Martin son wants to work with Sir Paul and Ringo
THE son of the late Beatles producer Sir George Martin has said he is “open” to working on new music with the band’s surviving members.
Giles Martin joined Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr in Las Vegas to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Cirque Du Soleil show based on the Fab Four’s music.
John Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono and their son Sean Lennon were also guests at the Mirage Hotel, while George Harrison’s widow Olivia was expected to attend.
Martin, the musical director of The Beatles Love by Cirque Du Soleil, said he would consider working with Sir Paul and Starr if they decided to reunite but “it wouldn’t be The Beatles”.
He said: “I think the reason you ask that is because ‘would it be like The Beatles?’ And no, it wouldn’t be. The Beatles were four of them.
“I love them both and they’re hugely kind to me.”
He said: “What can I say, it wouldn’t be The Beatles,” before adding: “I mean I’m open to anything.”
Sir George, often described as “The Fifth Beatle”, died in March aged 90. His son produced a number of tracks on Sir Paul’s 2013 album New.
Film-maker Ron Howard also attended the Cirque Du Soleil show after directing a new documentary, The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years, which is due for release in September.
Speaking on the red carpet, he said he had learnt the Beatles voiced concerns about segregation in America at the height of their fame.
Howard said: “I didn’t know they had taken an important stand on segregation in the South. I knew that later they began to speak out against the war in Vietnam and become involved in that and other social issues.
“I didn’t know that early in their career they were actually taking very hard, very courageous positions with something as incendiary in the United States as segregation. It was amazing to learn about that.”
John Lennon was shot dead in New York in December 1980 by crazed fan Mark Chapman.
George Harrison died from cancer in November 2001.
Starr and Sir Paul, who are both touring and recording with their own bands, still occasionally play together at special events.