L'intégrale de l'entrevue de Paul McCartney

Macca a donné une seule interview pour Québec, la voici:

Q The fans from Quebec voted on a song they would like you to play on Sunday, even though it's never been played in concert before. The song is Beautiful Night. Are you going to play that song ?

A You know what, I wish I'd heard that earlier, because we've just finished our rehearsals, and we didn't rehearse that one. So we wouldn't be doing it. But next time we come back, we'll definitely include that.

Q Is there a special song that you'll be playing here, something that will mark the 400th anniversary of Quebec City?

A I never say what the playlist is going to be, because I think the people prefer to be surprised. It's always a bit of a nuisance, because journalists always want to know so they can say « he's going to play this or that ». I always keep it a surprise. We've got a few interesting numbers that I think people will like. Like I say, I prefer not to say it in advance. Because it just blows the surprise, really.

Q When you play songs from the Beatles, do you feel young, or nostalgic?

A I feel great. What happens is that I rediscover the songs, because I wrote them when I was so young – most of them when I was early or mid-twenties. It's a great feeling because I'm singing the songs, but I'm also listening to them and discovering how these young writers used to work, you know, and how this band, The Beatles, put a record together. It's very interesting. So, there is a slight nostalgia… It's not so much that I feel any younger, but the nostalgia reminds me of when I was younger. I'll often get a picture of us, a mental picture of us recording the songs. That often happens. A couple of the songs we're going to do on Sunday, we've been rehearsing them this week, and I definitely get memories of writing the songs, and recording them. But I think the main thing is rediscovering the songs, and reexamining them, and looking at them from my perspective, now, and thinking “you know what, those kids weren't bad!

Q What are some of the favorite memories that come to mind?

A I think that during the early days, when we were recording at Abbey Road, we had a lot of fun because, looking back on it, you realize that we did some pretty good music. Obviously, I have a clear memory of being in that studio with John, George and Ringo, and George Martin, and putting the songs together, crafting them, singing them and looking at each other as we'd make some of the songs. It's very special, you know, especially since John and George are no longer with us. It's a very special thing to have those memories. It was a very exciting time. We were young kids, we'd just gotten money for the first time in our lives, we had cool clothes, it was the sixties, which was a very exciting time, and there we were at Abbey Road making cool music. So it's a kind of golden memory for me.

Q Do you remember a moment when the four Beatles, or you and John, came really close to playing together after the 1970 breakup?

A Not really. I think most of that was rumors, people saying “we hear they're getting back together. A lot of it was rumors. There were one or two times, when we would speak to each other, when a couple of us might say “hey, it would be good to get together, but the other might sort of say no, I don't think so. We never reached a point where the four of us said yes, it'll be a great idea, let's go and do it. And in the end, we decided to leave well enough alone. We thought, what we've done has come full circle, we made records from A to Z, and to go out again and try to recreate that might not be as good, and might spoil the memory of it. So we never got around to it, and we decided to leave it as it was. To leave it as the memory the people had of the Beatles.

Q Looking at the music today, how does it compare to back then?

A It's a very interesting question, because I know so much more and my horizons are so much wider. I've worked with symphony orchestras, with choral work, on the classical side, and I work with various types of musicians, so the work I've done is more complex. So I think my perspective, from now, is an interesting one because it's so broad. That's what I meant before: when I'm playing some of the Beatles' songs, they're deceptively simple. And I think “Oh my God, that was really clever%u201D. To make a song that simple, that short, and yet that memorable.
So it's an interesting perspective. But I love it, and I'm so lucky, because I did that then, and I'm doing this now, and I've always loved it, and every little bit in between has always seemed like something new. Certainly, looking back on then, I can certainly look back and say, “My god, some of the stuff the Beatles did was brilliant. And I'm allowed to say that now, without sounding immodest.

Q About your hit Silly love song: why do you think so many people consider that love songs are so silly?

A You know, I think the truth is that most people really like love songs. I was very lucky. I came from a very warm family, in Liverpool. Love was just part of my growing up, you know. The love of your parents, your uncles and aunties, your cousins. It was a very big family I was from, so, when I would listen to songs, if it was a kind of emotional, good love song, like some of the classics my father used to play, like Nat King Cole's When I Fall in Love, Stardust by Hoagie Carmichael, some of these old things… I loved them. I've never fallen out with them. But what I was writing about in Silly Love Song is that people, at certain times in their lives, feel the need to be cynical. I think that sometimes happens when you're, I don't know, 18 or 20. You're just growing up, and you went through a very awkward period. So when anyone talks to you, if you're a guy, about love, you just go “aaaw, pretend you're not interested. But I think pretty soon, if you get a family, or you get a partner, you find out what it's all about. Or rather, you find out it's what most of life is about, really, if you're lucky.
So I like love songs. And especially the great ones. And I'm really proud that some people think that I've written a couple of good ones.

Q Turning back to the 400th anniversary of Quebec City, why did you choose this particular venue, given the number of invitations you get, to go perhaps anywhere in the world?

A This year, I was asked a few things. I was asked to play in Liverpool, and the idea there was that Liverpool is the European Capital of Culture, which is a big thing for the city, you know. Because it's my hometown, I accepted the invitation, and we had a great evening, and it was a kind of celebration that Liverpool is being recognized as something special, you know, in this year. When my promoter came to me, and we had a meeting about what we might do, he said “Quebec has asked if you'll go there. And I said “well, what's special? “. He said “It's their 400th anniversary. And I said “Wo, that's amazing. And I've never been there. I think really, it was the fact that you are 400 years old, and it's not every city that can say that. And particularly, you know, right now it's your celebration, and I liked the idea of coming and being part of the celebration, and just helping everyone have a good evening. That's what I'm there for.

Q As you probably know, the French language is central in Quebec. What importance are you giving to the survival of the French language on this continent, for your show on Sunday?

AA. I speak a little French. I live in the South of England, and I'm two hours away from the center of Paris by train. So I can hop on a train and be in the Gare du Nord in two hours. So I love France. It's one of those things. I, personally, have a good relationship with French people. I love the language. And I love languages anyway, and I think they're very important to preserve. I'm hoping to speak some French. I don't know a lot of French, but you know, I can parler français un petit peu. Or as I say to people, un petit pois! Sometimes I like to speak languages, so I will be hoping to speak some French, because I know a lot of the audience is French-speaking, so you know, I'll try my best. Obviously, I might have to lapse into English, if I suddenly want to tell a story or something. I'm not that fluent. But I love speaking French. And the strange thing is, you know, most English people learn French at school: if they are going to learn a language, it's French. In my school, it was weird, because I learned Spanish and German. So I never learned any French in school. But as I say, I like French enough, and I like the language enough to have picked it up a little bit on my own, just visiting France. My daughter, when she first started as a fashion designer, Stella, she worked a lot in Paris, so I spent quite a bit of time there, visiting her, when she was starting out. So I learned a little bit. I'd always say merci beaucoup, and then I would hear French people say Je vous en prie… And I'd say “what did you say, and they'd say je vous en prie, and I'd say “could you say that slow, and they'd say je… vous… en… prie. So I'd learn that. So know, when someone says merci beaucoup, I can say je vous en prie. Or if it's a friend of mine, I can say je t'en prie. Etcaetera.

Q Any message you want to say, using the show as a political platform?

A I don't think so. It's more of a celebration. It's like a night out, for me. I'm not really informed enough about Quebec politics to get in there. I don't like to do that. If I think I'm informed about a subject, and have a very passionate feeling, then I will do that. But I hate to go off half-baked, you know, to launch into an issue and not know what I am talking about. I've been asked to come and help celebrate this anniversary by putting on an evening of fun for people. So that's how I'm approaching it. It's really more of a party for me.

Q Back to the music. What is the best song you've written so far?

A Aha. The next one!

Q Did you ever hear a song that made you say: I wish I'd written it?

A Yes, there are a few songs like that, that I would have loved to have written. Particularly the old ones. Things like Stardust, by Hoagie Carmichael, or Cole Porter, Cheek to Cheek, and more modern ones… I like Billy Joel, you know the one… I like you the way you are… don't change it. I don't even know the title, but I like it. Fields of Gold, by Sting. I would have liked to have written that one.
But you know what? I'm not desperate. I've written enough.

Q Do you feel that prominent musicians should get more into social activism?

A I think it's not a bad thing. I think in the past, traditionally, entertainers didn't get involved. I mean people like Charlie Chaplin, Paul Robeson, were pro-socialism, and they stuck their necks out a little bit. But I think people now only admire them for it. I think it's become more recognized, by people like myself, U2, Bob Geldof, a lot of entertainers, that you have a certain power inasmuch as a lot of people will listen to you. So if there is an issue you feel is important, you have the right, as a citizen, to address these people on this issue. Maybe only half of them will be interested in what you have to say, but I think it's quite a good idea for what you see as the good of people. I think something like the original Live Aid, by Bob Geldof, was a very important thing for him to do. Or the concert for Bangladesh that George did way before that. George probably started that whole thing. I think it's a great thing. It can obviously affect people's thinking. I'm not sure that before Live Aid, a lot of people knew about African deaths. It awakens people's attention to these important things. And they don't have to listen. If they just come to listen to the music, they can do that. I'm glad that some of my colleagues are keen to make the world a better place.

Q Mr McCartney, if you were to find yourself in a room, today, with George, John and Ringo, and look back, what would be the thoughts, the images you would share at this late date in your life?

A I think we would probably go back to Hamburg, and probably think about our days before we were famous. When we were just wild kids in Hamburg. That was an exciting period. And I think we would then move on to our early recording career, working at Abbey Road, making the records. I think John and I would have great memories of writing together, which was very exciting. And I know both of us loved that. Then we would probably choose some moments from our performing career which were significant for our singing career. You know, like singing for the Queen, which is kind of cool when you're just kind of working class scruffs. And then, playing things like Shea Stadium, which was the first big stadium gig anyone had ever played. And then probably, we'd remember little things. Like the first time we went to America, I remember we were all down in Miami, doing the Ed Sullivan show.
When you asked that question, an image came to my mind of us all, just in a swimming pool in Miami. So I think there would be a lot of parcel memories like that as well. Or when we were in Paris, when we got the news that we'd got our first number one in America, with I want to Hold Your Hand. That was great.
There'd be so many great moments that it would be difficult to choose. We could spend a good week, I think, just reminiscing.

Q Since his death, John has become bigger than life. What about your legacy?

A. Oh, I don't mind, you know. It's okay. If none of my songs were recognized, I would have that problem, but I'm very lucky, as a huge amount of my songs, more than most people, are recognized. So, when a song that I think is good goes slightly unrecognized… I mean, you can't really say that an album that went platinum was unrecognized, but I know what you mean. It's not pulled out as a classic.
I don't mind though. A lot of people pick up these songs later. A lot of young kids are coming back to me, these days, with Wings songs, saying “Man, I love those songs%u201D. There's time, you know. Everything doesn't have to be successful now. I think in time, people might look over some of my stuff and say, that wasn't a number one, but it was a pretty good song. I'm very happy with the success I've had. It would be a bit of a pity if I were to moan about the success I haven't had. I wrote all those songs, and I also meet some people who like to like the more underground songs. A lot of people like to be cool, so they don't like to be seen to be choosing the big hits. They like to choose the more offbeat things. A lot of younger kids are like that, that I meet. It's quite nice when someone comes out of the woodwork and says, “I like The End of the End… I happened to be talking to Jeff Lynne, of Electric Light Orchestra, who happens to be a good friend of mine, and he just said, I like Only a Mother Knows. As long as one person who I respect likes it, it's good enough for me.

Q Where do you go from here?

A Quebec. (laughter)

Q After Quebec. What's next?

A I don't know. Onward. Forward, you know. I very much enjoy what I do. I feel very lucky to still be enjoying it. I think a lot of people in my position would have got fed up by now. But I haven't overworked, you know, so the idea of coming to Quebec is very exciting. I had dinner with the guys from the band, over at my house, last night, and we cooked up a meal. And we were all excited. We were like “Yeah, dude, can't wait. I don't know what's next, really. There may be a North American Tour next year. That's being talked about. I have a couple of projects I'm writing that I'm very excited about. I'm writing a guitar concerto. I'm well into that. So I've got plenty of things to keep me busy, but the next move is Quebec City.

Q With all the glory, all the money, you continue to work hard. Are you a workaholic?

A No. I think I sometimes give that impression, because people say that about me. But in actual fact, I don't work very hard at all. If you knew the truth… I work less hard than most people. One of the nice things with music, I always say to people, we don't call it working, we call it playing music. I think there's something significant in that. I would do this, even if it wasn,t the way I earn my living. It's like a hobby for me.
This week, for instance, I've rehearsed with the band. Three days. That's a three-day week. That's not a workaholic. When we finish this conversation, I'm about to go take a ride on my horse for two hours. Hey! Anyone in the room jealous? Sometimes it just looks like I do a lot of things. Well, I do, do a lot of things. But they're quite well-paced. So I don't overwork. I don't think so, anyway.

Q Will you be meeting friends in Quebec City?

A Yes, I have a couple of Canadian relatives, and I have some friends who are from Quebec who have rung me and who are going to come and see me before the show. So it will be nice to see a few old friends.

Q Any Francophone artists?

A There are a couple of Canadian artists who are on the bill, so I look forward to hearing them. There are some friends who were born in Quebec, as well, so they're very excited to come and hear me in their home town. I'm looking forward to it.

Q Dominic Champagne, who directed Love, with Cirque du Soleil, told us that he was wondering if the fact that you had worked with Cirque du Soleil and a lot of Quebec artists had influenced your decision to come to Quebec City.

A I don't think it did, actually. You're right, I've had much more contact with French-Canadians recently, through the Love show. It wasn't part of the reason to come to Quebec, to tell the truth, but it's part of the excitement. I'm looking forward to see Gilles [Ste-Croix, du Cirque du Soleil]. He's a cool guy, he comes to my shows quite a bit. I like it a lot, he's very talented, and he's a nice guy, too. They've put together a great show in Las Vegas, so we've become really good friends, him and Dominic and a lot of the French-speaking team.

Q Thanks for your time.

AI hope to see you on Sunday. And if not, you'll see me!

(laughter)

À la prochaine!

hum...il y aura des surprises !!!