This evening, I attended a special screening of Man on the Run, a documentary covering the life of Paul McCartney from the breakup of The Beatles, the origins of his solo career and the rise of Wings through the assassination of John Lennon.
Early on in the film we see footage of McCartney's farm in Scotland in its early days. Macca tells us that he didn't know if he'd ever write another song after The Beatles disbanded. This I did not find convincing considering that most of the footage of him is singing or playing the guitar even in casual moments. Music would always be a part of his life. The question was would it be accepted by the public let alone measure up to The Beatles.
McCartney's early solo efforts (McCartney, Ram) and early efforts with Wings (Wild Life, Red Rose Speedway) were maligned and misunderstood. Greater success would come in the form of Wing's seminal album Band on the Run followed by Venus and Mars, Wings at the Speed of Sound and Wings Over America, the live album documenting Wings' viability as a live act. Of course, even with these successes, McCartney's work with Wings would always be measured against The Beatles although Wings' 1977 "Mull of Kintyre" would be a bigger hit in the U.K. than any Beatles single.
Of course, there was always hope of a Beatles reunion whether it was $3,000 from Lorne Michaels in the early years of SNL to the hundreds of millions of dollars. Alas those hopes were forever shattered with John Lennon's assassination in December 1980.
Grounding McCartney during this period was his wife Linda who was an integral part of Wings. Although Linda McCartney has been dead for nearly 30 years, she remains very much a part of his life through his memories and through his children.
Following the screening, there was a bonus clip of McCartney speaking with Man on the Run director Morgan Neville. What struck me most about their dialogue is how old Macca is getting. Yes, he is still touring but he was laboring to play both "1985" and "Maybe I'm Amazed" on the piano and did not attempt to sing either song in Neville's presence.
Yet we must remember that McCartney will turn 84 in June. In other words, "When I'm 64" will be commemorating a 20th anniversary of sorts. The fact remains that McCartney could sell out any stadium in the world. Most people understand that one cannot do at 83 what was one was able to do at 23 and 33.
It is worth noting there was a clip of a reporter questioning McCartney's ability to perform at 33 which the reporter viewed as old age for rock 'n roll. Macca invited the reporter to see the show and then come backstage after and tell him if he still had it or not. In our present age, I suspect most people are just happy to be in Paul McCartney's presence for a couple of hours even if he can't hit the notes he once hit with ease. Macca's music and The Beatles at large have a larger meaning for people. As such, people want to appreciate Paul McCartney while he is still here. For his part, Macca still hopes we will enjoy the show.
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