The one genuinely moving, as opposed to entertaining, moment on the new DVD is when McCartney sings Here Today, the song that he wrote shortly after Lennon’s murder in 1980. He chokes up. “I’m talking to John in my head. It’s a conversation we didn’t have.” But they’d become friendly again before the tragedy? “Yeah, we were mates. God, that was so cool. It was the saving grace. Because it got a bit sticky after the Beatles. No, we were really good mates again — it was lovely, actually. Performing this song, in New York, where he was killed, is a very emotional affair. The last verse, where I sing ‘and if I said I really loved you, and was glad you came along’ ... Jesus, it’s like singing it to your dad who died.”
Would they have worked together again had John lived? “I dunno. We were always a bit nervous of that. Had he lived it might have happened, there was a mellowing. It could have been pretty interesting.”
It's always silly that every year at this time Paul McCartney has to come out and say no, John and I weren't at each other's throats a lá Aniston/Jolie (in people's fantasies.) There's plenty of people in the world who would be more interested in hearing something like that than in the music; I guess in the same way I'd be more interested in Lindsay Lohan having a meltdown and taking her shirt off on live tv than in hearing some new single she's put out. But then, in my own defense, hot titties are hot titties.
Strange world. Also that around this time every year people need to be reminded that as great as John Lennon was, he wasn't The Beatles, as I wrote four years ago today:
Mostly, I've always been pissed at how because he got shot, he became a martyr, while Paul became the "pussy Beatle", a "lightweight fop." In a lot of people's eyes. John IS the Beatles, which is totally ridiculous. Paul could have a tendency to get a bit mawkish at times (one song about your sheepdog is one too many, Paul), but he also CRANKED plenty - witness his bone-shivering cover of "Long Tall Sally", or his heavy metal "Helter Skelter." On the very same day he recorded "Yesterday", Paul also ran through his Little Richardesque number "I'm Down", so don't tell me he's a pussy (twas his 23rd birthday, and he ALSO recorded "I've Just Seen a Face" - quite a fucking day. jesus.) John and Paul were both great because of each other. Yes, John probably helped Paul steer from his sentimental show tune side sometimes, but Paul also kept John from completely going off the deep end too early with his "artsy primal scream feeling songs" - or, as I call them, "crap." So everyone, drop the Lennon is the Jesus Beatle and Paul sucked nonsense. Open your ears, listen to the albums and love them both.
2 comments:
Everyone KNOWS it's the drummer who is the heart of ANY band and therefore, Ringo WAS the Beatles. He CARRIED John and Paul. George was the soul of the Beatles. John and Paul were only songwriter/singer players. Way over rated. Ignore them individually and enjoy the band as a whole.
I'm a bit sleepy as I type this so, I'm going to assume the above comment is an attempt at humor, since Ringo's OK-at-best drumming made him the luckiest person in the history of rock music until Meg White showed up.
I am as tired as you--if not more--of debunking the whole 'John was The Great One/Paul was the Cute One' nonsense. To the point that it's made me a cranky mofo. But as you stated, the proof is in the post-Fab stats: Paul may have had his fair share of dreck, but he's got, at the very least, a dozen classic solo tunes. John put out a handful of uneven records and even his comeback album was not warmly received, with reviews being changed to positive ones upon his death soon thereafter.
In the end, you give the best advice: "Open your ears, listen to the albums and love them both."
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