Pizza and Fairytales
When I was a sophomore or junior in high school, I wrote a paper about Paul McCartney titled "Pizza and Fairytales." Sadly this relic is lost in the mists of time, but I remember it as a hand-written creation encased in a big pink folder with the title boldy etched with a Sharpie (this was in the days before word processors). I also remember that the title came from a Paul McCartney quote, but I just learned from Wikipedia that it was actually a John Lennon insult to Paul, "You're all pizza and fairytales!" (Actually doesn't sound too bad to me, depending on the pizza and fairytales, of course).
The point is, I've been a Paul McCartney fan for a long time...for about 30 years. Yikes! This summer I was lucky enough to see Paul's concert at Target Field (the second time I've seen him live). Even though we were in the "cheap" seats (meaning they were very far away from Paul but not actually cheap) it was amazing. Paul had such energy, such charm, and experiencing live performances of songs that have been such a part of my life was priceless.
I first fell in love with Paul in 1983/84, thanks to Paul's duet with Michael Jackson, "Say, Say, Say." "Who is this adorable old white guy singing with MJ?" I asked myself. I soon discovered that old white guy had a pretty impressive career before the era of MTV. Okay, I knew about the Beatles before "Say, Say, Say," but I didn't really KNOW the Beatles until I began to care about Paul. My teenage years were spent obsessing over my two main pop culture loves: Paul and Dr. Who. I read everything I could get my hands on about Paul and the Beatles (again, remember this is in the pre-internet days, so I couldn't just Google things). I wrestled with the moral dilemmas posed by learning that my idol (Paul, not Dr. Who) had done lots of drugs and had copious amounts of premarital sex! (Yes, these were all very shocking revelations to my teenaged Lutheran self. And I'm sure there is fan fiction somewhere featuring the Doctor doing lots of drugs and having wild sex. If not, maybe someday I'll write it).
Soon after "Say, Say, Say," Paul came out with the movie and album "Give My Regards to Broadstreet." Although widely regarded as a disaster, I adored the Broadstreet soundtrack (even I didn't adore the movie when I finally got to see it on VHS, although I could never hate a Paul product). While this will probably seem sacrilegious to many Beatles (and even Wings) fans, I learned many of Paul's classics from Broadsteet and these are still the definitive versions for me. Most magically of all, I discovered the live album and concert film "Wings Over America" from Paul and Wings 1976 world tour. This mid 70's era Paul will always be my most cherished.
I love Seventies Paul not just for his awesome feathered hair and sparkly shoulders, but also because he wasn't just Paul, but Paul with Linda. Yes, I have and will continue to make jokes about Linda's keyboard skills and singing prowess just like everyone else, but I also think it's so cool Paul had Linda in his band. Seriously, why was this ever controversial? Yes, if Paul was a surgeon or a lawyer or possibly even a librarian, it would have been a big deal if he had his unqualified wife work with him. But Paul had a band that was mostly about having fun and expressing himself and singing silly love songs, so I think it's crazy romantic that he found a way to have Linda be part of that. (I know Chad and I love being in bands and plays together). So I got most blubbery during the Target Field concert when Paul did "Maybe I'm Amazed."
Whenever I think about my love of Paul, I think about the words of another one of my heroes, author Douglas Adams. Again, in my belief that memory usually trumps reality, I'm not going to try too hard to pin down the facts, but in one of the "Hitchhiker" series books, (I think "Life, the Universe, and Everything") Adams pays homage to Paul. (Yes, I realize I am being inconsistent in calling one hero by his first name and one by his last). Adams describes sweetly homicidal aliens that sing extremely melodic tunes that, "...if written by Paul McCartney, would have made him rich enough to own the universe." That captures the heart of why I adore Paul: his voice. So melodic, so sweet, that it managed to grab and melt even my prickly and repressed young rural Midwestern soul.
One of the advantages of growing older and no longer being a repressed teenager is that I now have much more disposable income and live in an age and location where old Paul McCartney and Wings records are cheap. I've always considered myself quite the Paul expert, but I'm learning there are so many Paul songs I've never heard. So I will end this much too long post with a photo of my acquisitions to date (notice "Broadstreet" prominently in the middle) with the promise/threat of future posts about my adventures with Paul records.
The point is, I've been a Paul McCartney fan for a long time...for about 30 years. Yikes! This summer I was lucky enough to see Paul's concert at Target Field (the second time I've seen him live). Even though we were in the "cheap" seats (meaning they were very far away from Paul but not actually cheap) it was amazing. Paul had such energy, such charm, and experiencing live performances of songs that have been such a part of my life was priceless.
I first fell in love with Paul in 1983/84, thanks to Paul's duet with Michael Jackson, "Say, Say, Say." "Who is this adorable old white guy singing with MJ?" I asked myself. I soon discovered that old white guy had a pretty impressive career before the era of MTV. Okay, I knew about the Beatles before "Say, Say, Say," but I didn't really KNOW the Beatles until I began to care about Paul. My teenage years were spent obsessing over my two main pop culture loves: Paul and Dr. Who. I read everything I could get my hands on about Paul and the Beatles (again, remember this is in the pre-internet days, so I couldn't just Google things). I wrestled with the moral dilemmas posed by learning that my idol (Paul, not Dr. Who) had done lots of drugs and had copious amounts of premarital sex! (Yes, these were all very shocking revelations to my teenaged Lutheran self. And I'm sure there is fan fiction somewhere featuring the Doctor doing lots of drugs and having wild sex. If not, maybe someday I'll write it).
Soon after "Say, Say, Say," Paul came out with the movie and album "Give My Regards to Broadstreet." Although widely regarded as a disaster, I adored the Broadstreet soundtrack (even I didn't adore the movie when I finally got to see it on VHS, although I could never hate a Paul product). While this will probably seem sacrilegious to many Beatles (and even Wings) fans, I learned many of Paul's classics from Broadsteet and these are still the definitive versions for me. Most magically of all, I discovered the live album and concert film "Wings Over America" from Paul and Wings 1976 world tour. This mid 70's era Paul will always be my most cherished.
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| My "Wings Over America" Paul. Love. |
Whenever I think about my love of Paul, I think about the words of another one of my heroes, author Douglas Adams. Again, in my belief that memory usually trumps reality, I'm not going to try too hard to pin down the facts, but in one of the "Hitchhiker" series books, (I think "Life, the Universe, and Everything") Adams pays homage to Paul. (Yes, I realize I am being inconsistent in calling one hero by his first name and one by his last). Adams describes sweetly homicidal aliens that sing extremely melodic tunes that, "...if written by Paul McCartney, would have made him rich enough to own the universe." That captures the heart of why I adore Paul: his voice. So melodic, so sweet, that it managed to grab and melt even my prickly and repressed young rural Midwestern soul.
One of the advantages of growing older and no longer being a repressed teenager is that I now have much more disposable income and live in an age and location where old Paul McCartney and Wings records are cheap. I've always considered myself quite the Paul expert, but I'm learning there are so many Paul songs I've never heard. So I will end this much too long post with a photo of my acquisitions to date (notice "Broadstreet" prominently in the middle) with the promise/threat of future posts about my adventures with Paul records.
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| My Paul and Wings record collection to date. Just acquired this summer! At first I tried to show restraint, but now vow to get every silly/cheesy/embarrassing Paul record I find. |
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