Paul McCartney, Music, Money and Love in Old Age: “I don’t think it’s any different”

But with almost sixty years of recordings in the body, creative exercise does not exactly imply an interest in seeking new routes. “The idea of ​​growing up and adding more arrows to your bow is nice, but I’m not sure if I’m interested,” he says in the aforementioned interview. Furthermore, he assures that age does not mean stopping in more depth on some issues that breathe in some old songs. “I think it’s a fact of life that personalities don’t change much. Throughout your life, you are there ”.

The only thing that varies over the years? “It is the story you tell. That changes, he assures. But basically I think all of that is the same and sometimes you get lucky. Like, ‘Let It Be’ came from a dream where my mother had said that phrase. ‘Yesterday’ came from a dream of a melody. I am a great believer in dreams. I am a great reminder of dreams ”.

But there are things that remain. One of these is the appreciation for his most important creative partner, John Lennon. It is certain that the nasal voice of the former Beatle murdered 40 years ago has resonated in recent days in Sir Paul’s memory and for the same reason, he cannot help but remember it, especially if a few months ago he was interviewed by the youngest son and heir, Sean .

As if the magic didn’t fade over the years, he’s still shocked to recall some old stories, like the time he had to prop up the ever-insecure Lennon. “Sometimes I had to assure him that it was good. I remember he once said to me: ‘What are they going to think of me when I’m dead? Will they remember me? ‘ I felt like the older brother, even though he was older than me. I said, ‘John, listen to me. You will be so remembered. You’re so [grosería] great that there’s no way this will go away. ‘ I suppose it was a moment of insecurity on his part ”.

Even, forced by his interlocutor, Macca unearths some old story with Lennon, untold. A rarity these days when posts about the band abound. It happened during the photoshoot for the Abbey Road album, when the union within the group dissolved into discord.

The Beatles sat on the steps of Abbey Road Studios during a break while Paul’s wife, Linda, took some casual photos of them. “That morning John’s accountants had called my accountants and said, ‘Someone needs to tell John that he has to fill out his tax returns. He’s not doing it. ‘ So I was trying to tell him, ‘Listen, man, you have to. I was trying to give him the sensible advice not to get arrested for not filing your taxes. “

Paul also remembered George Harrison, the other late ex-Beatle. And he mentions another story, although somewhat better known, when both in their youth in Liverpool used to hitchhike. On one occasion they moved between the towns of Exeter and Paignton and ended up sleeping on the beach, thanks to the services of some girls from the Salvation Army who provided them with shelter. Like all youth stories, there is a disaster: George sat on a car battery and received an electric shock in the butt. “I have a very clear memory. He showed me the scar, ”McCartney recalls. Let’s be clear: it was George’s butt, and it was a burn with the exact shape of his jeans fastening. “

But the years have not provided him with answers for everything either. In the interview he surprises with a particular statement. Despite the journey and the three marriages in the registry, he assures that love, in each experience, is a surprise. An interesting reflection for a musician who is linked to compositions that revolve around this topic

“I don’t think it is any different. It’s always a splendid puzzle, ”he says. Although I write love songs, I don’t think I know what happens. It would be great if it was smooth and wonderful all the time, but even if you have a lot of that, sometimes it’s … you can be annoying.

On the other hand, a little forced by circumstances and a little by his personal history, McCartney has developed a particular relationship with money. Not unusual for someone with a fortune of 935 million euros, according to The Sunday Times. But in this case, he says, there is a kind of accumulation instinct that has remained intact since his childhood with deprivation, in the middle of the war, when the economy of England was still recovering from the disaster of World War II and the Stukas bombings.

“When I was a kid in Liverpool, I used to listen to people’s conversations. I remember a couple of women talking about money: ‘Oh, my husband and I, we always argue about money. And I remember very consciously thinking, ‘Ok, I’ll figure it out; I’ll try to have money. ‘ That put me on the path of ‘let’s not have too much trouble with money’. What also happened was that, not having much money, when something came into the house, it was important ”.

For the same reason, he confesses, until today he maintains some hobbies, such as keeping certain things. “I am a conservative,” he assures. If I go somewhere and they give me what I bought in a nice bag, I will want to keep the bag. My reasoning is that maybe tomorrow I want to put my sandwiches in it. “

“That way, my attitude towards money hasn’t changed that much,” he adds. It’s the same self-preservation instinct. One of the great things about money right now is what you can do with it. If my family and friends have a medical problem, I can say, ‘I’m going to help.’ The best thing about having money is that you can help people ”.

Of course, neither money nor the years have provided Sir McCartney with the recipe for a successful song, perhaps his most precious capital. “There is something in my ability to write music that I don’t think I am necessarily responsible for,” he says. It seems like it’s easier for me than some people. That’s it. I am a lucky man ”.

A lucky man, who at 78 could be fixing a fuse, fixing the lawn or preparing the rental of a summer house on the Isle of Wight, as he proposed in a song from the Beatle era. But above all, choose the music. Nothing has changed in that.