Here come the sons
Four decades after the Fab Four split, Mccartney Jnr talks of forming a band with the Beatles' boys
It is 42 years since the world's most famous band broke up, following an acrimonious split between former best friends Paul Mccartney and John Lennon.
Now, however, Sir Paul's only son James has revealed a new group featuring the offspring of the Fab Four could become a reality.
James - who was last night due to follow in The Beatles' footsteps by playing the Cavern Club in Liverpool - has revealed he would be keen to form a ' next generation' Beatles with the sons of the other band members.
He said the idea had already been mooted 'a little bit'. Asked further if a new Beatles could happen, he said: ' Yeah, hopefully, naturally. I don't know, you'd have to wait and see. The will of God, nature's support, I guess. So yeah, maybe.'
The 34- year- old said he was ' up for it' and added that Lennon's youngest son Sean, 36, and George Harrison's only son, Dhani, 33, had also shown support for the idea.
He said Ringo Starr's eldest son, Zak, 46 - who has achieved success as a drummer with Oasis and The Who - was less keen, but suggested Zak's brother Jason, 44, also a drummer, could fill that role.
He said: ' I don't think it's something Zak wants to do. Maybe Jason would want to do it. I'd be up for it. Sean seemed to be into it. Dhani seemed to be into it.'
Singer- songwriter James has played guitar on two of his father's more recent albums, while his father has co- produced two of his son's EPS.
James, whose mother Linda died in 1998, was known to have fallen out with his father during Sir Paul's second marriage to Heather Mills.
Asked about his relationship with his father, James admitted it had been ' difficult' on occasion. But he added: ' It's amazing. Sometimes in the past, a few years ago, it can be [ sic] difficult, it can be tense, like families can get. But beyond that it's beautiful.
' He's a genius, he's beyond genius, and he's a big inspiration. Very intellectual and amazing at what he does, so it's great fun.'
On Monday James played the 320capacity Borderline venue in central London and among those watching were his elder sister, fashion designer Stella Mccartney, 40, as well as Lennon's widow Yoko Ono, 79.
In an interview with Radio 5 Live yesterday, James spoke of his rela- tionship with Yoko, saying she reminded him of his late mother. ' She [ Yoko] is great,' he said. ' She reminds me a lot of my mum. I think John chose Yoko and dad chose Linda. I guess they're pretty different as well but to me she [ Yoko] just seems quite similar in some ways.'