directed by Ari Davidovich.

Uriel also commented on McCartney's friendship and rivalry with band member John Lennon, with whom he co-wrote most of the Beatles songs. Uriel on Sunday criticized the widespread depiction of McCartney in recent years as being the lesser of the two, a notion he says began after Lennon's assassination in 1980. "Lennon died and became a martyr," he said. "McCartney, and I really love that man and his work, will have to pass away before he gets the recognition he deserves as being Lennon's equal."

Kutner said he expected McCartney to play many Beatles songs during the concert. "Not only is this a corrective emotional experience, had the Beatles come here in the early 60s we would not have heard many of these songs that were only written later," Kutner said.

McCartney's publicist, Stuart Bell said, "Nothing's been confirmed."

Former Beatle Paul McCartney could be headed for Tenerife (off the west coast of Africa) to perform in early December.

Sun Live Festival Canaries, the company which brought Elton John to Tenerife in January, are behind the bid to bring one of the biggest names in popular music to the island.

The company say there are still a few contractual issues to be ironed out but say they are confident the concert will go ahead on December 6.

Like the Elton John concert back in January, which attracted some 20,000 fans, McCartney will perform at the Costa Adeje golf course

The concert will be one of just three in a mini-tour during which, the legendary singer-songwriter will announce his retirement from touring.

Buoyed by the relative success of the Elton John concert, the company have also announced plans to bring Eric Clapton to the island in April of next year, boosting the island's music credentials still further.

Now it's official: Paul McCartney coming to Israel

Rock legend, ex-Beatle to perform in Tel Aviv on September 25th

The uncertainty is over: Ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney will perform at Tel Aviv's Hayarkon Park on September 25th. The rock legend's show is expected to be one of the biggest in Israel's history.

McCartney is expected to perform many Beatles songs as well as songs from his illustrious solo career. The producer behind the show is David Zarzevski, who in the past booked prominent performers such as Erika Badu and Lauryn Hill.

Journalists are scheduled to be briefed later this week ahead of the big show. The briefing will include all the details about the concert, including ticket prices and McCartney's schedule in Israel.

As this will be the first time McCartney performs in Israel, he is expected to play a special set that mostly includes well-known hits. Ynet was told that the process of closing the contract vis-à-vis McCartney's managers was one of the most difficult ever for Israeli producers seeking to book an international performer.

The production costs are estimated at several million dollars, but the performance is expected to do more than just break even.

McCartney, 66, is considered one of the most influential musicians in the past 100 years.

Paul McCartney will make a rare appearance on the first episode of Later... With Jools Holland, when it returns to its live slot on September 16.

It's the first time Paul McCartney will have ever played live in his ambient duo The Fireman, with producer Youth

Sir Paul McCartney has denied rumours he is set to wed American heiress Nancy Shevell.

The couple sparked reports they were set to walk down the aisle in April after McCartney, 66, was spotted shopping at top London jewellers S.J. Phillips.

And the pair was subsequently reported to have sought the blessing of their families after their return from a road trip across the U.S. earlier this month.

But a representative for the former Beatle has denied the star is to wed, saying, "It is nonsense to say they are getting married."

McCartney ended his marriage to former glamour model Heather Mills, 40, earlier this year, while Shevell, 47, is still battling to finalize her divorce from U.S. lawyer Bruce Blakeman.

When Sir Paul McCartney hits the road on his world tour later this year, there'll be one very special guest joining him for the ride. The former Beatle has apparently invited his millionairess love Nancy Shevell to join him after the fun they had on their Route 66 road trip through the US earlier this month.

The 66-year-old singer originally planned a boys only tour to celebrate his single status, reports the Daily Express. Since cementing his ten-month-old romance with New York-based Nancy, though, it's all change.

"Paul is excited about going on tour," reveals a pal. "Initially, he wanted to go it alone with just his band and road crew but now he wants Nancy to be with him all the way.

"He says he had the time of his life on the road trip I think it really sealed things for him."

What's a fun way to celebrate your 66th birthday? If you are Sir Paul McCartney, born June 18, 1942, you take your girlfriend Nancy Shevell, 47, on a Route 66 road trip in a 1989 green Ford Bronco.

A little more than a week into that journey, McCartney and Shevell spent the night in Flagstaff and ate at a local restaurant. McCartney and Shevell stayed at the historic Hotel Monte Vista Aug. 10. Hotel representative Laila described the pair as low-key. They didn't want any photographs or special attention. McCartney's '89 Ford Bronco was parked in the hotel's lot overnight.

For dinner that night the pair went to the nearby Thai restaurant Pato. According to waitress Pariyawan "Pam" Yohe they had closed early. McCartney and Shevell arrived about 9. He sat with his back to the door, and they had a leisurely meal.

To show for it, Yohe now has a prized possession: a large card signed by McCartney. It says, "To Pato/Thanks! cheers! Paul McCartney '08."

Farther down Route 66 in Seligman, the folks at Angel Delgadillo's Gift Shop waited for McCartney and Shevell to stop by on Monday or Tuesday but they didn't appear.

The arrival of a new grandchild had cut short the trip. McCartney returned to London to be with his daughter and her new child. The London Daily Mail reported that McCartney and Shevell arrived at Heathrow Airport on Aug. 13, and both were in good spirits.

STARTING POINT: JOLIET, ILL.

Stories on the Internet documented the first part of their Route 66 journey across the country.

They left Paul's holiday home in The Hamptons, N.Y., on July 31. A thousand miles later they were in Joliet, Ill., on Aug. 2. They saw a movie about Route 66 at the Joliet Area Historical Museum, and McCartney signed a vintage Route 66 road sign, "Paul McCartney London, UK."

Later in the afternoon they stopped at a convenience store in Springfield, Ill. C.J. Lowder was there. He described McCartney as wearing a T-shirt and slacks. Shevell was wearing a blue blouse with white Capri pants and big sunglasses. Lowder wondered why they would stop at a Circle K to use the bathroom. He said McCartney seemed to be just a casual guy on a Sunday drive. He posed with Lowder and his friends for a cell phone photo that is on the Internet.

On Aug. 3 they stopped at the C and D Quick Stop in Lebanon, Mo., to ask for directions to Bennet Spring State Park. McCartney and Shevell camped overnight.

By Aug. 5 they reached Oklahoma City. They ate at Nonna's Euro-American Ristorante and Bar. McCartney is a vegetarian and asked if they could make a special order of spinach quiche. The owner didn't recognize Paul. Later he said he had been very busy and almost didn't fill the request.

McCartney and Shevell made it to Amarillo, Texas on Aug. 6. They stayed at the Ambassador Hotel. Beatles fans Lori and Don Dunavin brought their 4-month-old son Jude -- named for the 1968 Beatles hit "Hey Jude" -- to the dining room to meet McCartney. Jude had a big smile when McCartney pulled out his harmonica to play for him.

On Aug. 7 the pair went shopping for antiques in Tucumcari, N.M.

By Aug. 9 they were in Gallup, N.M., where they attended the 87th Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial. McCartney motioned to the announcer that he didn't want to be noticed.

From Gallup, they drove to Flagstaff.

Reportedly they will return to the United States before long but it has not been decided if they'll return to the Mother Road and finish their trip along Historic Route 66.

McCartney is not a stranger to Arizona. For several years he and his first wife, Linda, had a home in Tucson. Linda died of breast cancer at age 56 in that home in 1998.

A solo Paul McCartney sipped a Margarita in a martini glass at The Russian Tea Room Friday afternoon, telling the bartender he's been going there for years.

Macca back to meet 6th grandchild

Sir Paul McCartney cut short his Route 66 road trip after becoming a grandad for the sixth time.

Macca, 66, and millionaire lover Nancy Shevell, 47, flew back to be with his eldest daughter Mary, 38, who has given birth to her third child. (Webmaster's Note: Sam was born on Monday, August 11th)

A source close to Macca said yesterday: "Paul is over the moon and couldn't wait to jump on a plane.

"It's a very personal thing meeting a new grandchild for the first time, but he loves Nancy so much that he wanted her to be there.

"He is only expected to be here a few days to catch up with the family before he flies back to the US with Nancy."

Photographer Mary already has sons Arthur, eight, and Elliot, five, by TV producer ex-husband Alistair Donald.

The new baby is her first with filmmaker lover Simon Aboud, 43.

Sir Paul's daughter, fashion designer Stella, has three kids - Miller, Bailey and Beckett.

Paul McCartney in Branson - Beatles museum, perhaps?

Though he's been spotted this month getting his kicks on a road trip along the original Route 66, fans may be most intrigued by a detour Paul McCartney took to Branson, MO - home to the Yakov Smirnoff comedy show, the Oak Ridge Boys Theater, and possibly, a Beatles museum.

A local source says Macca visited Louise Harrison, the sister of George Harrison and the owner of Branson's Starlite Theater, where Beatles tribute band Liverpool Legends appear regularly.

No word on what the two discussed, but an obvious topic would be the Beatles museum Harrison has long planned to open in the tourist town using her own memorabilia collection. Harrison's partners say the museum might open this fall.

Branson has been trying to upgrade its kitschy image - could a blessing from an actual Beatle be the city's ticket to ride?

When Paul McCartney couldn't shed the pack of paps from joining him and Nancy Shevell on a walk -- Paul figured if you can't beat 'em, just stand there and pose for some pics. That's when Paul made a jolly little English man's day.

There is no hiding the loving smiles between Sir Paul McCartney and girlfriend Nancy Shevell.

Seen arm in arm, the former Beatle and the American heiress happily posed together for the first time as they left Sir Paul's London home today on the way to lunch.

In what seemed to be a pointedly public acknowledgement of their relationship, Sir Paul and his American girlfriend stood side by side to let photographers document their coming out as a couple.

Dressed in a grey suit and white shirt, the 66-year-old cut a dashing figure while Nancy opted for a casual yet elegant look in jeans, scarf and sandals.

The former Beatle took his new flame to Richoux Restaurant, a favourite of his given that he also took ex-wife Heather Mills there.

But there was no bitterness on the menu as Sir Paul and Nancy were clearly enjoying a healthy serving of each other's company.

At one point, Sir Paul appeared to recreate the famous Beatle album cover Abbey Road as he crossed a road with his girlfriend following closely behind.

The happy couple have just returned from a romantic month-long road trip around the U.S., where Sir Paul fulfilled his lifelong dream of travelling along the famous Route 66 highway.

Setting off from the rocker's home in The Hamptons, they headed to New York, before joining the Route 66 in Illinois.

They then followed the highway, which was decommissioned in the mid-1980s, through seven states to Santa Monica pier in Los Angeles.

They made the trip in an old Ford Bronco truck - the vehicle in which they were first spotted kissing.

The couple have been dating since November, but only went public in May.

Sir Paul divorced second wife Heather Mills in March following a very bitter and public court battle.

August 13, 2008 -- Contact Music

McCartney supports anti-litter campaign

Sir Paul McCartney has joined the fight against litter on Britain's beaches - designing his own surfboard to raise funds for the campaign.

The former Beatle is concerned about the state of seaside resorts in his native U.K. and is backing an initiative by Surfers Against Sewage - aiming to clean up beaches around the country.

McCartney has designed an eco-friendly surfboard which will go under the hammer at London auction house Bonhams in October.

Other stars to have joined the campaign include British artists Tracey Emin and Gavin Turk.

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August 13, 2008 -- Daily Mail

All Together Now: Loved-up Paul and Nancy share the burden as they arrive home (Tuesday, August 12)

He may have millions in the bank, but Paul McCartney isn't above carrying his own luggage. And with his smiling girlfriend Nancy Shevell by his side to help share the burden he looked happier than ever as he arrived at Heathrow Airport today.

The heavily loaded couple were returning from a romantic month-long road trip around the U.S.

Shunning luxury hotels and ditching their entourage the no-nonsense pair fulfilled Paul's lifelong dream of travelling the remains of the legendary Route 66 highway.

They made the trip in an old Ford Bronco truck - the vehicle in which they were first spotted kissing.

The former Beatle and his heiress girlfriend set off from the rocker's home in The Hamptons, New York, joining the Route 66 in Illinois. They then followed the route, which was decommissioned in the mid-1980s, through seven states to Santa Monica pier in Los Angeles.

As the pair stopped for a re-fuel in the Illinois state capital of Springfield, Sir Paul was happy to pose with a group of fans for photos.

As Nancy took the photo, a group of young males posed alongside Sir Paul, who gave his girlfriend a thumbs up.

C.J. Lowder, the man wearing sunglasses in the photo, said: 'They looked totally in love. No one could believe it was really him - he was so laid back and ordinary. They seemed a great couple.'

The month-long road trip is believed to be the couple's longest holiday - they previously vacationed together in the Caribbean in April.

Sir Paul and Nancy have been dating since November, but only went public as a couple in May when the singer picked up an honorary doctorate in music from America's prestigious Yale University.

The Beatle divorced second wife Heather Mills in March following a nasty court battle.

Paul McCartney will not be performing in Israel next month as planned, Globes reported yesterday.

The superstar former Beatle was supposed to arrive in Israel for a single performance in late September before a projected crowd of 250,000. Sources close to the no-show show said recently that McCartney's manager was seen scouting a location in one of the large parks in central Israel.

The concert was reportedly slated to take place at Hayarkon Park in Tel Aviv or at Ramat Gan Stadium, and media reports last week said tickets would cost between NIS 600 and an unprecedented NIS 1500.

Producer Dudu Zerzevsky was working on bringing McCartney to Israel, but negotiations apparently reached a stalemate. Zerzevsky declined to comment.

During his journey down Route 66 Paul McCartney is finding out how easy it is to get lost in America.

No one knows that better than our vanquished Native American population.

On Saturday night Paul and his girl friend Nancy Shevell attended the 87th Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial at Red Rock Park, 15 miles east of Route 66 in Gallup, N.M. According to long-time ceremonial announcer Sammy Chioda they blended into the crowd of 6,000 that sat in seats which surround the arena.

There was no VIP seating or special treatment. More than a dozen Native American groups dance at the ceremony where the western horizon is defined by reddish-brown sandstone bluffs of the Red Rocks.

I asked Chioda the same question I am asking everyone on my Route 66 BeatleBlog......

How did you know it was really Paul McCartney?

"I took lyrics from his first and second solo album and quickly incorporated those into what the ceremonial means," Chioda said Tuesday afternoon from Gallup. "I used 'Maybe I'm Amazed' and 'Smile Away' from the 'Ram' album, like '..Maybe you will be amazed or won't be amazed but you will walk away smiling away...' When I said that he looked up at me.

"Then he gave me a thumbs up (which Sir Paul has done in the few photo ops he has granted along the road) and then the finger across the lip, not to say anything. I never said 'We have Paul McCartney in the audience' or anything like that."

There had been a slight buzz in the crowd that McCartney was in attendance. But Chioda didn't believe it until intermission when he spotted him from the announcer's booth with his binoculars. "Nobody was hassling them," said Chioda, 53. "At an event like that and a time like that you're not thinking about the Beatles or Paul McCartney."

McCartney and Shevell made an early exit but not before they ran into Chioda's 60-year-old brother Dario. "He came back into the announcer's booth with this smile on his face," Chioda said. "He got to shake his hand. They talked about things in Tucson, AZ. My brother's daughter lives in Tucson and I guess they've seen him there in the past." McCartney declined Dario's request for a photo and autograph.

Chioda is owner of the new Sammy C.'s Rockin' Sports Pub and Grill, 107 W. Coal Ave. a block off of Route 66 in downtown Gallup. He also promotes rock shows at the historic El Morro Theater in Gallup which might lead us to our next chapter.

"Last night I got a call from the manager of Peter & Gordon," Chioda reported. "We had Peter & Gordon at the El Morro in February. He had read an Associated Press story about Paul stopping here. He knew Paul was very close with Peter Asher (of Peter & Gordon, sister of Jane Asher)."

English actress Asher was one of Paul's earliest gal pals. Although they were engaged, they never married. [And props to Jane Asher for being the only major Beatles associate not to have published her memoirs.] McCartney wrote the hit "A World Without Love' for Peter & Gordon.

"Peter didn't know Paul was in the states," Chioda said. "And Peter & Gordon are performing at the Santa Monica Pier in two weeks. He wanted to make sure this was the real thing. I assured him it was." Route 66 ends at the Pier with a tiny marker honoring what once was known as "The Will Rogers Highway."

Chioda said, "It's amazing how this whole thing evolves."

"He's enjoying a normal road trip. He's driving. imagine that, in a typical American vehicle, in a non-descript vehicle," Shawn McHaun, manager at the Monte Vista Hostel where McCartney stayed.

He's reportedly driving a late 80's green Ford Bronco across the country. McHaun says part of having a normal vacation also meant he didn't have any extreme requests. But, he says the hotel staff went out of their way cater to the former Beatle.

"Many businesses downtown helped provide the things that were requested. Many people came through for this guest and that was very rewarding to see," McHaun said.

McCartney reportedly began Sunday night at Pato Thai Restaurant where he signed an autograph and posed for a picture with the staff. He then reportedly spent his evening as any other Flagstaff visitor, walking around downtown, talking with local musicians and meeting people.

McCartney left Flagstaff around 12:30 Monday afternoon through a back door at the Monte Vista Hotel. He started his trip in Chicago (the trip started in Long Island, New York) headed west to Santa Monica.

Ex-Beatle stops in New Mexico

Former Beatle Paul McCartney and girlfriend Nancy Shevell made a few stops in New Mexico as part of their cross-country tour along famous old U.S. Route 66.

McCartney and Shevell visited an antique shop and a restaurant in Tucumcari on Thursday, art museums and galleries in Santa Fe the next day and then stopped in Gallup on Saturday to take in the dances at the 87th Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial.

Sammy Chioda, an announcer at the ceremonial, and his brother Dario Chioda were in the announcers' booth Saturday night when they learned McCartney was in the audience. Dario Chioda said McCartney gave his brother a thumbs up but motioned that he wanted to keep his visit under wraps.

Dario Chioda said he later shook hands with McCartney and gave him a hug but his request for a photograph of the ex-Beatle was turned down. McCartney told him he shies away from the camera.

After shopping at the antique shop in Tucumcari, McCartney and Shevell got a take-out order from Del's Restaurant.

"He looks pretty good," said Shirley Hancock, a hostess at Del's.

McCartney and Shevell began their journey from his holiday home in The Hamptons, N.Y. on July 31, picking up the old Route 66 in Illinois on a vacation trip that will take them to Santa Monica, Calif.

By David Hoekstra

Paul McCartney's Route 66 Cowboy Room

When I drove down Route 66 in 1991, part of the fun was choosing roadside motels at random. Some of my favorite stops were the Wagon Wheel Inn ($15 a night) in Cuba, Mo. and the funky Oatman Hotel high atop Oatman, AZ--which I've also done as a day trip from Las Vegas.

Of course I'm usually alone so there's no debate about suspicious neon signs.

Apparently this hasn't been the case for Paul McCartney and his girl friend Nancy Shevell as they holiday down Route 66.

They made reservations for Wednesday night's stay at the Ambassador Hotel, 3100 I-40 West in Amarillo, TX. The luxurious 20-year-old hotel is about 10 blocks off of Route 66. "The only request they made is that they are vegetarians," hotel general manager Phyllis Payne told me on Friday...

"We have a diverse menu and a T.G.I.Fridays in the hotel with vegetarian options. We have vegetarian breakfast on our concierge level. They also asked for privacy. We've had many celebrities stay here. Celine Dion. Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton came through when they started dating, doing the Route 66 deal. (Actor) Matthew McConaughey. Route 66 is a fun trip, going back in Americana."

Payne said McCartney and Shevelll stayed in the Presidential Suite, which is themed like a Texas cattle baron. "Everything is leather as if you were a rich rancher," she said. "I think they got a kick out of that." (???!!!)

Get ready for Sir Paul's first hard core country album---you read it here first.

Payne said McCartney parked his '89 Ford Bronco himself outside the hotel. "We did our V.I.P. exit deal and they were off Thursday morning," she said. "We packed a vegetarian lunch for them to eat on the way. A couple of avocado, tomato, onion and lettuce sandwiches. Some organic chips. Fruit. Green tea and water and some peanut brittle. They were extremely gracious. And I love the way he says my name. He called my office to thank us and said (slowly), 'Phyllis, this is Paul,' and I was like, 'Oh man! He was my first crush.

"They had some laundry things that needed to be taken care of and a limited amount of time. We gave them recommendations on things to do in the area. They wanted to go to Cadillac Ranch, which I think they did quickly. At that point the press knew they were on the road---and probably on their tail."

Cadillac Ranch (popularized in song by Bruce Springsteen) is outside of Amarillo. Pop-businessman Stanley Marsh 3 created the "Stonehenge of America" by planting 10 Cadillacs nose down in a field at the same angles as Egypt's Great Pyrmaid. The night I visited, Marsh's vision of the American dream seemed to have a lonely and sterile feel. That was 17 summers ago.

"People can walk out there and put their mark on a car," Payne said. "Who knows, maybe they said 'Paul and Nancy were here.'"

Payne was a lot more accommodating than the Oklahoma City hotel manager I talked to a few days ago.

I told Payne I bet the Route 66 trip was Nancy's idea.

"More power to her," she said. "We should all have more romantic ideas like this."

Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney stopped in Amarillo on Wednesday night as part of a summer vacation traversing historic Route 66 with girlfriend Nancy Shevell.

During the overnight stay at the Ambassador Hotel, the singer-songwriter serenaded one particular fan, a 4-month-old boy named after his 1968 hit - "Hey Jude."

Lori and Don Dunavin, Jude's parents, tracked down McCartney at the hotel Wednesday night, but the 66-year-old took more interest in Jude than the lifelong Beatles fans.

McCartney pulled out a small harmonica from his pocket and played for Jude.

"Jude just kind of smiled at him while he was playing," Don said.

Lori said they were hesitant about naming their child Jude for fear of teasing, but the chance encounter is like a seal of approval.

"Now that this has happened, it doesn't matter if he gets teased," Lori said. "The man himself played the harmonica for him."

The Amarillo stopover didn't exactly lead to Beatlemania, the start of which occurred 44 years ago when McCartney and his bandmates landed at JFK airport in New York. Only a few fans stood on the sidewalk for several hours Thursday morning, kept off Ambassador property by security.

Some sneaked into the parking lot to take pictures of the 1989 green Ford Bronco the pair are traveling in.

The Bronco was decorated by a fan with two messages on the driver-side windows "I (heart) U" and "Beatles Rock." One guard removed the message and took letters admirers left underneath windshield wipers.

The Bronco has some significance, according to one fan. Robert Workman, who showed up with a copy of the Beatles' first album in hopes of an autograph, said it was the first vehicle the couple kissed in. Workman had arrived at the hotel Wednesday night, riding the elevators in hopes of running into McCartney.

"He's just a guy, but he's a special guy," he said.

Ambassador staff were misleading when they said Thursday that McCartney was not a guest. But in acknowledging McCartney stayed at the hotel, General Manager Phyllis Payne said there was no guest listed under McCartney's name, but declined to give the name he used. Payne, who admits McCartney was her first celebrity crush, said the music icon was "gracious."

"Celebrities are not always so kind and generous with service providers," Payne said. "He was very gracious and kind and had the opportunity to interact with a few of our employees. We were honored to serve him."

McCartney did not pause for pictures or interviews when he departed the Ambassador late Thursday morning, but he waved to the small group of fans and media who swarmed his vehicle as he drove away.

According to witnesses, McCartney and Shevell ate dinner at TGIF's at the hotel and stopped at nearby Leal's Mexican Restaurant for margaritas, chips and salsa.

Leal's Manager Chris Shelburne said he didn't recognize the English knight.

"It didn't dawn on me that it was him for a while. I just thought it looked like Paul McCartney," Shelburne said. The couple came to Amarillo after stopping in Oklahoma City on Tuesday and are headed for the end point of Route 66 for westbound travelers, Santa Monica, Calif.

A very special recording session took place in London recently when Yusuf invited Sir Paul McCartney to sing on a new track, entitled 'Boots & Sand'.

The song was written by Yusuf about the "No-Fly List" saga when, together with his daughter, he was refused entry to the USA in 2004.

Drawing on diametric influences from Nashville and Liverpool-rock sounds, Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss and Terry Sylvester also featured on what promises to be a classic.

Stella McCartney orders fur advert dropped

Stella McCartney has ordered a fashion boutique to pull one of its adverts which shows a model wearing lingerie from her collection while draped in a mink coat.

McCartney, who is a strident anti-fur campaigner, was angered after spotting the photograph in fashion bible Vogue.

The ad, by Hockley, shows a model wearing a black lace Stella McCartney bra while clothed in a £6,450 $(12,900) full length mink, black and white coat.

A source close to the designer said: "If Stella knew it was going to be used by Hockley there is no way she would have lent it.

"It was loaned to a stylist in good faith, but when Stella saw the picture she was furious. Stella is disgusted."

Hockley, a London boutique renowned for stocking the world's best fur designers, has apologised for the mistake and promised not to use the advert again.

A spokesman for the fashion house said: "Hockley is aware of Stella McCartney's views and is respectful of them. This was an unfortunate mistake and Hockley would not intentionally make anyone feel uncomfortable."

McCartney, 36, the daughter of ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, is a well known animal rights campaigner and a strict vegetarian.

Previously she has fallen out with her close friend Kate Moss for wearing fur and attacked super-model Naomi Campbell for sporting mink.

Yep, I can reveal The Beatle is well and truly loved up with Nancy Shevell and has even sounded out his daughter Stella about tying the knot.

And this time she's given her blessing-unlike a few years ago when she was thoroughly po-faced about her dad getting hitched to grasping Heather Mills."

What would you say if I asked Nancy to be the next Mrs McCartney?

I'm told: "Paul's utterly enchanted with Nancy and he's already rolling the idea of marriage around in his head.

"He adores everything about her. He thinks she's 'The One' and told Stella as much.

"He said, 'What would you say if I asked Nancy to be the next Mrs McCartney?' And she joked back, 'At least she's financially independent.'

"The whole family thinks Nancy's great-a vast improvement on Paul's last love interest."

That would be Mucca who got £24 million ($48 million) in their divorce. But it looks like it would be a different story if there were to be a third Mrs Macca.

Nancy, 47, is wealthy in her own right and is pushing through her own divorce to US lawyer Bruce Blakeman.

My source added: "Nancy and Bruce have been separated a long time but her relationship with Paul has spurred them on to finally dissolve the marriage.

"They've moved on with their lives and Bruce approves of Paul. It's all amicable."

Macca, 66, and Nancy spent last week cosying up on a US road trip down Route 66.

My source went on: "They've been with each other 24/7-a perfect way to see if they're suitable for marriage. Paul's not about to rush into anything, but he's happier than he's been for years. They've got so much in common. He knows Heather was a mistake, although he loves their little one Bea more than anything, and won't be put off by a bad divorce experience."

All You Need Is Love, eh, Mac.

Nancy and Bruce have known the McCartneys for years and were close friends with Sir Paul and first wife Linda before she died from breast cancer, a disease Nancy has overcome herself.

The source went on: "Nancy and Paul share so much in common. There's a lot of history there ­ big connections that go way back."

The ex-Beatle, 66, was just crouching for the perfect angle as Nancy, 47, posed for a shot on their American road trip along Route 66.

But fans of veggie and anti-fur campaigner Macca may be surprised to hear that he stayed in a leatherclad "ranch room" for one night.

The loved-up pair didn't seem too bothered as they stopped off in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at the weekend.

Macca recently paid out £24 million ($48 million) to ex Heather Mills while Nancy is pushing through her own divorce with US lawyer Bruce Blakeman - so a marriage may well be on the cards within months.

One onlooker said: "They looked really close. There was no security around him or minders. They just looked like two lovers wrapped up in each other's company."

Macca's Long and Winding Road trip began on July 31 from his house in the Hamptons, New York.

As does the interior of the £200-a-night Presidential Suite at the Ambassador in Amarillo, Texas, where the couple stayed for one night. The room is kitted out in leather - something Macca normally hates.

Hotel general manager Phyllis Payne said: "Everything is leather, as if you were a rich rancher. I think they got a kick out of that."

In the past Macca has requested cloth material in his Lexus car instead of the standard leather and no longer buys leather shoes.

A source close to Macca said: "He booked the room himself, but wouldn't have realised that it had so much leather in its interior.

"He would have been a bit miffed, but the whole point of the trip is to travel anonymously so he wouldn't have caused a fuss.

"He can't change how other people decorate a room."

A spokesman for Sir Paul declined to comment on the ranch room's leathery interior so it's probably best if we just let it beef.

After the ordeal he went through with Heather Mills, it is something of a surprise to find Paul McCartney down on one knee in front of another girl.

But while the word is that their relationship is flourishing, for now at least he was merely taking a holiday snap of Nancy Shevell.

The couple were taking a stroll in the popular tourist town of Sante Fe, New Mexico, stopping off there during a month-long road trip across seven US states. Sir Paul, 66, and his 48-year-old heiress girlfriend are fulfilling the star's lifelong dream to travel along Route 66 in an old Ford Bronco truck.

The couple joined the route in Illinois last Saturday and are following it all the way to Santa Monica pier in Los Angeles.

It is understood they have been camping out under the stars rather than heading for the nearest five-star hotel.

Fellow campers said they seemed 'totally in love'.

One added: 'It was incredible to see one of the world's richest musicians going back to basics.

'They didn't seem to have a care in the world.'

The month-long road trip is believed to be the couple's longest holiday - they previously vacationed together in the Caribbean in April.

A source said: 'The road trip was Nancy's idea as a way of them getting to bond and spend time together - just the two of them.'

While Sir Paul may not be about to propose marriage, insiders claim that if the holiday goes well, the couple could move in together.

Paul McCartney and his new girlfriend were seen visiting an antique shop and a getting a take-out order from Del's Restaurant.
"He looks pretty good," said Shirley Hancock, a hostess at Del's.

Yvonne Braziel and Yvette Peacock, the sisters who own Del's echoed those sentiments.

"You can see he has really soft skin," said Yvonne Braziel.

There have been McCartney sightings and news reports this week along the Mother Road as McCartney and girlfriend Nancy Shevell started traveling Route 66.Observers said he's driving a green Ford Bronco, a low-key kind of car that doesn't seem deserving of a British knight.

Before he arrived at Del's, he and Shevell spent about an hour at Things, a Route 66 shop chock full of antiques and collectibles.

"They said they had never seen a store like this," said Ruth Daniel, store owner.

McCartney purchased two 50-cent Duckboys postcards, saying, "I know just who to send these to," Daniel said.

Shevell also purchased some costume jewelry, Daniel said.

"They were very nice," Daniel said.

Although he wouldn't allow her to take picutres, McCartney did take one of Daniel and Shevell together, and one of Shevell together with a old store mannequin who is nicknamed Cheryl, Daniel said.

McCartney probably gets top celebrity as far as guests go at Del's. They have served Brenda Lee, and Morgan Freeman has been in the restaurant three times, Yvonne Braziel said.

While McCartney was there, "We were really busy in every room. I bet a lot of people didn't even know that he was there," Hancock said.

"You never know who's going to come through this little town," Hancock said.

Sir Paul McCartney has shunned expensive hotels in favour of camping.

The 66-year-old musician is currently on a US road trip with girlfriend Nancy Shevell, and the pair decided to spend a night under the stars when they arrived at Bennett Springs State Park in Missouri last weekend.

A fellow camper said: "It was incredible to see one of the world's richest musicians going back to basics.

"They didn't seem to have a care in the world as they laughed and joked with each other."

After spending the night in their tent, the couple further amazed onlookers when they set off on a hike in stifling heat.

A source explained to Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper: "It was nearly 30 degrees but the heat didn't slow them down at all.

"They were like two teenagers on a first date - it was really sweet.

"They were seen tucking into sandwiches. Paul even had a cheeky bottle of stout which he had packed away."

Paul's reps reportedly said he and his new girlfriend, Nancy Shevell, wanted to use the trip as some sort of bonding experience. I started to wonder about what it was like, cooped up in that Bronco, just the two of them.

There's always that inevitable awkward moment of having to break wind. You're in the car for more than a couple of hours at a time and it's gonna happen. And there's no way around your traveling companion knowing that you did it. You're busted once you roll down the window, everyone knows why you're doing it. And you're busted if you let loose and just let the smell overcome your passenger. A no-win situation. How does that help bond with a new girlfriend? But I wonder, do Sir Paul and his socialite girlfriend laugh it off, or ignore it. And what about driving past the hog farms, does she ask him "Was that you?"

And how many pit stops did they make? At 66, Paul is the same age as my dad on the last road trip I took with him. I wonder if Paul's bladder is anything like Dad's, keeping us from driving more than 45 minutes at time, extending an 8 hour trip into 10 hours. That's enough to put a strain on any relationship. And I pictured Paul stopping at Bubba's Gas and Groceries, running in, and asking for the key to a restroom that hasn't been cleaned since the days of Wings.

Yes, clearly I'm thinking about the most juvenile components of hitting the open road, but these mundane forces of nature are about the only common bond I have with one of the most famous people in the world.

Where does a Paul McCartney eat on a road trip? Fine dining is minimal, depending on your view of Cracker Barrel (do they have a vegetarian selection?) Did he treat Nancy to nice breakfast at the Waffle House? Or did they pack a nice tofu picnic to enjoy at one of Illinois fine rest areas?

And all the great traveling movies came to mind, thinking of Paul as Clark Griswald in "Vacation," making a wrong turn into a rough neighborhood in St. Louis. Or falling asleep at the wheel as John Candy did in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," ending up on the wrong side of the highway, as other drivers shouted "you're going the wrong way!" and him saying "how do they know where we're going?" Maybe Paul and Nancy picked up Neil Patrick Harris like in "Harold and Kumar..."

And finally, why a Ford Bronco? That thing probably gets less than 10 mpg? Not that he has to worry about gas prices, but doesn't the gas guzzling contradict his environmental consciousness?

One thing I know for sure, if Paul made this trip with Heather Mills, the lyrics "He blew his mind out in a car" would have been an unfortunate reality. And we would be left with Ringo.

Former Beatle Paul McCartney and girlfriend Nancy Shevell made Oklahoma City 1 of their stops on a cross-country tour along famous old U.S. Route 66.

They spent the night Tuesday at the downtown Skirvin Hilton Hotel and dined at Nonna's Euro-American Ristorante and Bar in the Bricktown entertainment district.

The hotel's management would not confirm or deny hosting the two but a restaurant chef talked about the dinner fixed for the couple.

John Burruss says he recalls they had regular salads homegrown tomatoes and McCartney wanted a slice of avocado on top and hazelnut vinaigrette was on top of that.

They also had tomato soup and spinach quiche.

The couple arrived at the eatery around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday and spent about two hours there.

Of course it was a couple of years late, since the former Beatle is now 66, and happens to be taking a cross-country tour of the U.S. on Route 66, doing it up right behind the wheel of a classic 1989 Ford Bronco with his girlfriend, Nancy Shevell, 48, at his side.

On Tuesday the couple made Oklahoma City one of several stops along the iconic "Mother Road," reportedly staying overnight at the downtownSkirvin Hilton Hotel and dining at Nonna's Euro-American Ristorante and Bar in Bricktown.

Although the hotel's management would not confirm or deny having hosted the famous pair due to privacy policies, one of the restaurant's chefs said a Skirvin staff member called ahead to announce the couple's impending arrival.

"Let's see, I think we made him one of our regular salads with our fresh field greens that we grow at Cedar Spring Farms, our homegrown tomatoes and he wanted a slice of avocado on top and we put a hazelnut vinaigrette on top of that," said John Burruss, catering and banquet manager at Nonna's. "We have a signature tomato soup we make with those same tomatoes we grow. Then they had spinach quiche, which isn't on the menu but they requested."

The couple arrived at the eatery around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday and spent about two hours there. McCartney was dressed in a dark sharkskin suit and Shevell was wearing a modest, dark strap dress.

"They were staying at the Skirvin," Burruss said. "The Skirvin called, asked us what we could do for a vegetarian and we told them several different things, and they called back and said they wanted a quiche. At first we weren't going to do it. We had about 14 functions that day and I was standing around and I said, 'Well, I'll make a quiche.' And then it turns out it was a good thing I did."

McCartney and Shevell began their journey from his holiday home in The Hamptons, N.Y. on July 31, picking up Route 66 in Illinois on a vacation trip that will take them all the way to Santa Monica, Calif.

Burruss said the couple was allowed to dine without interruption from restaurant patrons.

"I was shocked about how fairly discreet the whole thing was," he said. "People did eventually ask, 'Now, is that Paul McCartney?' And we were like, 'Oh, I'm not sure. Is it?' I mean, we didn't want to invade his privacy. But eventually I think people did start catching on to who he was."

And apparently, Burruss' quiche was a hit with the veteran hitmaker.

"He said they'd come back on their way through again."

"C.J.? Hi, this is Cody from the Spike O'Dell show, WGN radio, Chicago."

"Hello, is this Dave Bakke? Hi Dave, I'm a reporter from USA Today. We may possibly be doing a story on Paul McCartney being in Springfield."

"Hi Dave, it's Dave Hoekstra from the Chicago Sun-Times "

Things have gone all Beatlemania since The State Journal-Register published a story about the Paul McCartney sighting at the Springfield Circle K gas station and convenience store on Saturday.

Yes, it really was McCartney and his girlfriend, Nancy Shevell, in, of all things, a 1989 Ford Bronco.

The story about the two of them passing through central Illinois has been translated into French and into German and into Dutch ("Het nieuws raakte bekend nadat McCartney zaterdag met een groepje fans poseerde aan een tankstation in Springfield, Illinois.")

The photograph of The Cute One posing with five Springfield guys - C.J., Josh and Jared Lowder, Jeremy Judd and Cory Neuhoff - was taken by Shevell using Josh Lowder's cell phone in the Circle K parking lot. It has appeared in at least three London newspapers. It will be in the New York Daily News, probably today.

It has been a whirlwind few days, but the guys are enjoying it.

"My brother (Josh) is on the phone with somebody from Spain - Spanish El Periodico," C.J. said when I called him Wednesday. "Josh said he'd never seen a number like that on his phone before."

C.J.'s quote in the London Daily Mail appeared on the People magazine Web site Wednesday morning.

"It's cool. It's awesome," says C.J. "I came to work this morning thinking it would be about over. But it's bigger today than it was yesterday."

The story, first posted Monday on sj-r.com, has become one of the most-read stories on this newspaper's Web page in the 11 years since the site was created - more than 37,000 hits and counting.

My home phone rang at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. A producer from WGN radio's Spike O'Dell show was looking for the phone numbers of the guys who met Paul in Springfield. Some of them will be on the show this morning. The appearance was promoted on air by Pat Hughes and Ron Santo during Wednesday's Chicago Cubs radio broadcast on WGN.

After talking to someone from the O'Dell show bright and early Wednesday morning, I got in my car, turned on the radio and heard Fast Eddie on WQNA talking about the McCartney sighting - right after playing a couple of Beatles' songs.

A few minutes later, while waiting at the counter at Brew-Baker's, I heard employees talking about it in the kitchen. It has been the buzz all over town since Monday.

The reporter from USA Today asked me why this is causing such a stir in Springfield. Why?

Listen, you don't see Brad and Angelina in the produce aisle at the Aldi's, and you don't see Paul McCartney at the Circle K in Springfield. It just doesn't happen.

But it did.

And the hubbub all began with an e-mail I received from his honor Springfield Mayor Tim Davlin. "I thought you might find this interesting," the mayor wrote in a fine bit of understatement. He included the story of McCartney being seen here Saturday along with the photo.

Suitably skeptical at first, we here at the paper considered the possibility of the photo of Paul and the Springfield boys being manipulated. Or it could have been a look-alike or not Paul for a variety of reasons. On Monday, I asked C.J. Lowder, point-blank, if this was legit.

"I'm Catholic, man," he answered, "I swear it was him." Whoa. He played the Catholic card on me, another Catholic. What could I do?

After interviewing C.J. and his cousin, Josh, and doing some Web research and otherwise checking the story out, I left the newspaper Monday 95 percent convinced that McCartney had been here.

On Tuesday morning, it went to 100 percent certain. I received another e-mail then, this one from Josh Lowder's girlfriend, Bethany Catherwood. It showed an earlier photo of McCartney and Shevell. In the picture, he is wearing the same unique belt as he is wearing in Josh's photo.

Wednesday's Mary Schmich column in the Chicago Tribune reported that McCartney and Shevell had been seen at the Route 66 Welcome Center in Joliet on Saturday. That made it 110 percent certain that McCartney was here.

So take that, all you skeptics who have been greeting me for the past few days with things like, "Hey, Dave, guess what? I just saw Mick Jagger downtown in a 1975 Chevy. You better hurry down there before he's gone!" Very funny.

The London papers are saying, with no sources to back it up, that Paul and Nancy are traveling Route 66, just to be alone together for a while to see how things go. That could be just a guess, but it could be real.

The only twinge of regret any of us in Springfield have is whether, by making such a big deal out of his 10-minute pit stop here, we might have ruined Paul and Nancy's trip. We certainly hope not. If we messed you up, we're sorry, mate. Nobody here expected the worldwide frenzy.

We hope instead that the two of you are on the road, or back in New York or England, having a good laugh at the rest of us who, 44 years after the Fab Four invaded America, just can't quite get over it.

JOLIET - Paul McCartney in Joliet?

Tony Contos couldn't believe it either, but after viewing the security tape at the Joliet Area Historical Museum on Saturday afternoon, he's sure the former Beatle was there.

"He's a real celebrity who just wants a regular day," Contos, the executive director of the museum, said.

And by all accounts, Sir Paul was given a regular day. He arrived incognito with New England socialite Nancy Shevell in a 1989 Ford Bronco and parked in a lot across the street, prompting a manager at the museum to flag him down, explaining that he could be towed for parking in the private lot. He then pulled into the museum's front circular drive, and that's when the manager, Elaine Stonich, realized who was visiting.

As she tells it, she turned to him and said simply "It is you." He responded yes, and entered the museum's Route 66 exhibit. He and Shevell watched a short movie about the Mother Road and took in a weaving demonstration, where the presenter barely recognized him and later wondered whether she may have been in the presence of deceased fellow Beatle George Harrison.

"You could see on the (security) tape he was paying a lot of attention to the demonstration," Contos said. "He was very engaged in what the lady had to say."

McCartney apparently declined any pictures, but was spotted later in the day at a gas station along Route 66 in Springfield, where he granted a picture with a group of five guys.

On Tuesday, London's Telegraph newspaper confirmed that the 66-year-old former Beatle and the 47-year-old Shevell were taking a trip of the road together.

"The road trip was Nancy's idea as a way of them getting to bond and spending time together - just the two of them," the paper quoted a source as saying. "They've been talking about the holiday non-stop and were so excited. It's the perfect way for them to both get away from it all and really get to know each other. Paul even packed his guitar."

While at Joliet's museum, McCartney signed just two autographs - a personal one for Stonich, and another on a posterboard of the Route 66 shield Stonich keeps as a guest log.

On that one, he wrote "P McCartney London, England, .U.K." all of it printed, except for the word "London," which was written in cursive.

"I just wanted him to have the perfect Route 66 experience," Stonich said. "I'm afraid if people knew he was doing it, he wouldn't get the full experience."

Contos said he's "proud" the employees didn't make a huge deal of the legend's visit. Although, he admitted he's a bit disappointed they couldn't get any pictures.

After all, that's good advertising.

Contos used to joke with his employees that their motto was "Joliet is a little secret."

On Tuesday morning, as the museum was abuzz and Contos answered calls from papers in England, another employee joked they should change their motto to "Joliet: Destination of the Stars."

Sir Paul McCartney nearly had his car impounded on Saturday after parking in the wrong place.

The 66-year-old musician is currently on a road trip with girlfriend Nancy Shevell in the US, but the journey almost came to an abrupt end after the singer parked illegally at Joliet Area Historical Museum, Illinois.

Tony Contos, a worker at the museum, said: "They parked in the wrong bay and were nearly towed away. Paul was engrossed, Nancy seemed in a bit of a hurry."

The Beatles legend and his girlfriend are currently on a road trip across America's famed Route 66 in a classic 1989 Ford Bronco.

However they shocked staff at the museum when they stopped en route from Nancy's home in the Hamptons, New York.

Museum worker Pamela Blesen said: "I froze. It was like seeing Bigfoot."

And an onlooker added: "They seemed totally in love."

The couple are believed to have told only a few friends about the trip, and Paul's four-year-old daughter Beatrice is expected to join them later.

The everlasting memory of my 1991 trip down Route 66 was the way I reconnected with the basic goodness of people. I was 36 and maybe something of a hot shot. The summertime trip from Chicago to Santa Monica, Ca. was a refresher course on how to listen to strangers, trust your heart and slow down.

How great is it that Paul McCartney and his girl friend Nancy Shevell are checking out Route 66?

Maybe I'm amazed.

Cultural disconnect has always been a problem with famous artists and songwriters. Rod Stewart was one of my favorites--until he settled in Los Angeles. Jack Kerouac? Maybe he only had one good novel in him anyway. Route 66 is a good way to reclaim your roots. Macca could be working on a song about Henry's Route 66 Rabbit Ranch (Hare it is!) in downstate Staunton............

Until the news of McCartney's American journey broke on Wednesday, the couple could pretty much check out things in anonymity. Now everyone will be on the lookout for McCartney's green '89 Ford Bronco. with New York plates. [I wonder what road songs they brought along, check out "Road Music" on my Favorite Links.]

What a beautiful way for Paul to celebrate his 66th birthday.

But modern American skepticism met all of those who encountered McCartney in the early Illinois leg of his trip.

I asked C.J. Lowder what has surprised him the most after his chance meeting with McCartney at a Springfield, Ill. gas station.

"I'm surprised how many skeptics there are," Lowder answered Wednesday. "That he would be traveling without a limo. Without security guards. Or, 'Why didn't he stop at a better place to go to a bathroom than a Circle K.? Shoot, we're motorcycle guys. We're not computer guys. I wouldn't know how to photo shop a photo."

Shevell volunteered to take the now priceless cellphone photo of Lowder and his pals with McCartney.

"She was definitely high class," said Lowder, a Springfield resident. "He was in a tee shirt and slacks, as casual as a guy on a Saturday drive. She was in nice white Capri pants, blue blouse and big sunglasses. People go, 'Why didn't you ask him for proof?' Hey, we were just surprised to see him. We didn't want to overwhelm him. We knew he was just trying to pass through. We asked him if he was going to the Cardinals game. He said no, but when he hit the road he said, 'Go Cardinals!'."

While fact checking my stories, I time-framed McCartney's visits.

A security tape at the Joliet Area Historical Museum on Route 66 placed him there at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Lowder said the cellphone photo was taken at 4:36 p.m. By Saturday night he was eating at an Italian restaurant in St. Louis. And on Sunday night he stopped at C&D's Quick Stop on Old Route 66 in Lebanon, Mo.---ironically across the street from the Bell Restaurant where Sen. Barack Obama stopped last week.

Those are all smooth connections on Route 66.

"He came in and asked for directions to Bennett Springs (state park)," said secretary Mary Jane Cushing at C & D's Quick Stop. "He was driving an older green car. He gave our employee an autograph on a piece of notebook paper. It says, 'Cheers to Kay, Paul McCartney '08.' She compared it on the Internet and it is his signature. The woman with him did not come in." During our conversation Cushing was listening to a Christian radio promoting the 40th annual Brumley Sing gospel festival. She would not be making any of this up.

By blog time Paul and Nancy should have made it through Oklahoma, but they still have Texas, New Mexico and California in front of them. Any roadside tips will be accepted.

Happy trails Paul, a good man on the run.

Sir Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell have stepped their romance up a gear with a road trip across America.

The former Beatle and his heiress girlfriend have been fulfilling a lifelong dream travelling the remains of the legendary Route 66 highway in an old Ford Bronco truck.

After starting their road trip from the rocker's home in The Hamptons, New York last Thursday, the couple joined the Route 66 in Illinois on Saturday.

The couple plan to follow the route, which was decommissioned in the mid-1980s, all the way to the end at Santa Monica pier in Los Angeles.

As the 66-year-old rocker and his love follow the road, which originally ran from Chicago to LA, they will pass through seven U.S. states, including Arizona and Missouri.

As the pair stopped for a re-fuel in the Illinois state capital of Springfield, Sir Paul was happy to pose with a group of fans for photos.

As Nancy took the photo, a group of young males posed alongside Sir Paul, who predictably put on his trademark thumbs up.

C.J. Lowder, the man wearing sunglasses in the photo, said: 'They looked totally in love.

'They told us they were on a trip and going on to St Louis (Missouri) before heading west.

'No one could believe it was really him - he was so laid back and ordinary. They seemed a great couple.'

The month-long road trip is believed to be the couple's longest holiday - they previously vacationed together in the Caribbean in April.

A source said: 'The road trip was Nancy's idea as a way of them getting to bond and spend time together - just the two of them.'

Sir Paul and Nancy have been dating since November, but only went public as a couple in May when the singer picked up an honorary doctorate in music from America's prestigious Yale University.

At the Rotary Club luncheon in Joliet on Tuesday, Tony Contos' fellow Rotarians were dying to know: Was the rumor around town true? Paul McCartney was at the Route 66 Welcome Center in the Joliet Area Historical Museum on Saturday? No way.

Contos had his own doubts when he arrived at work Monday. So he checked the security tape.

"It was that teenager in me," said Contos, the museum's interim director, when I called about the rumor. "I said, 'Let's have a look.' "

The man on the tape sure looked like Paul. Paul in the gift store, Paul in the weaving exhibit, Paul heading for the restroom.

How come nobody took a picture, the Rotarians demanded.

Because, Contos told them, Paul said, "No pictures, please," to the first museum employee who recognized him, which was when she went out to tell him he couldn't park where he was parking.

And no complaints, please, that celebrity sightings aren't newsworthy. McCartney isn't a celebrity. He's a legend, a man who once left millions of weeping teeny boppers chewing their pillowcases.

That Paul is getting his kicks on Route 66? The public wants to know.

Pamela Biesen, a museum worker, wasn't convinced it was Paul. Not at first. She did, however, notice a slight, older guy as she was giving a museum tour Saturday. She was talking on, about Indian tribes near Joliet, when she noticed the man's extremely thin girlfriend, his apparently dyed hair and his beaded "Indian" belt. It crossed her mind that he would look better if he didn't hitch his pants so high.

Then a murmur rippled through the museum. There was a Beatle in the house. The woman giving the looming demonstration asked, "Is that George Harrison?"

"I thought, 'Is there a gas leak in here?' " Biesen said when I phoned. What was wrong with everybody? A Beatle wouldn't be here, in Joliet, without fanfare or protection, in an old green Ford "pre-SUV," not to mention George Harrison is dead.

But then Biesen walked into the gift shop. And that guy looked up and said in that unmistakable English voice, "Well, hello."

"And it was Paul McCartney," she said. "I froze. It was like seeing Bigfoot."

Biesen didn't know then that a guy who looked like this one was spotted at a Springfield Circle K last weekend too. All she knew was that she felt she'd found a lost member of the family.

"The Beatles have been in our psyche forever," she said. "And when you're standing in front of someone who has been a part of your life forever, it's an overwhelming feeling. Warm. Like, 'Finally. Finally, I get to meet you.' "

She wanted to make the moment perfect.

"I really just wanted to be polite," she said.

"No. I really just wanted to lick him and say, 'I love you.' "

She sighed.

"But I kept thinking, the poor guy can't have 10 minutes of being normal. I'm going to give him 10 minutes of being normal."

So she walked away.

But not far. She stood outside the gift shop, watching. She watched one of her co-workers hand him a bag of Route 66 maps, heard him say, "Well, thank you very much," watched him and his girlfriend squeeze into the same compartment of the revolving door, and watched the woman put a hand on his backside as they walked off, a departure as unheralded as their arrival.

He had put some money in the acrylic cash box. He had asked a museum worker if "route" is pronounced "root" or "rout." He had signed one autograph.

And if you've read this far, it's probably because, whether it was Paul or not, the teeny bopper still alive in you likes the idea that the mythical cute Beatle is out there cruising the mythical Route 66, which, incidentally, can be pronounced either way.

Last week, presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama paid a visit to the Bell Restaurant on old Route 66, then on Sunday singer, songwriter and all around world-famous guy Paul McCartney stopped in at C and D's Quick-Stop right across the street from the Bell - or did he? Kay McKimm was manning the cash register when an afternoon visitor walked through the door and asked for a map so he could find his way to Bennett Spring State Park.

"I saw him and I couldn't believe the resemblance, so I asked him, 'Are you who I think you are?' He said, 'Who do you think I am?' so I said, 'Paul McCartney?' and he said, 'No' but I think that's because there were other people in the store," said McKimm.
After his denial, McKimm said she pressed the former Beatle look-alike, and since the squeaky wheel gets the grease, Sir Paul decided it was time to confess.

"I asked him for his autograph, and he gave it to me. He was very nice. He was here for about 15 minutes. He didn't want to stay very long. He probably didn't want you guys (the press) to know about him," she said.

McKimm said she took a picture of the one-time mop top with two couples from out-of-town that were in the store at the time, but admits she was too flustered to get her own pictures of McCartney.

"He was driving a green SUV-type vehicle, and there was a lady in the front seat, but I couldn't tell who she was," she said.

McKimm said her meeting with McCartney is the first brush she's had with the famous.

"When he talked, I thought it's a one in a million chance that somebody like him would look like that, and have a British accent, too. I told him my boyfriend got Obama's signature last week, and I called my boyfriend (Sunday) and told him that I got Paul McCartney's autograph, so I think I topped my boyfriend on that," said McKimm.

No, it wasn't him. He's at the White House packing for his trip to Asia. And, no, it wasn't him either - he's still in a cave somewhere on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

It was Paul McCartney. Or a really well-done hoax.

You probably find the story hard to believe. So did we. Especially when the witnesses claimed that Sir Paul was driving a 1989 Ford Bronco. But, you know what? It all adds up.

On Saturday afternoon, a group of Springfield guys stopped at the Circle K on their way to St. Louis for the Cardinals-Phillies game. While in the parking lot, they saw someone walk by who looked just like McCartney.

"We were getting in the car as he was walking in," says C.J. Lowder. "I said, 'Man, that looks like Paul McCartney.'"

The Bronco parked on the side of the gas station, not in the front. The man who looked like Sir Paul didn't buy anything inside, but used the station, just off Interstate 55, for a "pit stop." Nobody at the gas station even noticed him, Lowder said.

"Josh (Lowder, C.J.'s brother) said 'Hey, Paul!' and he said, 'What's up?' with this real thick English accent, and I knew it was him," C.J. Lowder said.

McCartney said he and his girlfriend, Nancy Shevell, were on their way to St. Louis, but not to the ballgame. He posed for a picture with the boys - besides Josh and C.J. Lowder, they included Jared Lowder (a cousin), plus Cory Neuhoff and Jeremy Judd. McCartney then spent a couple of minutes talking and left.

"He was definitely trying to stay low-key, for sure," C.J. Lowder says. "It was just a couple of minutes. He shook all of our hands."

"Another thing that got me," says Josh Lowder, "was that of all the older people in the place, none of them recognized him. C.J. recognized him, and he's the youngest one."

Coincidentally, Decatur Celebration hosted a Paul McCartney tribute band on Saturday.

Was this merely the impersonator? No. In an interview, the impersonator, Ron Starr (R. Starr?) admits he looks nothing like Paul and is much younger. Pictures of Ron Starr confirm the lack of resemblance.

But how about that 1989 (or thereabouts) Bronco? Paul McCartney? One of the richest men in show-business history? Come on.

But wait. It had New York license plates. Nancy Shevell lives in New York. The vehicle at the gas station had a yellow access sticker to the Hamptons on the bumper. Both McCartney and Shevell have places in the Hamptons.

And then there is the clincher.

In November, the Web site Gothamist posted a photograph of Paul and Nancy kissing while sitting in an older-model Ford Bronco.

That is what people in the news business like to call "independent confirmation."

"It was wild," says C.J. Lowder about running into a Beatle at a Springfield gas station. "It was one of those things I never would have expected to see. They were super nice.

"Nobody got his autograph, it happened so fast. You could tell he didn't want to draw a huge crowd. We talked for a while, and he said, 'Well, I'll let you get going to the game. Go Cardinals!'"

It's not as if Sir Paul was playing a concert in Europe last weekend and couldn't have been here.

McCartney's Web site shows that his last concert was a week ago in Quebec City, and he is not on tour.

The Quebec City show was just a one-off for the city's 400th birthday.

McCartney's public relations manager in Britain, Stuart Bell, could not be reached Monday for confirmation of the star's whereabouts.

At the Circle K station, manager Tim Kelley took the news of McCartney's visit in stride. Kelley's not the star-struck type.

But his clerk, Martie Brandon, flashed a little Beatlemania.

"Oh, my god, and I left at 2 o'clock!" she said, slapping her forehead. McCartney was seen just after 4 p.m. "If I'd have just stayed a little longer ... ."

Brandon admitted she gets excited when Carl Madonna from WICS-20 stops at the Circle K. Much less an actual Beatle.

"I'm not going to do anything special," Kelley said. He won't, for example, put up a sign on the men's room saying "Paul McCartney was here!"

Besides, Kelley said, he met Paul at an Aerosmith concert years ago in St. Louis. McCartney at his station? No biggie.

"I'm not one to get too thrilled about things like that," Kelley said.

"I do," Brandon chipped in breathlessly, "when it comes to Paul McCartney."

WEBMASTER'S NOTE: A Paul sighting in St. Louis over the weekend was confirmed.

Springfield had its first visit from a Beatle on Saturday afternoon when Sir Paul McCartney strolled into the Circle K gas station/convenience store, 3261 Clear Lake Ave.

C.J. Lowder of Springfield noticed when McCartney came back outside.

His cousin, Josh Lowder, said "Hey, Paul!" and that led to this photograph, taken by McCartney's girlfriend, Nancy Shevell.

McCartney told the group he was on his way to St. Louis, but didn't say why.

Heather's fury as Paul McCartney plans holiday with daughter Beatrice and girlfriend Nancy

Paul McCartney is to take girlfriend Nancy Shevell and daughter Beatrice away on holiday - in a move that will infuriate ex-wife Heather.

Heather's unhappy at Beatrice spending time with Paul's new love - but he has told her to mind her own business.

Paul, 66, and Nancy, 47, will spend most of August at his £10 million ($20 million) holiday home in The Hamptons on New York's Long Island. Bea, four, will join them for part of the time - and they may also whisk her away for a mini-break.

The holiday will be the longest Paul and Nancy have spent together - a test to see if they want to take things to the next level. A source said: "This is a significant trip. If they enjoy the month they might start living together.

"And although Heather does not want Bea spending any time around Nancy she has been told by Paul she has no say in it - which did not go down well at all."

Paul's song collaboration bares his 'soul'

Paul has recorded "My Soul" for Nitin Sawhney's upcoming album, London Undersound, set to be released at the end of summer.

Reportedly the song is about his stormy marriage to Heather Mills.

"My Soul" (Paul McCartney)

I long to know all your secrets
I want to walk through your fire
Light up my eyes with your smile.

I was awakened by magic
I was alone in this world
Take me away from here.

Life spinning round at a blistering pace
I've been shot from a gun
To your final embrace.

My soul, your heart
Two worlds, apart
This life, is all, we have.

How could they steal all these feelings
How could they lie to this world
A picture away from your smile

Life spinning round at a blistering pace
I've been shot from a gun
To your final embrace.

My soul, your heart
Two worlds, apart
This life, is all, we have.

One soul displaced, one heart replaced
Feelings defaced, invade our space
No one left to give us back our time.

We could climb every mountain
Swim through every sea
When all the world is asleep
We could set ourselves free

My soul, your heart
Two worlds, apart
This life, is all, we have.

mmm... yeah...

Yeah, we could climb every mountain
Swim through every sea
When all the world is asleep
We can set ourselves free.

We could climb every mountain
Swim through every sea
When all the world is asleep
We could set ourselves free.

My soul, your heart
Two worlds, apart
This life .......

Special thanks to Bob Gannon, Macca Reporter

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