There are good days (you make the train on time, your hair cooperates, and ooh, look! someone left donut holes in the breakroom!), and then there are the days when you get a phone call saying that the world’s most famous-amazing-ridiculously-iconic living musician will be waiting for you in an office lobby in midtown Manhattan in one hour. Wednesday was the second kind of day for me.
How to describe meeting Sir Paul McCartney? Well for one, he is obscenely nice. Like, smile-and-shake-hands-and-be-gracious-to-every-dingbat-who-tells-him-the-Beatles-are-a-really-good-band nice (Elizabeth Hasselback, who let you off the ranch?). In the course of an hour and a half, he never refused a single autograph request (except when a briefly-needed police escort prevented it), and happily acknowledged every person he met, treating parking lot attendants and the page who showed him to his dressing room at The View with the same easy, open friendliness with which he greeted Barbara Walters. (Also very friendly, by the way, and pretty great-looking for her age. She had me at "hewwo"!).
FYI, he sings everywhere. Little ditties in the elevator, funny bits of melody in a car zipping through midtown traffic while crazy-eyed autograph hounds weave and dodge in hot pursuit — and to hear that beyond-famous Paul Voice, the voice woven into the fabric of hundreds of millions of people’s lives for the past 45 years, except three feet away, for your ears only? NO BIG DEAL. What? I died.
In New York for a quick pitstop to publicize his recent, excellent album, Electric Arguments, under the pseudonymous name The Fireman, McCartney is chatty about everything from Beyoncé to the I Ching. He also talked about the upcoming Beatles special edition of Rock Band, the evolution of the Beatles/iTunes situation, his old friend Allen Ginsberg, and how to make the best veggie lasagna. But I have to save something for the magazine article, right? So check back in a couple weeks for more of what was all in all a pretty spectacular treat — to have the privilege of meeting a legend-beyond-legend, and to find that creative genius and kind, genuine human being-ness can actually co-exist. I only wish I could do it eight days a week.
More Beatles/McCartney:
Paul McCartney’s ‘222′ video
The Beatles catalog is finally downloadable!…Oh wait, no it isn’t.
Unreleased Beatles track: Y’all ready for this?
Beatles videogame: Yoko Ono speaks
Book Review: John Lennon: ‘The Life’
Comments (1-30) of 41 Add your comment
Wow… I’m insanely jealous.
Looking forward to your article Leah. Next time thta happens call me and I will gladly hang out with you and Paul:).
Absolutely great story – it truly makes me pine for your job AND solidifies my theory that Paul McCartney is undeniably awesome. And Barbara Walters, for that matter.
I am 110% looking forward to your article, Leah. And thanks for the reminder that I need to hop over to YouTube and actually watch Macca’s The View appearance. (Oh yeah, and I am a wee bit jealous…)
It might sound like complete hero worship, but Paul just strikes me as such a fabulous all-round guy. I’d pay anything to be able to buy the guy a drink. Make the most of your interview, for all of us who won’t get the chance. Craig.
WOW – how lucky are you? I got chills reading about you hearing that iconic voice only a few feet away. Again, WOW and… oh my God, I’m just unbelievably jealous of you right now!!!
Reminds me of the SNL skit where Chris Farley “interviewed” Paul McCartney. Classic.
Jealous am I! Jealous beyond all reason. What a wonderful experience for you. One of those tell-your-grandchildren kind of stories I bet. Can’t wait for the article!
Wow, this is great. Can’t wait to see your chat. He always seems like a good guy, and nice to people.
It’s a treat to hear this from you as you must meet a lot of folks!
He hasn’t been relevant in over 40 years. If ever at all.
George is still my favorite.
Wow! I’m with everyone else in the crazy jealous department. Ironic that my iPod shuffled “Yesterday” into my ears this morning–that song still breaks my heart! I can’t wait to read your article. Thanks for the heads-up. It’s so nice to hear!
My dad and his wife met Paul McCartney while we were all visiting London. They bumped into him accidentally while I was off on a BEATLES TOUR! I don’t need to tell you how sick I felt when we met up later and they told me…
Incidentally, Paul was very nice and stopped and chatted with them for a couple of minutes. He only asked that they not take pictures (to avoid drawing a crowd).
And relevant? Yes he is! He is my favourite performer and songwriter; after 30 years of loving the Beatles I discovered Wings and all his solo stuff fell in love all over again.
It’s beyond me why his post-Beatles work has a bad rap. My only guess that because some of it appears to be very simplistic upon first hearing it, some don’t feel there’s anything to it. But repeated listenings will reward a good ear like crazy! For instance, I disliked Chaos and Creation in the Backyard the first time I heard it, but came to understand its depth, beauty and pure melodic grandeur after listen #4.
Hi,
I like to say that so far the scandal has not dropped yet. The scandal is Paul Mccartney in order to get back his copyrights must be in the same room with a lovechild daughter of John Lennon. Yes, years ago John Lennon in all his depression designated a child born out of wedlock to be one of his hiers. Ono told Michael Jackson to go and become publisher on the catalogue so he could hide the documents that would claim her. Ono was scared of a scandal. Now years later copyrights have come due in england. They couldn’t hide that and Paul knows it is no use. He must play cute to the American public. That is why he went on the View. He is a fucken phoney! I am in the music business so I know. How come they didn’t speak of the Beatle catalogue or Jackson. Goes to show they are scared!
Why doesn’t anyone anywhere ask him when the friggen remastered Beatles CDs will be out. Who cares about crappy quality downloads?. The Beatles are the only major artist who have not updated their catalogue since they were first released on CD in 1986. They sound crappy and the packaging is horrible. Come on , get them out today!!!!!
ooooh, the famous Denise from “the music business”–it’s a good thing we have you to tell us the real truth of Sir Paul! You probably work for the music department of the “World News”. And clean up your language, there are more intelligent ways of expressing yourself other than the F-word.
Oh, Leah, great job you have there. Thanks for the irony-free, enthusiastic post.
Beatles fans, check this out: http://magazine.jamsbio.com/2009/01/05/playing-the-beatles-backwards-the-ultimate-countdown/
I officially hate you.
I’M SO JEALOUS!!!!!!!!! Paul is my idol to end all idols and I would LOVE to hang out with him! It makes me so happy to think about it almost makes me cry!
I’ve been to over 100 concerts and I have seen pretty much every major artist there is, but the ONLY time I was star-struck was when I saw Paul McCartney in 2006. I was 17 rows from the stage and honestly don’t think I took a breath during the first song. I was so excited, I’m still not sure which song is was, though I think it was “Hello Goodbye”. It was the last stop of the tour in L.A. and he was amazing. His band members all had their families in the audience and he took time to introduce all the band members and let them say hi to their families from the stage. BEST CONCERT EVER!!!!!!!
Beatles Fans, I invite you to view this page, which is very good and complete: http://beatlesmagazine.blogspot.com/
Yeah, put me in that jealous group! I am almost 60 years old and I KNOW that if I EVER EVEN got that close to Paul, I would probably faint! Or at least turn into a total moron and not be able to speak!! From the time I first set eyes on him when I was a 14 year old girl in Catholic high school, I have been “in love” with him! He and the Beatles changed my life. I realized I didn’t want the normal life that I was supposed to have – marry the neighborhood boy and have babies – I went the exact opposite. Graduated high school, got a job and went to England the first chance I got!! I broke out of the mold that was expected of me and haven’t looked back since! And it’s all because of the Beatles.
It’s just sad that his time was wasted on a bubble head writing for “Popwatch” who makes “jokes” about Barbara Walters.
Paul should name his next albulm…FOOLS GOLD.
I loved this article and can totally relate. I was lucky enough to be at “The View” that day. My friend sent away for tickets about a year ago and when they announced on Monday that Sir Paul would be on—she knew she had to bring me. I’ve been a fan since 1964 when I was 9. We got to the studio at 6:30 and braved the 20 degree weather. When we were let into the studio I couldn’t believe we were in the front row seated right by Nancy Shevell. I can’t even describe the emotions I was feeling. We were allowed to take pictures during the commercial breaks while Paul sat on the set. After the third set, as he was being escorted to the door, I knew I would never get this opportunity again, so I shouted “Paul, Paul” and extended my hand. He looked over and walked right over to me, I blurted something out and he said something and it’s all a blur–but Sir Paul McCartney shook MY hand–omg!!! Now I just wish I would have asked for an autograph or taken a picture. Maybe next time LOL:)
Leah Greenblatt, as a fellow journalist and huge Beatles fan, I only have four words for you with regards to this article:
I am totally jealous!
Is he really dead?
Besides his immense talent and creativity and looks and voice and everything else, I’ve always been impressed that he treats everyone the same – that is a sign of a good man with a good heart. You’re the best Paul! You were raised well!
Too bad his marriage with Ilene didn’t work out.