FEATURE:
Paul McCartney at Eighty
IN THIS PHOTO: Paul McCartney in 1964/PHOTO CREDIT: RA/Lebrecht Music & Arts
Paul McCartney and Me: The Interviews: Eleanor Gray
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CONTINUING my run…
of Paul McCartney features ahead of his eightieth birthday in June, I am interviewing some awesome people about what McCartney and his music means to them. Now, writer and podcaster Eleanor Gray provides her reaction to the documentary-film, The Beatles: Get Back (she recently appeared on Chris Shaw’s excellent podcast, I Am the Eggpod, where she talked about day eight of the documentary), what question she would ask Paul McCartney if she had the chance, what her favourite Beatles, Wings and McCartney solo albums are, and what the beloved songwriting icon means to her. It is an illuminating, passionate and detailed interview from the…
IN THIS PHOTO: Paul and Linda McCartney in Long Island, New York in August 1995/PHOTO CREDIT: Allen Ginsberg (courtesy Stanford University Libraries/Allen Ginsberg Estate/Getty Images)
WONDERFUL Eleanor Gray.
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Hi Eleanor. 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 had unknowingly been listening to The Beatles since I was about 3 years old: Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da and The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill featured on my first ever cassette mixtape, Health Hustles. That tape was a copy of one that was used for our aerobics classes at primary school. I would spend most of my childhood obsessively listening and dancing to that tape alongside other songs from Buddy Holly, ABBA, Ottawan, and the Village People. I have since discovered that the Health Hustles aerobics programme and cassette series was an Australian government initiative.
I first developed a proper interest in The Beatles as a band with The Beatles Anthology. I was 10 years old and I had already grappled with Queen fandom for about two years. My parents weren't into popular culture, so it was up to my brother to do most of the in-house education about any modern music. I'm still sometimes surprised by how little I knew about The Beatles. I remember watching the first parts of the Anthology. I can recall that I didn't like their fringes, and I couldn't tell any of them apart.
Against the odds, I got swept up in Beatlemania. I was captivated by the documentary and the breadth of the music that came out of it. More than anything, I was got into the sense of anticipation that came with new material coming out of the vault. I was gripped at the prospect of watching Free as a Bird and Real Love for the first time. I wanted to learn more about the band. Soon my brother would get the Red and Blue albums on vinyl, and I naturally gravitated towards the Blue album...
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?
There were aspects of the documentary that hit me hard on the first viewing, like George being so harsh about Don't Let Me Down or Paul zoning out when George was talking. It disrupted my own vision of a happy, harmonious Beatles, and I found it hard to register microaggressions between the band. Everyone on the Beatles Twittersphere were agog with awe and joy, and I was just feeling very sad and distressed. I came into it thinking it was difficult period and what I saw was a difficult period.
I believe Paul to be an intensely creative person, but it's another matter to see him jamming out and materialising a song out of nowhere. I really felt for Paul when he said: “To wander aimlessly is very unswinging”. It must have been hard to wrangle his band-mates, to pin them down and motivate them. If you have a similar kind of personality, where you play the motivator among the unmotivated, it can be a bit triggering to watch that dynamic manifest in a group that you love with all your heart.
“I really felt for Paul when he said: “To wander aimlessly is very unswinging”.
In spite of all that, there are lots of moments that I really love. There are probably too many moments to mention, like Paul asking Mal to get an anvil (cuts to next scene), and then Mal has an anvil. There's another moment where MLH (the director, Michael Lindsay-Hogg) is explaining to Mal, George Martin and others that this intrusive boom mic is designed to surreptitiously record dialogue in the middle of the room. Mal then breaks the fourth wall and broadly grins at the camera.
I also love MLH's confusing code names for the band. This is probably the most slapstick moment of the whole thing. Of course, I love all the teacups. My heart leaps for The Teatles whenever I see a teacup.
Since watching the documentary, have you listened back to Let It Be and explored it in a new way? Has your perception of the band changed since?
I listened to Let It Be Naked again, as I consider it to be the closest to the version that was originally intended in January 1969. I also listened to the new Get Back mixes, but it deviated from my expectations. I spent more time doing a wider sweep of podcasts, books and documentaries on January 1969. I think it was important for me to appreciate that Peter Jackson's film was a crafted interpretation of what happened at Twickenham and Apple. It was important for me to dispel the idea that Let It Be was fake and Get Back was the truth. These are all versions and variations of a history and it was important for me to understand the rationale behind each era of editorial decision-making.
If you had to select your favourite Beatles, Wings and McCartney albums (one each), which would they be and why?
Revolver, for the beauty, complexity and diversity of tracks. Band on the Run, for the epic orchestration and the extraordinary circumstances under which it was recorded. Egypt Station, because it reminds me of attending Paul's secret gig at Abbey Road in 2018.
Maybe an impossible question, but what does Paul McCartney, as a human and songwriting icon, personally mean to you?
I really appreciate Paul's work ethic, curiosity and sense of experimentation. His process of rolling through permutations of melodies and chord sequences particularly resonates with me, because there are no value judgements attached to anything. It's just always moving on until what feels right. It's always fascinating to hear his insights and the way which he describes his own creativity. It makes you feel as if his gift is one that is accessible to everyone. His willingness to be as open as he is, to regale us with his understanding of his own musicality is hugely inspiring to me.
“I really appreciate Paul's work ethic, curiosity and sense of experimentation”.
It is difficult to say just how far and wide McCartney’s influence spans across music, culture and the world at large. If you were trying to explain to a child (or someone who had never heard of Paul McCartney) who was unaware of Paul McCartney why they should listen to his music, what would you say?
Words are unnecessary in this case. I would put on Hello Goodbye (or in my case, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da) and dance with the kid. I think it's a really kind thing to be present with another person, to listen to music with someone in real time. This is why people form such attachments to songs they used to listen to in cars with their parents. I think it's a crucial way to fall in love: to spend time and be truly present with another person.
If you had the chance to interview Paul McCartney now and ask him any one question, what would that be?
I want to ask whether we could analyse some dreams he's had about John.
After a hectic and eventful 2021, I wonder what you feel McCartney will embark on in 2022 (he was recently announced as Glastonbury’s Saturday night headliner in June). Do you have any predictions regarding McCartney in 2022?
More cryptic Twitter messages! And extraordinary shows in extraordinary places.
If you could get a single gift for McCartney for his eightieth birthday, what would you get him?
I would like a bus pass so he could ride around Liverpool all day long, or perhaps a kalimba.
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?
Got to Get You Into My Life. It has this evergreen giddiness and exuberance which makes me fall in love with him again and again.