Last week, I did an interview with Ian 'Griff' Griffiths on Rock Radio UK . Listen here, if you missed it. It is a two hour interview, I play my favourite tracks a spill a few stories you won't have heard before. Girffi is a great presenter, we had a right laugh, as I think you can hear. One of the songs I play is "Live and Let Die" by Paul McCartney and Wings. It is probably my favourite Beatles related song. I told Griff I'd sling someone out of the house if they said they didn't like it. It is epic and Macca threw the kitchen sink at it. It was also the theme tune to one of my favourite Bond films. Bond is my favourite film franchise and Roger Moore my fave Bond. I suspect that Macca really enjoyed the opportunity to throw off the shackles and record that song.
I was chatting to a mate over the weekend, and I said "You know what, I'm glad I'm in the False Dots, I think it's better in many ways than being in the Beatles". He said "Now you are talking $h1te, how can you say that? Well clearly to have all the money Macca made from the band would be lovely, but it is also an albatross around his neck. Think how the murder of John Lennon must've affected him and the other surviving members. They literally cannot go anywhere wiothout being recognised. No walk down Brighton pier for him, or standing on the Gwladys or Kop with his mates (he claims to support both). Sure he can do the corporate, but that is as much fun as having your nuts nailed to the fence.
For me, one of the greatest joys is playing gigs in small clubs and pubs, then just casually chatting with the ordinary fans and other bands over a pint after. Firstly Macca can't do this because it wouldn't be safe and secondly, most would be totally overawed. Then there are the women that get attracted to succesful musicians. Now I met my wife back in 1985, when The False Dots were playing at the Three Hammers and we've been together almost constantly since. It never crossed my mind that she was 'after my money'.
As for actually being in the Beatles, in there heyday. The band started off doing a real slog for a couple of years, playing dives in Hamburg. Whist it must've been a brilliant experience, the band must have really roughed it. Then they had a couple of yers making wonderful, meaningless pop hits, beautifully produced and playing them to audeinces bigger than the PA systems of the day could cater for. It was the start of a new era in music. The Beatles Shea Stadium gig was one of the very first mega gigs. The PA wasn't loud enough. It isn't much fun playing a big gig with bad equipment. In 1966, they downed tools gig wise. They started to take large amounts of drugs and write very exerimental music. Whereas their early hits were full of fun and energy. the later songs were often quite dark and depressing. It doesn't really sound to me as if any fun was being had. McCartney and Lennon has been mates, but they had started to outgrow each other, especially John Lennon. Because the Beatles were a cash machine, they stuck with it for far longer than was good for them, meaning that when the split came it was acrimonious.
When McCartney no longer had to be part of the organisation, he started to enjoy himself again. He wrote songs like Hi Hi Hi. I've been in bands where it is difficult to be a in a room with someone. It is no fun. Fortunately, if you are in the False Dots, you will not be affecting anoyones turnover or profits, if you get fed up and leave. After the split, the only question anyone wanted to ask Lennon or McCartney was whether you would be getting back together. As for George Harrison and Ringo Starr? Harrison was a brilliant songwriter, a great guitarist and decent singer. He gets almost zero kudos for his input. He knew his views didn't really matter. I suspect that out of all of them, Ringo enjoyed the whole thing most. He was fourth in the firing line. I have a friend who knows him and says that he gets mildly irritated about people only wanting to know about an eight year episode of his life that ended 55 years ago.
One of the benefits of being a grassroots band, where no one much knows your music, is that when we play a new number people listen to it. I was having a discussion with friend about bands. They said "Why do bands have to inflict new material on paying customers, why can't they play stuff we know?". This disheartens me. I point out that the two best gigs I've ever seen were bands where I knew no songs. That was The first time I saw The Ramones and the first time I saw The Specials. Often fans miss the fact that great musicians continue to make great music, purely because they want the hits. Can you imagine working for a year on an album, only for all your fans to say "We are simply not interested".
I'd love to have a beer, a chat and a jam with Macca. In fact, I'd love to write a number with him. I was once told that if you want to know how to write a pop song, with good structure and all the elements to make a hit, simply study the hits written by McCartney. His solo output was often heavily criticised (not leased by his former collaborator John Lennon). As I said at the start of this, I think Live and Let Die is a classic. It may be his best song, Beatles or not. It is a real epic. It is clever, funny, dark and pacy. I've always felt he should write another Bond tune. If he wants a collaborator, he knows where to find me (LOL). But in all truth, whilst he's made zillions, I think we've had more fun. Even if he wanted to join The False Dots to play bass and do backing vocals on Longshot didn't die, at our next Dublin Castle gig, it would be no fun for anyone. It would just be a scrum fo dodgy selfies and stupidity. Bowie tried to step back into normality with Tin Machine. It simply doesn't work.
Anyway, here's what Macca's been missing!
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