A CHAT WITH SIR PAUL
McCartney on social media, tours and White Album
Touring the world is effectively TORONTO a favourite pastime for Paul McCartney at this point.
When considering his time in the Beatles, Wings and his solo career, the 76-year-old has trekked across seemingly every region over the past 60 years. And he says his passion for playing for crowds remains strong, even years after most musicians would have thrown in the towel.
Hot off the release of his new album Egypt Station this month, McCartney is playing several Canadian dates on his Freshen Up tour, including Montreal Thursday, Winnipeg on Sept. 28 and Edmonton on Sept. 30.
Q The Freshen Up tour melds a selection of your latest songs with old Beatles and Wings favourites. Besides slipping a few new ones into the set list, like the subtly sexual track Fuh You, how do you keep your concerts exciting for both you and the audience?
A What we’re doing now is freshening up the show, trying things like new video projections. We get a lot of fans who have been to the show before, so I’m conscious of trying to keep it fresh for them. We have a couple of people who’ve been over 100 times ... all of us in the band and crew can’t believe these people want to keep coming back. We love that they do, but you put yourself in that position, you think, “Would I want to go to 100 shows of the same person?” But we’re very glad they do.
Q You’ve said the song Who Cares was inspired by Taylor Swift and the kinship she shares with her fans. In it, you address a fan and wonder if they’ve faced bullying. Can you explain how that became a song ?
A I might’ve been reading something about Taylor, so I was thinking in that ballpark. I understand how easy it would be to cyberbully, particularly for kids at school. When kids are growing up, their sensibilities are forming and if there’s somebody really trolling them, let’s face it — there are suicides that happen because of that. That affected me and I wrote the song saying “Who cares about you? I do.” Q I don’t think most of your fans would imagine you wading into the social media conversation. Feedback and comments online often get quite vicious.
A That’s why I don’t read ’em. I’m not a big social media person. I’m social, but I’m not “social media.” When I’ve got time off and I’m at home, I’ve got a farm in England, I’d rather be out riding my horse in the woods than looking at a little screen. It’s just not my thing. I certainly don’t read comments.
Q November marks the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ The White Album, which is being reissued in a remastered edition. Where does your memory take you?
A I remember where we were and the circumstances of recording each of the tracks. The only point in the remastering is to get the sound even better, and these days you can make things clearer. Some of the tracks are amazing because there I am, right in the room with John and George and Ringo — but John and George particularly because they’re no longer with us. I’m hearing them as I heard them in my headphones when we recorded it. It’s quite emotional.