In 2014, Paul McCartney is still dodging the whole “living legend” thing with the grace of a man who could’ve had a second career as a Liverpool street magician. Promoting his album New, Macca sat down to talk hooks, ghosts of Beatles past, and what it’s like co-parenting with the music industry.
“I must say it was great fun to make,” McCartney says of New, sounding more like a kid showing off his LEGO spaceship than the man who wrote “Let It Be.” “You know, two seconds ago there wasn’t a song… and now there is.” That's his creation myth. Forget the tortured genius in a studio — this guy’s still giddy he gets to punch the clock writing hits.
Asked how he manages to keep it fresh after five decades, Sir Paul gives the secret away casually: “You try and avoid writing mathematically. If that happens, you back off… or you work yourself down a hole.” He treats formula like it’s asbestos.
There’s a reverence for the magic and a deep mistrust of the method. “You’ve got to know how to spot them,” he says of good song ideas, comparing himself to a mechanic who just knows when the engine sounds right. And when a melody gets stuck in his head, “The best scenario is — oh, it’s one of yours.”
Of course, there’s also the little matter of being a Beatle. Does that come with pressure? “Not really, no,” he shrugs. “I used to go to a lot of concerts as a kid… and if they didn’t play the songs I wanted to hear, I didn’t go again.” Hence why “Hey Jude” is still on the setlist. Call it empathy, call it brand management. Either way, McCartney’s playing the hits for you, not out of obligation, but because he gets it.
And don’t think Wings is getting left out of the conversation. The great critical revision has arrived. “I remember some journalist saying, ‘Actually, Band on the Run was my favorite,’” Paul recalls. “And you go, whoa… a new generation has come up.” Even McCartney needs the occasional reminder that time eventually corrects the record.
If there’s any formula in his playbook, it’s this: don’t have one. That, and don’t make the same song twice. “We always hoped we’d never arrive at a formula,” he says of writing with John. “The moment you're almost gonna get bored… you stop and switch gears.” It’s not restlessness — it’s creative survival.
And if you think he’s mellowed out with age, he’s also been collaborating with the creators of Halo, helping score the game Destiny. “They wanted a song for the end credits,” he grins. “It was another world.” You imagine some gamer finishing a round only to hear a lush orchestral Macca anthem — aliens dead, Paul victorious.
Still, don’t expect him to start grinding achievements anytime soon. “I tried it, but I got killed like within the first 30 seconds,” he laughs. “The aliens got me.”
What’s left after all that? School runs. “I’ve got a little girl… when I get back to England I’ve gotta take her to school,” he says, juggling rockstardom and PTA meetings like it's the most natural thing in the world. “You could call it balance, or schizophrenia. In my case, I think it’s a great balance.”
Check out the interview above and then watch the video below.
