FEATURE:
Paul McCartney at Eighty
IN THIS PHOTO: Paul McCartney in 1964/PHOTO CREDIT: RA/Lebrecht Music & Arts
Paul McCartney and Me: The Interviews: Shaun Keaveny
____________
FOLLOWING the interview I published…
with his friend Matt Everitt, I have been hearing from the fantastic Shaun Keaveny about his love of Paul McCartney and what his music means to him. Before coming to his interview, make sure you check out his incredible projects and podcasts. His podcast, The Line-Up, is one that I would thoroughly recommend. Here, guests are invited to choose their fantasy festival line-up. His Community Garden Radio is a radio revolution that you will want to listen to (go and support Shaun on his Patreon page). He also hosts the BBC Radio 4 series, Your Place or Mine. There are some really interesting interviews out there, where Shaun has talked about his new ventures and projects. It is inspiring to read! Check out his interview with the Financial Times, his chat with Steve Chamberlain for The Observer, and his talk with The Times. It has already been a busy and exciting year for Shaun! To distract him and get his mind onto all things Paul McCartney, Shaun reveals when he first heard the music of Paul and The Beatles; what he made of the recent three-part documentary, The Beatles: Get Back, and why he thinks McCartney is so loved and adored after all of these years. It has been great (insert Paul McCartney impression here) learning about Shaun’s love and experiences with the music of…
PHOTO CREDIT: MJ KIM/MPL Communications
A musician without equals.
_____________
Hi Shaun. In the lead-up to Paul McCartney’s eightieth birthday on 18th June, I am interviewing different people about their love of his music and when they first discovered the work of a genius. When did you first discover Paul McCartney’s music? Was it a Beatles, Wings or solo album that lit that fuse?
I’d say I was about 6. Kensington Drive, Leigh. At my grandparents’ house. My best friend was my uncle Martin, who was 2 years older than me (northern families). His older brothers, my uncles, listened to all the good stuff. We got access to the Red and Blue compilations, and it was the cultural water we swam in from there on. The high watermark, that we didn’t realise at the time, would never be surpassed! What an incredible impact those comps had. Totally ubiquitous and essential.
“What an incredible gift it must have been for him and Ringo to watch that film”.
Like me, you must have been engrossed by The Beatles: Get Back on Disney+. How did it change your impression of The Beatles at that time, and specifically Paul McCartney’s role and influence on the rest of the band? Did you have any favourite moments from the three-part documentary?
The issue that I have here is time. I could probably give you a 20-page response. I think the man himself said it best. That it wasn’t until he himself watched back the footage that he realised what an erroneous narrative he had bought along with us all. That at this point the band didn’t get on. They hated each other and didn’t speak except through lawyers. What an incredible gift it must have been for him and Ringo to watch that film. And for us.
I’ve said it before but, to me, The Beatles are an extension of my family. Uncles I have not really met. I actually love them. That’s seems silly, but it’s true! As for favourite moments, all the times that John makes Paul piss himself laughing. The time George laughs when John gets the words wrong in Don’t Let Me Down. The bit where John says “It’s like we’re lovers or something” to Paul. Ringo’s total, gnomic, BUDDAH-like calmness and selflessness…I mean...have you got a spare hour??
I also loved the McCartney 3, 2, 1 series he did with Rick Rubin. Did you catch that at all, and did you learn anything from that you didn’t know before about McCartney?
I watched a fair few. It was nice. But poor old Rick is just like me: he’s totally fanboyed; he cannot ask a critical question; he’s just like “Yea, that was so cool too!”. Which is what I’d be like. My main takeaway was that, although Paul is one of the best bass players ever, he can’t play air bass at all well.
If you had to select your favourite Beatles, Wings and McCartney albums (one each), which would they be and why?
I’m going to confess: I’m more Beatles and less solo Macca. Beatles-wise it’s impossible, but I would say Abbey Road. As for Macca, the one with No More Lonely Nights in (1984’s Give My Regards to Broad Street). And Wings: Band on the Run!
“There were more problematic legacies I am sure, but it was mostly delivered perfectly from a place of great kindness”.
Maybe an impossible question, but what does Paul McCartney, as a human and songwriting icon, personally mean to you?
He, along with the other Beatles, heralded an unprecedented level of freedom, creativity, self-expression, curiosity…but mostly, love acceptance and inclusivity. These are all hallmarks of what McCartney and The Beatles left behind. There were more problematic legacies I am sure, but it was mostly delivered perfectly from a place of great kindness. I’m seeing it through rosé-tinted spectacles I am sure!
Of course, McCartney’s music will live longer than any of us. It has inspired millions of people around the world. Why do you think he is so enduring and beloved? Is there that single element that sets him aside from everyone else?
Like Mozart or Hendrix or Lennon or Nina Simone or Miles Davis, what sets him or them apart is a quirk of fate and DNA. Pure luck really. A confluence of environmental factors and innate talent that burps out a total fucking genius every so often. Thank God it does, or the world would be so boring.
I think that McCartney is an artist both reverted and underrated. A lot of his albums and songs have been ignored or slated unfairly. Is there a Macca song or album that you would urge people to investigate – one that is perhaps a little less adored?
I look forward to seeing the answers to this and educating myself, as I am guilty as many of undervaluing much of his output. Teach me! I would say something daft like Mull of Kintyre was so ubiquitous and derided, but it’s fucking incredible.
As we know, Paul McCartney will headline Glastonbury on Saturday, 25th June (mere days after his eightieth birthday). What do you think he might play in terms of songs/his set? Do you think he might bring out any special guests?
l saw him in 2004. I can’t remember granular detail FOR SOME REASON. However, I remember it was a bonanza of bangers, and then there were a shit load of fireworks after Live and Let Die…so I would expect more of the same! I would hope there might be a couple of very special guests. And to that point, I should point out Paul, if you’re reading this - which you surely are -, I WILL BE AT GLASTONBURY THIS YEAR, and will happily help you bang out a number or two.
I know you have interviewed McCartney before but, if you had the chance to interview him now and ask him any one question, what would that be?
Have you got any gear?
If you could get a single gift for McCartney for his eightieth birthday, what would you get him?
An hour of total fucking peace with nobody asking him anything or wanting him to do anything!
To end, I will round off the interview with a Macca song. It can be anything he has written or contributed to. Which song should I end with?
Sorry, but it would probably be Here, There and Everywhere.