Part 1 is here:
http://www.beatles-unlimited.com/2010/05/17/paul-mccartney-sunday-mail-exclusive-interview-part-1/
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Sir Paul McCartney interview part 2:
I can't believe I'm now in history books of the 20th century
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-interviews/2010/05/17/sir-paul-mccartney-interview-part-2-i-can-t-believe-i-m-now-in-history-books-of-the-20th-century-86908-22264520/
May 17 2010
By Billy Sloan
WHEN Paul McCartney was a pupil at Liverpool Institute, he couldn't
wait to leave school to start a rock 'n' roll band with mates John
Lennon and George Harrison.
Now, music legend Macca can't believe children are being taught about
his phenomenal career in class as part of their studies.
"I've got a funny little paperback book at home called Who Were The
Beatles? Oh my God ... can you believe that?" said Paul, relaxing in
his London HQ.
"Imagine trying to teach five-year-old kids about us. If children are
studying the 20th century, I'm in their text books."
But the superstar is not consigned to the history books and is
limbering up for a gig at Hampden Park in Glasgow on June 20... his
first concert in Scotland for 20 years.
He's planning a 40-song set including Beatles classics All My Loving,
The Long And Winding Road, Eleanor Rigby, Lady Madonna and Hey Jude.
The 67-year-old singer admitted he views archive footage of the Fab
Four being mobbed by screaming girls with mixed emotions.
"I watch that stuff with a mix of pride and sorrow that those days
are gone. I think, look at us there ... we were just lads. It's like
seeing an old home movie.
"Then I get a feeling of sadness we've lost John and George.
"The further away you get from the heyday of The Beatles, the more
amazing it becomes. It's grown in stature. At the time, we thought
we'd be lucky to last for five years."
Macca will hit Hampden two days after celebrating his 68th birthday.
The legend who sang "Will you still need me when I'm 64?" has NO
plans to slow up.
If anything, he wants to do even more big gigs, stage an exhibition
of photographs and pursue his passion for painting.
"I think the pop industry is still a young man's game. But for me
still to be doing it... how can I say that? The early days of rock
'n' roll were dominated by young people," said Paul.
"In the 1960s, something else started to happen. You got groups like
The Beatles and The Rolling Stones who became so big but only because
they were good.
"Now when I go on tour, I've got an incredible audience with me.
"The Stones also still have a huge following. Mick Jagger leaps
around like a crazy dude. And Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie
Watts are playing great too. So it's NOT a young man's game any more.
"When Led Zeppelin reformed in 2007, it was the most sought after
ticket of that year.
"Now you're getting older bands and as long as they can still play -
make a good noise - it can be a great show."
His massive stage set will be shipped to Glasgow in a fleet of trucks
by a 150-strong road crew.
Paul will slip into the city unnoticed... and he might even arrive at
Hampden by train or bus.
His £475million fortune has him fifth on the Sunday Times list of
musical millionaires but he goes to great pains to live as normal a
life as his fame allows.
"I didn't need grounded in Liverpool when I was growing up. I was
trying to do the opposite, I was hoping to get into clubs and they
were chucking me out," said Paul, laughing.
"Once fame arrived, it was decision time. What do I do if I don't
like this over-attention? I'm gonna have to get out. But I liked what
I do too much not to do it.
"I devised a strategy for dealing with life. I thought ... I'm gonna
go on the bus and see what happens.
"People would notice you but nobody would jump on you or go crazy. So
I've always used the tube in London."
On a recent trip to New York, however, Paul had a funny moment on a
Manhattan bus.
He told me: "New York is a big town for me. It's all 'Hey Beatle' on
the street. I got on the bus, paid my fare and knew the passengers
had noticed me sitting on my own.
"A black lady sitting up the back shouted. 'Hey, are you Paul
McCartney?' I replied, 'Yes I am.' She shouted back, 'What you doin'
on the bus?'
"I could see other people's shoulders going up and down as they were
laughing. So I said, 'I'm going Uptown just like you are but don't go
shouting across the bus ... come and sit here beside me.'
"I wanted her to know I was just an ordinary person like her. We had
a good chat."
Paul added: "I hate the idea of success robbing you of your private life.
"If I get asked for an autograph in the middle of a meal, I say, 'I
don't do that when I'm eating. I hope you understand. I'm out with my
girlfriend or my mates'.
"And most people do. They get it. I just have a few ground rules like
that. Fans respect you for it."
To buy tickets for Paul McCartney's gig at Hampden on June 20 call:
0844 481 1222 or log on to www.ticketsoup.com.
ON THE WRONG AND WINDING ROAD
Paul McCartney is praying he doesn't have a Spinal Tap moment when he
walks on stage at Hampden.
The superstar hopes he doesn't suffer a momentary mental block and
shout: "Hello Edinburgh."
That's what happened when Macca played one of the biggest shows on a US tour.
He said: "One of my most pear-shaped moments was when I played a
baseball stadium in Pittsburg. When you appear in such massive venues
instead of walking on stage and saying, 'Good evening everybody,' in
a normal voice, you've got to make everything bigger and shout it.
"I usually call out the name of each city which always gets a big
cheer. But my voice had gone during the soundcheck and I was worrying
if it would hold up.
"When I did my big stadium announcement and I shouted, 'People of
Detroit.' Normally I'd have got a huge cheer.
"But there was nothing. It all went quiet. My heart stopped.
"My mind started racing as I frantically thought of a way to get out of it.
"So I said, 'People of Detroit you are not. But people of Pittsburg
you are.' "Next day, a review in the local paper said, 'Oh, the old
wacky wit is still there.'
While I was thinking, 'If only you knew'."
BEST YET TO COME
He's written some of the greatest songs in pop history. But at the
age of 67, Paul McCartney hopes his finest composition is still
further along the long and winding road of his career.
The ex-Beatle can count Yesterday, Let It Be and Eleanor Rigby among
the jewels of his back catalogue and he wants to add to that incredible list.
"I have hobbies including painting and photography but my day job is
music and that's what I love doing best. So I've still got dreams,"
revealed Paul.
"I'm always trying to do better music. I don't know if I've written
my best song yet. That's the big question. It doesn't stop you trying.
"There's a scenario when I could look at The Beatles' career and
think, 'Wait a minute, we are talking Eleanor Rigby, Blackbird, Hey
Jude and Let It Be. I've probably written my best song so you've got
to give up.'
"At that point you say, 'Thank you very much,' and go on a long holiday'.
"But I love music too much. There's always this thought in the back
of my mind that... well, you never know.
"I might just come up with something else really good. That keeps you going.
"My recent album, Memory Almost Full was a good record with some nice
tracks and I was singing well. So you keep at it as long as you think
you're doing well."
.
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