Beatles News
Sir Paul McCartney thinks The Beatles all had mental health problems.
The 78-year-old singer admitted he and his bandmates – Sir Ringo Starr and the late John Lennon and George Harrison – were more likely to mock their issues than have a discussion, but he thinks they came out of their global fame and its associated problems “reasonably well adjusted”.
Asked if he thinks, with hindsight, the ‘Come Together’ group had mental health issues, he said: “Yes, I think so. But you talked about it through your songs.
“You know, John would. ‘Help! I need somebody,’ he wrote. And I thought, ‘Well, it’s just a song,’ but it turned out to be a cry for help.
“Same kind of thing happened with me, mainly after the break-up of the band. All of us went through periods when we weren’t as happy as we ought to be.
Source: tulsaworld.com
In the 1960s and the early 1970s, John Lennon was a global icon, known across continents for his literate lyrics, slashing wit, rakish charm and signature teashade sunglasses. He was at once a puckish prankster and a chin-stroking philosopher — the world famous "thinking man's Beatle."
But in the last five years of his life, Lennon went into hibernation. He retreated into a domestic idyll inside the famed Dakota apartment building in New York City, devoting himself to raising his young son, Sean, and nurturing his strained marriage with his wife, Yoko Ono.
In recognition of the 40th anniversary of Lennon's assassination on Tuesday, admirers around the world are likely to revisit his Beatles heyday and his legacy as an anti-war activist. But amid those tributes, biographers and journalists say, Lennon's quiet final chapter deserves more attention.
Source: Daniel Arkin/nbcnews.com
Paul McCartney has opened up about the making of his new solo album during lockdown.
Dubbing the period spent at home recording “rockdown” in a new interview with The Sunday Times, the former Beatle star said he tried to remain optimistic writing the album, which is set for release on December 18.
“Well, I am an optimist,” McCartney said. “Generally speaking I do believe things are good, and we screw them up. In fact, a lot of people during lockdown would say, ‘Oh God!’ And I’d say, ‘Yes, but there’s a silver lining.’ It was a phrase I used a lot. I was loath to say it because a lot of people had it bad, but suddenly we saw more of the family than ever, and I was able to do recordings. That was my silver lining.”
Source: Elizabeth Aubrey/nme.com
Older generations would always recall where they were when they learned the news of Dec. 7, 1941, the day Japanese aircraft struck Pearl Harbor and America's entry into World War II was certain. More recently, the same memories attach to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
And for many of us, there is John Lennon, who was murdered the night of Dec. 8, 1980, 40 years ago Tuesday.
I was a young reporter at the Cape Cod Times and was driving to work early the next morning, listening to radio news, as was my custom, when I heard.
Disbelief was my first reaction. But the station was trustworthy, so I knew the report was no hoax.
I pulled into a parking lot on Center Street, a few hundred feet from the Times’ main office in Hyannis, and began crying, experiencing the same pain millions of others felt for the ex-Beatle whose music and social-justice activism were without compare.
Lennon, 40 years old, gone.
Source: providencejournal.com
Paul McCartney expressed doubt that the Beatles would ever have reunited, had it been possible following their 1970 split.
He reflected that all four members made a “conscious decision” to move away from their past, although he admitted that he wasn’t certain about his position.
“We made a decision when the Beatles folded that we weren’t going to pick it up again," McCartney told the Sunday Times. "So we switched off from the Beatles. You talk about something coming full circle that is very satisfying; let’s not spoil it by doing something that might not be as good. It was a conscious decision to leave well enough alone, so I don’t really think we would have. But who knows? We could have.” He added of John Lennon: “We had certainly got our friendship back, which was a great blessing for me.”
Source: ultimateclassicrock.com
NANCY Shevell is Sir Paul McCartney's third wife.
But what do we know about her? Here's the lowdown.
Who is Nancy Shevell?
Nancy Shevell is an American businesswoman.
She was a former member of the board in the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority and worked as vice president of the New England Motor Freight - her family's business.
Nancy met singer-songwriter Paul McCartney in 2007, while he was still married to Heather Mills.
But he divorced Heather in 2008 and married Nancy in 2011.
How old is she and what is her net worth?
Nancy was born on 20 November 1959, making her 58 years old.
Her net worth is estimated to be around £152 million.
Source: Robyn Morris/thesun.co.uk
In the summer of 1980, 24-year-old writer David Sheff is whisked off to New York City on the biggest assignment of his career so far — an interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono for Playboy Magazine.
This isn’t a quick sit-down interview, grabbing a few comments, shaking a few hands. The young writer spent three weeks with the couple and their 5-year-old son Sean.
He hung out in their Central Park West apartment, laughing in their kitchen, watching them record new music, going on walks and out for coffee at Lennon’s favorite spots.
Of course, this would be exciting for any 20-something writer; he was using expense accounts, staying in a posh hotel, spending his days following around the world’s most recognizable rock star, but Lennon’s music had spoken to Sheff from an early age.
Source: Breanna Mona /news-herald.com
December 8 will mark forty years since John Lennon was murdered in New York City. Just days before his death, Lennon took part in an extensive interview that would become the last one he ever gave.
Lennon’s Last Weekend goes inside that fabled interview between John Lennon and BBC Radio’s Andy Peebles and explores the wide-range of topics Lennon opened up about in the hours leading up to his death. Unlike other documentaries about Lennon or The Beatles, this film offers a unique perspective on the icon that doesn’t place his music at the forefront.
“There’s a lot more to John than just his music,” Director Brian Grant told RADIO.COM in an interview. “He was an activist, an activist for peace, and a better world. I tried to balance the songwriter with that activist and the humanitarian, he was the ultimate humanitarian if you think about it. But, he was a flawed character as well.”
Source: Marty Rosenbaum /radio.com
Sir Paul McCartney can find inspiration for music “anywhere”.
The 78-year-old rocker wrote his new album, ‘McCartney III’, whilst the world was in lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic, and has said that whilst many artists struggled to find the inspiration to write when they had no personal experiences to draw from, he had plenty going on in his “overactive brain”.
He said: “You know inspiration can come from anywhere. Not just interaction with others. Truth is the main stuff that comes from my overactive brain, which is always switched on, but my songs don’t have to be about current events.”
Paul has been writing in the same way for decades, as he used Beatles hit ‘Eleanor Rigby’ - which was released in 1966 - as an example of a song he’d written that isn’t inspired by himself.
Source: theeagle.com
Paul McCartney has opened up about his friendship with John Lennon in a new interview.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, McCartney opened up about his friendship with Lennon in the period following The Beatles split.
On being asked if he thought the Beatles would have ever worked together again, McCartney said: “We made a decision when the Beatles folded that we weren’t going to pick it up again. So we switched off from the Beatles. You talk about something coming full circle that is very satisfying; let’s not spoil it by doing something that might not be as good. It was a conscious decision to leave well enough alone, so I don’t really think we would have. But who knows? We could have.”
Source: Elizabeth Aubrey/nme.com
