Conversations with McCartney

October 10, 2016
Du Noyer, founding editor of Mojo magazine, has interviewed Sir Paul McCartney many times since 1989, and in this sometimes cloying collection, readers get to hear the seemingly ageless former Beatle discuss a variety of topics: songwriting, religion and spirituality, his enduring relationship with Linda Eastman, his reflections on the breakup of the Beatles and life after the group. The interviews alternate between insightful and bland regardless of subject. On the making of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, for example, McCartney recalls that they were “fed up being ‘The Beatles’ ” and asked, “Why don’t we pretend that we’re another band? Make up a name for it, make up alter egos, so we can make a whole album from the point of view of this other band?” On touring: “It’s never the last tour as far as I’m concerned... I’ve always said I’ll be wheeled on when I’m ninety.” McCartney also points to the moment when the Beatles’ music significantly changed, with the 1966 release of Revolver: “It started to be art... it changed from showbiz to art.” Du Noyer’s book offers a glimpse of one wide-eyed fan’s conversations with his hero, and it will mostly appeal to McCartney fans who wish they were in Du Noyer’s shoes.

"The world's most famous living Liverpudlian" speaks.McCartney has never been shy of speaking his mind. Here, he opens up, repeatedly and over several decades, to longtime NME correspondent and founding Mojo editor Du Noyer (Deaf School: The Non-Stop Pop Art Punk Rock Party, 2013, etc.) on all manner of topics, not least of them "the world's most famous dead Liverpudlian," he being, of course, fellow Beatle John Lennon. Sir Paul's not just a Beatle, though he will go to his grave with that designation first and foremost. To judge by Du Noyer's portrait, he is the cheeky and cheerful fellow of popular depiction, though he is also deeply thoughtful and capable of self-criticism, if not always very trenchant. Since Lennon's murder 36 years ago, McCartney has labored to rebuild his image as the lite-pop Beatle against Lennon's rocker, and here his conversations sometimes turn to such things as his Little Richard shout and penchant for blistering rockers like "Helter Skelter." There are surprises aplenty for Beatles casualists; who knew that Linda sang the highest of the high notes on "Let It Be"? Du Noyer's book has a slightly slapped-together feel, as if raw material for a more cohesive biography in times to come, but for all that, it contains bits and pieces that are suggestive and illuminating. At one point, McCartney recounts, for instance, being stuck in writing the song that would become "Drive My Car," which well illustrates his thesis that the whole business of songwriting involves "some kind of mystery as to whether you're going to pull it off." Happily, Du Noyer concentrates on the substantive in these conversations, which are both thematically and chronologically arranged, avoiding celebrity fluff to get into the meat--beg pardon, Sir Paul being a vocal vegetarian and all--of his work. A welcome contribution to a growing body of serious but not solemn work about The Fabs before and after, the cute bassist in particular. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2016

John Lennon never wrote a memoir, and so far Paul McCartney has resisted the idea of an autobiography, but in two new books the musicians through their own words speak with candor and reflection, bringing an intimate and revealing look into their already well-examined lives. As one of rock's most self-searching and questing artists, Lennon's conversations were mixtures of wit, naked openness, and political and social commentary. Editor Burger (Springsteen on Springsteen) has selected 19 interviews from print, radio, and television, most either never published in print or not easily accessible today. The transcripts are presented chronologically, providing a background introduction that contextualizes each. From an early radio interview in 1964 to the famous Dick Cavett TV appearances of 1971 and concluding with an interview done only hours before his tragic murder in 1980, Lennon's sardonic humor, intelligence, and honesty are displayed in these revealing discussions. Music, activism, songwriting, and, of course, the Beatles are all topics woven together throughout the pieces.

Journalist Du Noyer (In the City: A Celebration of London Music) first interviewed McCartney in 1989 and spoke to the musician dozens of times over the next 25 years. He gives readers a portrait of the former Beatle extensively using McCartney's own words. The author mixes different conversations from throughout the period to create a continuous flow to the narrative, which encompasses the arc of McCartney's career. After a roughly chronological examination from pre-Beatles to the 21st century, Du Noyer turns to thematic chapters on songwriting, touring, classical music, art, fashion, love, and celebrity. McCartney's conversational style is direct and casual, illustrating the author's belief that McCartney's music has been a continuing balance between art and show business, and that the totality of his career makes him one of the foremost musicians of our time. Reading each musician's own words one sees the differences in temperament, introspection, philosophy and style, and also the many reasons why they together and alone remain towering figures in rock music VERDICT Both titles are essential new additions to the voluminous Beatles literature and the group's principal songwriters and will be of interest to those already familiar with their life stories.--James Collins, Morristown-Morris Twp. P.L., NJ

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