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 relationship 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.’ The possible ‘new Beatles’ are:
JASON STARKEY
Aged 44, he is the younger son of drummer Ringo Starr and his first wife Maureen. In the mid-1980s he performed with Buddy Curtis And The Grasshoppers, and was then part of the band The Peoples Friend. For a brief time he was in a band with his brother Zak, playing drums for Musty Jack Sponge And The Exploding Nudists. Since then, he has continued to drum for various bands. He lives with his partner Flora Evans and their three young sons.
SEAN LENNON
Sean, 36, is the son of John Lennon and his second wife Yoko Ono. His godfather is Sir Elton John. Initially a bassist and vocalist, he signed his first record deal with Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys, when he was 23. He has released a number of records both as a solo artist and with bands including his mother’s Plastic Ono Band. He has also written film scores. Two years ago Sean, who dates model Charlotte Kemp Muhl, formed the band The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger.
JAMES MCCARTNEY
He worked on his father’s albums including Flaming Pie (1997) and Driving Rain (2001), as well as his late mother Linda’s posthumous album Wide Prairie (1998). James, who lives in Brighton, began performing under the pseudonym Light. He released his first solo EP in September 2010 and is currently promoting The Complete EP Collection, a double EP.
DHANI HARRISON
Dhani, 33, is the only child of George Harrison and his second wife Olivia. He completed his father’s album, Brainwashed, after the star’s death in 2001, and performed at the Concert For George on the anniversary of his father’s death the following year, which featured Sir Paul and Ringo. He formed a band, thenewno2, in 2006, and in 2010 he joined U.S/ artists Ben Harper and Joseph Arthur to form Fistful Of Mercy. He is engaged to girlfriend Solveig Karadottir.