CLUB SANDWICH 47-48

singer-songwriter'?" "No, I wanted to be a teacher. It was the only thing I had the qualifications to be. But I went out to Hamburg and we were earning the princely sum of fifteen pounds, which as you remember Terry was a lot in those days. I was so chuffed that I wrote back to my headmaster -of this very good grammar school in Liverpool-'Dear Sir, I'm in Hamburg playing with a group, but we're on fifteen pound a week, so stuff you.'" (Laughter.)
            "Do you wish that you'd become better qualified academically?"
            "Not really. At school the only thing I was any good at was English - I had a really good English literature teacher who got me onto that vaguely poetic thing. And funnily enough, working with John, we've sort of become known as the poets of our generation. So I got into literature without meaning to."
            "Do you come from a musical family?"
            "My father used to play piano - and trumpet, until his teeth gave out." "It must be a great regret to you that your mother didn't live to see you succeed?"
            "That is one of the big regrets, and when you have kids - that she didn't know how the kids turned out. My Dad sort of made up for it: he'd be super-proud. We'd be in a restaurant and he'd say, 'Pon't look, they've spotted you. That table's got you. Smile over here -go on, son.'" (Laughter.)
            "When the Beatles finished, it must have been a hard act to follow."
            "If there was any group that you would not want to follow on a bill, it would be the Beatles. So it was really a choice as to whether I would attempt to follow it, or just give up and not be in music any more."
            "People perhaps don't remember, but Wings were enormously successful."
            "Yes. Because we were in the shadow of the Beatles, we always assumed we weren't doing well. But you look up in all the charts - we did great."
            After the 'Once Upon A Long Ago' video, we returned to the studio to find Linda seated alongside Paul. Terry suggested the Devon scenery in the video was similar to some of her photographs.
            Linda: "It is. It's very like Scotland, I must say, which is where that stag -which they say didn't feel fear - went up on the roof. I would have liked to photograph that." (A photo of a stag at bay on a cottage roof had just been in the British papers.)
            "If you hadn't taken up photography, you wouldn't have met Paul?"
            "Probably not - you never know. I was in England taking photographs for a book and I thought I'd like to photograph the Beatles and Stevie Winwood, who's a great favourite of mine, and we happened to meet in a club. I was quite impressed."
            "I think we should look at some of your photographs, because being married to Paul McCartney it's very easy to live in the shadow. Did you feel the necessity to breakout?"
            "No, I'm not really worried about 'living in the shadow'. I love life and I'll just have a good time."
            Paul: "She's a really good photographer-one of the best, I reckon." (Cheers.)
            Some of her photos were shown, including studies of Jimi Hendrix (Linda: "My hero - greatest guitar player ever") and Lucky Spot, her Appaloosa pony, surrounded by wild flowers. Had Linda any tips for other photographers?
            "Follow your instinct. One thing I never do is crop photographs. When you look through, make sure it's the picture you want, and just take pictures if there's enough light or not."
            A picture of swans came up.
            Linda: "This was done near Fairlight, where they were gonna drill for oil. The world needs people to stop ruining it and leave it for our own aesthetics."
            "Can you live on aesthetics?"
            "Well, you can live on aesthetics a lot more than on concrete and rubbish. I think people are much happier with nature than they are with the trees being cut down and big trucks moving in."
            "Are you committed to that in the same way, Paul?"
            "Yeah. At that particular place, there were gonna be thirty-six of these 'nodding donkeys' drilling for oil. I don't think that really improves the view."
            "Are you a keen photographer?"
            "Not really. I leave all that to Linda - she's much better."
            "He's good, though," Linda interjects, "He's a natural."
            "You stand up for him all the time!"
            Paul: "We like each other, Terry." (Laughter.)
            "Do you like each other better now than ten years ago?"
            Linda: "About the same."
            Paul: "What d'you reckon? Shall we tell him."
            Linda: "No way, we're on telly."
            "You're both very busy people. Did you get much time to give to your family, as they were growing up?"
            Paul: "That's one of the reasons we don't tour the world all the time. You've gotta give 'em some time. That's one of the problems with showbiz and politics - politicians are always speaking in the House all the time, not their own house, and get a lot of problems at home. So we do try to be there if possible."
            "Do you have any rules for bringing them up? Do you tell them off?"
            Linda: "Not me!"
            Paul: "You're telling the kids something and they go 'Yeah, yeah'..." (mimics children yawning.)
            Linda: "We love them. My kids are my best friends, really. They're great."
            "With a name like McCartney, it must have been very tough for them."
            Paul: "There's nothing you can do about that, but the kids learn to stick up for themselves quite early on. You'll always get the one feller who goes, 'Myehh -McCartney, "Mull of Kintyre" - myehh'."
            "It's a tribute to you both that your family are up there. They didn't just stay at home and watch it on television. Is there anything specific you'd both like to achieve in the next 20 years?"
            Linda: "For me it's the old things: peace on earth and stop eating animals. I seem a bit cranky, but it's really what I'm interested in."
            Paul: "My ambition's along the same kind of lines, really. Even with the Beatles, you were always looking for peace on earth and after a while it gets boring - 'Yeah, peace. I'd rather have war, it's more exciting." (Laughter). But that's what we keep chuntering on about and you get people like Geldof who do great things, you with Children in Need.. .that's what's to do in life, I think. And have a bit of a laff and a song along with it."
            Close on a triumphant 'Listen To What The Man Said'.
            Seven days later Paul popped up in the rather different ambience of Channel Four's The Last Resort, hosted by the young, sharp-suited Jonathan Ross, whose intro was a bit of gem.
            "He was born in the small English town of Liverpool. With some friends he formed a band known as the... Bee-at-els, and apparently they were very famous. And it doesn't surprise me, because the boys in the band say he's a great little entertainer."
            Then it was into 'Don't Get Around Much Anymore' with Steve Neieve (we think that's the current spelling) and the Playboys: Steve (keyboards) and Pete Thomas (drums) from Elvis Costello's Attractions, and Kevin Armstrong (guitar) and Steve Lawrence (bass). Kevin took a solo on his very battered weapon - both he and Steve N. have been in the studio with Paul - and with their promising rhythm guitarist and singer in the band achieved the same sort of compelling, fractured drive as EC and the A's. Then Jonathan joined Paul (sweating only the merest touch) at the front of the stage.
            "I've got a couple of albums here I wouldn't mind you signing for some friends of mine if that's all right," began a tentative JR, a heap of LP's under his arm. "This one's for a friend of mine called Jonathan.. .So why do the oldie like that?"
            "I've recorded some of them on the twelve-inch of my new single - there's a couple of rockers on it." (Cheers, whistles.)
            "Could you do this one for another friend of mine? Just put 'To JR'...
            Recently Michael Jackson bought the Northern Songs catalogue, with a lot of your stuff. How did you feel about that? I know you own quite a few songs yourself."
            "I thought it was a terrific move on his part. He said 'I'm gonna buy your songs, Paul.' I said, 'You're joking.' Then he phoned me and said he's bought 'em."
            "You're working with Elvis Costello at the moment, aren't you? How did that get together?"
            "Somebody said, "It might be a good idea if you work with Elvis Costello.' I said, 'I'll give it a try' He's very good, y'know..."
            "Can you put on this one 'To Jon-Jon'?"
            "This is definitely the weak item on the show."
            "You're gonna tour soon, aren't you?"
            "Well, maybe next year."
            "Have you got a band organised, or are you gonna try and take these brave boys?"
            "No, I haven't asked the boys yet, but they're shaping up pretty well."
            "We can't possibly let you go without doing another number for us. What are you gonna do for us all, Paul?"
            "A little song called 'I Saw Her Standing There, 'Cause She Was Just Seventeen'."
            (Cheers, pandemonium.)
            And that wasn't all. After an engaging performance of the above Beatles chestnut with another brittle, distinctive guitar solo from Mr. A., Paul and co. whacked into 'Lawdy Miss Clawdy', featuring fine piano work from Mr. Nieve after ditto organ playing on the previous number.
            That made two hot Paul McCartney apearances, on top of The Roxy, the 'Long Ago' video and the advert for All The Best- and we haven't even mentioned Top Of The Pops or Going Live, the children's programme. Yes, late '87 was a pretty good time to be glued to the small screen.