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#A biography of Paul McCartney
got-ticket-to-ride · 3 months
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The girls walk over to John. "How do you write the songs?" says the girl whose name is Daphne. John doesn't answer.
Paul shouts across the room in a voice you use to an errant child, "Tell us about the songs, John, tell us about the songs."
"Sometimes we write them together," says John. "Sometimes not. Some of them take four hours; some twenty minutes. Others have been known to take as long as three weeks."
~Love Me Do, Michael Braun 1964
Just love how John doesn't react to anybody but Paul.
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kaiserkeller · 1 year
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“Funnily enough, Paul has turned out the real black sheep of the whole trip. Everybody hates him and I only feel sorry for him.” — Stuart Sutcliffe in a letter to Rod Murray, late 1960.
Drawing by Klaus Voormann.
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ceofjohnlennon · 2 years
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"George Harrison, Paul McCartney and John Lennon on a roof in Hamburg, 1961." ㅡ From the book "The Beatles: The Only Authorized Biography (Updated Edition)" by Hunter Davies.
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i-am-the-oyster · 7 months
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what is it that Pete Townshend has said about Paul and John? Thanks.
I can't find the post you're referring to, and I only have a vague memory of what exactly I said, sorry!
I do remember though that my intention wasn't to say that Pete Townshend commented on Paul and John, but that he commented on Paul's personality. In the book Linda McCartney: The Biography by Danny Fields he quotes Pete (p202 in my edition):
Linda was very, very pro-active in their social life. When they were driving through this town, she was the one who used to get him to come and visit, even made a couple of surprise visits. She was the one who would call me and then put him on the phone, and we would talk. Then he would be open and entirely accessible, but it was Linda who was always reminding him that he really had friends, the he was likeable as a person, that he could reach and be reached...she was constantly there with the idea that there is love between people when the tape stops running and the curtain is down. She was so centred - I think self-possession was her main character attribute, wasn't it? Maybe this marriage was more about Paul than about her, but you know, I don't think so.
This quote gives me *all* sorts of feelings. I'm so glad that Paul had Linda. She seems to have been such a good influence on him, and seen him so clearly. I really empathise with the Paul this quote conjures up. I know I have definitely appeared aloof when I was actually acting out of fear of rejection.
If you're interested in Linda at all I highly recommend this book (it seems to have been published under at least two different names--probably in slightly different versions).
Thanks for the ask!
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basilette · 2 months
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Do y'all think they're going to show the scenes of John and Paul getting turned on by their mums in the new movies or is that too much
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and-i-like-youuu · 1 year
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I'm currently reading Philip Norman's Paul McCartney: The Life, and while I'm enjoying learning more about Paul, I can't help but be a little disappointed in the way Norman described the way Paul and John's voices when they sang together. He frequently described John's voice as acidic such as when he wrote, "[John] sang in a Liverpool accent whose thin yet resonant tone burned like acid through the ambient sounds of children's voices, clinking teacups and birdsong."
Acid? Really? I just couldn't agree with that description for John's voice especially when he described Paul's as "strong" and "clear" which I agree with, but as it's put in contrast with John's I don't think "acidic" is a good enough descriptor for John's singing voice.
For me, it was very exciting to get to the part where John and Paul met. And so, I was disappointed when he described the way their voices combined together: "Their voices created the same effect, John's arid lead melding with Paul's high, supple harmony like vinegar and virgin olive oil." Not bad. Just a bit underwhelming imo. When I read it I was like ok girl give us nothing.
Personally, I don't find John's voice to be acidic or arid at all. Rather, I think it's textured. It's textured in the way that terra cotta pottery is textured: smooth-rough. I find it citrusy, like the skin of an orange; you can just dig your nails in it and it's a little painful. If John's voice is the skin of an orange, then I think Paul's is the actual orange inside the skin. His voice is juicy and rich; succulent. And when you peel the orange, it's like a whole orange grove perfumes around you, the fragrance is so potent, just like their harmonies.
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sounwise · 2 years
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When people are famous enough to be written about in the media, they develop two selves. One is the self they possess, the other is the hologram that they read about. For more than half a century, Paul McCartney has read about himself as if there were a separate, fictional character with the same name. When I met him one afternoon in 1989, he had just received a new biography of himself. It left him perplexed: “I’ve read a bit this morning, someone sent me one to autograph. And it’s this silly book. Why should I endorse it with my signature? It’s like signing a bootleg. It’s funny. How do you explain to people who you are? If someone says I’m a megalomaniac … you know? I think, I bet I’m not. “Like those stories about me trying to get Stuart [Sutcliffe] out of the group, to become bass player. I got lumbered with bass player. I had to ring George up and say, ‘Hey George, what do you remember, did I push Stu out of the group?’ He says, ‘No, you got lumbered, you were the only one who’d do it.’ Ah, that’s what I thought it was. “You’re constantly trying to remember if you’re OK or not. I hate justifying myself. I remember looking at George Martin once: ‘George, are we really gonna have to keep justifying ourselves?’ He said, ‘Yeah. Forever.’ You can never rest on your laurels. And it’s just as well really. I don’t particularly want to rest on them. It’s probably why I’m touring, making new albums.”
[—from Conversations With McCartney, Paul Du Noyer]
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ljblueteak · 2 years
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Paul and Ringo (and others) on how they worked together on Flaming Pie
“‘It’s always a special experience to play with Paul,’ Ringo says now. ‘I love Paul and I love his playing and, you know’--Starr is, of course, a long-proven expert at selling this line in the driest way possible--’we spent a lot of time together in the sixties.’
When McCartney is now asked what, when he decides he wants to do something with Ringo, he is looking for, he says ‘Magic. If I get Ringo, we’ll capture the magic. To sit down with Ringo is always a great thing. It was really the idea of just getting together with him. And there he was: still Ringo.’
Likewise, when Starr is asked whether, when they do things together, he feels the history in the room, or whether that’s irrelevant, he replies, ‘I feel the friendship. And I feel that we play really well together. And so that’s how it is.’
‘He and I these days get quite emotional about it,’ says McCartney, ‘because we should. We ought to. It’s a bloody emotional thing. You know, the years, if nothing else.’
‘You know, we really know each other, so it’s a thrill,’ says Starr. ‘For me, he’s the finest bass player, most melodic bass player, in the world, and it’s always been a pleasure for me to play with him.’
‘That is the joy of being with Ringo: it’s Ringo!’ says McCartney. ‘Everyone feels it with Ringo--he’s very real. So there’s that, just being with Ringo and his personality. And then there’s the brotherhood of being with Ringo,  because we go back so far, and we’ve done so much together. So that’s always fun. And then there’s just the pure joy of his drumming. He’s a very good instinctive drummer, so he’s great to play with. So all of that wrapped up is the Ringo experience.
McCartney does go on to describe the force and effect of that personality: ‘Ringo’s, like, brilliant, but he’s trouble. He doesn’t let you off. You can just say something and he comes back with a...there’s always an answer for anything. I think it was his childhood. He was very ill. And he lived in the Dingle, which was the roughest area of where any of The Beatles came from. He would get sort of mugged, because he worked, and the guys standing on the corner didn’t. So he would have to run the gauntlet just to get home  from the bus.
And having had peritonitis when he was a kid, he had a lot to defend, a lot of defending to do, and so it’s become his personality over the years. And sometimes it can be a bit blunt. And so you’ve got to keep up with him. But he’s charming with it, and he is a lovely guy.’
How the two of them were together made an impression on the others in the room. ‘A lot of the time,’ says Geoff Wonfor, who was filming, ‘the two of them were like schoolkids. Just batting off each other.’
‘The banter was just unbelievable, the two of them together,’ echoes Jon Jacobs. ‘I mean, Ringo’s got a very dry sense of humour, and Paul’s kind of slightly the opposite.’“
From the Flaming Pie Deluxe Edition book
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tenitchyfingers · 3 months
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ROBBIE WAS AT THE SHOW WHERE PAUL SANG HELTER SKELTER WITH MATTHEW BELLAMY AND DOM HOWARD’S OTHER BAND
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beatlesblogger · 1 year
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The McCartney Legacy, Volume 1, 1969-73 - A Review
Cool cover, huh? That cover is a harbinger of what is contained inside. Let’s get straight to the point – this is one of the best studies of Paul McCartney and his solo music you are going to find. Epic and essential, full stop. The McCartney Legacy by Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair is the first installment of what will become a multi-volume set. As its subtitle suggests, Volume 1 captures…
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krispyweiss · 5 months
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Quarter Notes: Blurbs & Briefs from Sound Bites
- In this edition: Pink Floyd; Sarah Jarosz; Paul McCartney; & Christine McVie
DARK SIDE OF THE MOON RISES ON THE CHARTS: Pink Floyd’s the Dark Side of the Moon eclipsed another record - its own - by bagging its 985th nonconsecutive week on the Billboard 200, Forbes magazine reports.
Sitting at No. 193, the 1973 LP is the longest-charting album in the history the top-200 list.
A SARAH JAROSZ SATURDAY MORNING: Sarah Jarosz will appear on “CBS Mornings” on Dec. 16, ahead of the Jan. 26, 2024, release of Polaroid Lovers.
MCCARTNEY CALLS III BACK AGAIN: Paul McCartney on Dec. 15 will re-release McCartney III in three colored-vinyl-and-lyrics-sheets-or-sketches configurations to mark the album’s third birthday.
CHRISTINE MCVIE BIOGRAPHY DUE NEXT YEAR: Lesley-Ann Jones’ “Perfect: An Intimate Biography of Christine McVie” is scheduled to hit bookshelves June 20, 2024.
12/12/23
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got-ticket-to-ride · 6 months
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January 14th - 15th 1964, Paris
From Love Me Do by Michael Braun
The first night, John and Paul stayed in their suite, listening to records and reading fan mail. George, who had been signed for 100 pounds a day by the Daily Express to write of his experiences in Paris, went to a nightclub in the Place Pigalle. Back in the City of Light, John and Paul slept till three o'clock in the afternoon. That much everybody agreed on. Quote by Vincent Mulchrone from Daily Mail: George Harrison was astir early, but John Lennon and Paul Mccartney slumbered on until franctic photographers forced them at lens point into the Champs-Élysées. Derek Taylor (a British journalist) wanted to know why the Beatles slept so much. "My office wants to know what they're doing in Paris, so they'd better be doing something."
Mr. Taylor, you better not worry, they are doing something alright. My head just running wild with theories, sleeping till 3 PM in the afternoon would only mean that John and Paul stayed up till 8 AM in the morning to do god knows what (definitely not just listening to records, composing and answering fan mails, right?)
And then they emerge from their hotel room looking like a newlywed couple in the afternoon of January 15th 1964
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And then the pictures Paul personally took of John
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groovyfangirl · 2 years
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Books you should buy and read if you are interested in Beatles histories, biographies and  if you are a hardcore BEATLEMANIAC
·         The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present by Paul McCartney
·         Mike McCartney’s Early Liverpool Genesis
·         “John, Paul & Me: Before the Beatles” by Len Garry
·         “Here, there, and everywhere” by Geoff Emerick
·         “As time goes by” by Derek Taylor Book by Derek Taylor
·         “Tune In: The Beatles: All These Year“ by Mark Lewisohn
·         The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions by Mark Lewisohn
·         The Complete Beatles Chronicle by Mark Lewisohn
·         The Beatles: The Authorised  by Hunter Davies
·         “The Beatles Lyrics: The Stories Behind the Music, Including the Handwritten Drafts of More Than 100 Classic Beatles Songs” by Hunter Davies
·         “John” by Cynthia Lennon
·         George Harrison: Living in the Material World by Olivia Harrison
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ceofjohnlennon · 2 years
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"He was caught with an obscene drawing in his first year. 'That really set me up with the masters.' Then Mimi found an obscene poem he'd written. 'She found it under my pillow. I said I'd just been made to write it out for another lad who couldn't write very well. I'd written it myself, of course. I'd seen these poems around, the sort you read to give you a hard on. I'd wondered who wrote them, and thought I'd try one myself.'"
John Lennon for Hunter Davies. ㅡ From the book "The Beatles: The Only Authorized Biography (Updated Edition)" by Hunter Davies.
"'I once did this dirty drawing for the class. I was the lad who did them. It was folded so you just saw the head and the feet of a woman, but when you opened it out, she was all naked. The full schoolboy bit, with pubic hair thrown in, not that I had any idea what that looked like. By mistake I left it in the top pocket of my shirt. This was the pocket I used to keep my dinner tickets in and my mother always searched it before washing as I often left some. I came home one day and she held it out to me. 'Did you do this?', I said no, no, honest, no. I said it was Kenny Alpin, a boy in our class. He must have put it there. 'I'd tell you if I'd done it.' I kept it up for two days. Then I admitted it. The shame was terrible.'"
Paul McCartney for Hunter Davies. ㅡ From the book "The Beatles: The Only Authorized Biography (Updated Edition)" by Hunter Davies.
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cries-for-no-one · 1 year
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Bad Biographies: Linda McCartney (Eastman)
I was listening to a podcast discussing the Beatles and once again an "expert" repeated the myth that Linda Eastman attended Sarah Lawrence College. In the past I have gotten annoyed when I heard biographers and journalists repeating this because they haven't done their research. If they can get this wrong, how can I believe the other things they say.
Personally, I have a memory of Linda saying that this isn't true, although admittedly I cannot remember the source. So, to hear others say it wrong gave me the impression they haven't done much research.
But now I have heard it so often, and read it in otherwise good biographies, that I realize that bad sourcing is endemic among biographers.
The biography of Linda
The mistake doesn't come from Linda McCartney - Wikipedia:
Eastman graduated from Scarsdale High School in 1959. She then attended Vermont College in Montpelier, Vermont, where she received an Associate of Arts in 1961... After graduating from Vermont College, she attended the University of Arizona and majored in fine arts while taking up nature photography as a hobby. While she was studying there, her mother was killed in the 1962 crash of American Airlines Flight 1 in Jamaica Bay, New York. She then left the University of Arizona without graduating, and married Joseph Melville See Jr. (in June 1962) Their daughter Heather was born in December 1962. They divorced in 1965, and Linda resumed using her maiden name.
Nor is the bad bio coming from Biography - LindaMcCartney.com website. Which offers a shorter version of the Wikipedia.
Nor is it coming from Sarah Lawrence College, Noted Alumni | Sarah Lawrence College. The college follows events in the careers of previous alumni such as Yoko Ono. Linda, unlike Yoko, is not mentioned at all and is not listed as an alumna.
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Linda McCartney at Vermont College » Mining for Old (archive.org)
In fact, I couldn't find a source on the internet that gave the wrong details. Unless it is an obscure source that I have not thought of I assume the bad source is a book or article (or several).
Without asking them directly or scouring through many biographies that I do not own or articles I cannot access, then giving an analysis. I am just going to call it a day on finding the source. But it is strange that it is easy to fact check.
In fact, I would say from 1997 there really is no excuse for getting this wrong.
Many Years From Now
In 1997 Many Years From Now was published. The authorized biography quotes Paul (and Linda) so extensively it is often counted as an autobiography or memoir. Paul had a say over the final edit, so any factual errors are official.
Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now. | Miles (barrymiles.co.uk)
Paul and the author Barry Miles use the book to correct multiple myths they perceive as being spread. From how the book is written it seems to be a major motivation behind the book and reviewers criticized the defensive tone.
Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now book review | Miles (barrymiles.co.uk)
Here is the passage related to how Linda reacted to her mother's death...
"Linda moved to Tuscon, where she studied art and history. There is a myth that both Linda and Yoko Ono attended Sarah Lawrence, which was true of Yoko but not of Linda, whose brief academic career was at the University of Arizona. She was not exceptional academically and did not particularly enjoy it. It was an uncertain time in her life, she was mourning her mother and trying to find her place in the world." - Barry Miles, Paul McCartney Many Years From Now, Published (My version): Vintage 1998, Chapter: The White Album, Page: 507
Other myths about Linda that persist are mentioned in the book. Such as Linda being related to Eastman-Kodak, this circulates online, and it seems to only be due to her being a photographer with the surname Eastman. But I haven't come across it like I have this rumor, I assume the McCartneys have done enough to combat it, although it may just be due to how obvious it is that her father is actually a lawyer.
There are further rumors, that she slept with various celebrities or wasn't any good as a photographer, the McCartneys seem to just ignore these and just tell the story on their own terms. When gossip is a source, it probably depends on the biographer to how much weight it is given. Being a celebrity probably amplifies this kind of behavior towards you. Perhaps this celebrity drama creation is a factor for the myth.
Although Paul was criticized for being so defensive and feeling the need to set the record straight, somehow it hasn't stopped people getting this wrong. The book is an important source for information on Paul, his background and the band. It talks extensively from Paul's (and Barry and other insider's) point of view. Most biographers and Beatle experts would have this book, it is a heavily used source.
Why is the myth still repeated so often?
Given that it isn't very difficult to fact check, why do people keep getting this wrong?
I have decided not to name and shame the biographers and Beatle authorities I have heard saying this. I wouldn't be writing this if I didn't think it was a bigger problem. It seems to be a fact that is commonly believed but not examined enough for a basic fact check. Please take my word for it that this is a problem.
What is most curious to me is that it doesn't even matter. If you do not have a source for where she went to college, then don't mention it. It has nothing to do with the Beatles as a band and reflects little on her relationship with Paul.
Motive
When I have heard it used in discussions about her on Beatle Podcasts it was in relations to:
How her and Yoko attended the same school
Perhaps implying a connection between John and Paul's lives or the women they liked. Maybe a spiritual symmetry that is romantic to authors, but ultimately pointless and unnecessary. They had children the same age, loved art and lived in New York, isn't that enough.
However, perhaps the origin for this myth was mistaking Yoko's biography for Linda's.
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Yoko at Sarah Lawrence
Speaking about how Paul liked posh girls
Drawing a parallel to his fiancée Jane Asher, whom he had split with a few months before Linda moved in with him.
I'm not sure how much evidence there is of this as some of his girlfriends and wives were posh, but others weren't.
But again it isn't necessary, just say she came from a nice area with a well-off family.
I have the feeling that there is some sort of shorthand by saying she went to that school. Like it meant Linda was super elite and privileged instead of attending the state schools and ordinary colleges.
Hopefully it isn't related to her background, coming from a Jewish family, sometimes people will project stereotypes in a weird antisemitic way. I have seen people comment (anonymously in comments sections) on her Jewish background as if that is significant.
A more generous analysis would be that as fans, commentators want the Beatles to have married high class ladies because it fits their ideals. The Beatles are special and so they shouldn't marry ordinary girls. This is a bit silly but subconscious biases may have an effect on what they believe to be true.
Other than that, I just don't know. They should know better but they don't. I don't want to pile on or irritatingly correct people. It just puzzles me that this myth persists. It concerns me because, although minor, if this isn't getting fact checked what else isn't.
The Future
One day in the hopefully not distant future this post (2022) will be irrelevant because they will stop, either because fact checking gets better (the dream), or more likely, because online people will correct them and embarrass them into changing.
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charlottesharlottes · 2 years
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“Paul wanted to be next to me,” Penniman would later recount. “He said, ‘This is my seat!'” “I used to buy steaks for John,” Little Richard shared of the tour, “Paul would come in, sit down and just look at me. And he’d say, 'Oh, Richard! You’re my idol. Just let me touch you.'”
- How Little Richard Launched The Beatles’ Career
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