>> Stephen: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, HE USED TO HAVE A
COUPLE OF BANDS, MANY FEATURED ON YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHBOXES, BUT
NOW HE IS THE AUTHOR OF "HEY, GRANDUDE," PAUL McCARTNEY IS
HERE.
I WOULD LIKE TO ASK ABOUT THAT BOY GROWING UP IN LIVERPOOL.
IF YOU DON'T MIND ME ASKING, I KNOW YOU MOTHER DIED WHEN YOU
WERE 14, AND I KNOW THAT MANY PEOPLE ASCRIBE A TRAGEDY IN AN
ARTIST'S YOUTH TO BEING AN IMPETUS FOR THEIR SORT OF
CREATIVE SPIRIT, BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE TRAGEDY AND DON'T
BECOME ARTISTS.
IN WHAT WAY TID YOUR MOTHER'S DEATH AFFECT YOUR WORK?
IF THAT HAD NOT HAPPENED, WOULD YOU STILL HAVE BEEN MUSICIANS OR
BE THE MAN YOU ARE?
>> WELL, I DIDN'T THINK IT HAS AFFECTED ME MUSICALLY.
I JUST KNEW IT WAS A TRAGEDY.
I HAVE A YOUNGER BROTHER THAT'S A YEAR AND A HALF YOUNGER THAN
ME, AND TO LOSE YOUR MOM AT 14 IS NOT EASY.
SO IT WAS JUST VERY DIFFICULT FOR A FEW YEARS JUST TRYING TO
COME TO TERMS WITH IT, BUT THEN I FOUND MUSIC.
JON -- AND JON LOST HIS MOTHER, TOO, TRAGIC CIRCUMSTANCES.
>> Stephen: AT 17, I THINK.
O WE HAD A BOND, WE BOTH KNEW ABOUT THAT, WE KNEW THAT
FEELING, AND I NEVER THOUGHT IT AFFECTED MY MUSIC UNTIL YEARS
LATER.
PEOPLE WERE SAYING, WELL THAT SONG "YESTERDAY," "WHY SHE HAD
TO GO, I DON'T KNOW, SHE WOULDN'T SAY," THEY SAID, THAT'S
YOUR MOM.
I SAID, WELL, MAYBE, I DON'T KNOW.
I CERTAINLY DIDN'T MEAN IT TO BE.
>> Stephen: YEAH.
BUT IT COULD BE.
YOU KNOW, THOSE THINGS CAN HAPPEN.
BUT, YEAH, NO, I THINK THEN IT GAVE YOU THE IMPETUS TO JUST GO
AND HAVE A GOOD LIFE, WHICH I KNOW SHE WOULD WANT.
>> Stephen: BECAUSE YOU KNOW IT'S PRECIOUS, IT CAN GO AWAY.
>> MM-HMM.
>> Stephen: YOU MENTIONED YOUR FRIEND JOHN.
HERE'S A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE OF THE TWO OF YOU.
THAT'S A REALLY LOVELY PICTURE OF THE TWO WRITERS TOGETHER.
DO YOU REMEMBER THIS MOMENT?
>> I DO, YEAH.
AND THAT'S A VERY SPECIAL PICTURE FOR ME, ACTUALLY,
BECAUSE, WHEN THE BEATLES BROKE UP, A LOT OF THE TALK WAS THAT,
LIKE, I WAS THE VILLAIN AND THAT JOHN AND I DIDN'T REALLY GET ON
WELL, AND IT WAS A LOT OF DOWN TALK ABOUT IT BECAUSE EVERYONE
WAS SAD THE BEATLES HAD BROKEN UP, AND I KIND OF BOUGHT INTO
IT.
>> Stephen: THAT YOU WERE THE VILLAIN?
>> A LITTLE BIT, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE CALLED IT
ENOUGH, YOU START SAYING, WELL, MAYBE I WAS, YOU KNOW.
SO I HAD TO DO A LOT OF SORT OF WRANGLING WITH WAS I, WASN'T I?
DID I KNOW JOHN?
WERE WE FRIENDS?
YOU KNOW, KNOWING REALLY WE WERE, BUT THERE WERE SO MANY
RUMORS ABOUT IT, AND THAT PHOTO, WHEN I SAW THAT, IT'S LIKE, YES,
WE WERE FRIENDS.
AND IT'S A BEAUTIFUL PHOTO FOR ME BECAUSE IT JUST REMINDS ME OF
US WORKING TOGETHER AND HOW COOL IT WAS.
>> Stephen: DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT SONG THIS WAS THAT YOU WERE
WORKING ON?
>> NO.
DO YOULE?
( LAUGHTER ) YOU PROBABLY DO.
>> Stephen: I WAS ALWAYS IMAGINING THIS WAS YOU --
( APPLAUSE ) I HAD SEEN THIS BEFORE, AND THIS
COULD BE TOTALLY OFF BASE, BUT I WAS IMAGINING THIS WAS YOU
TALKING ABOUT THE LONG MEDLEY WITH HIM.
>> YEAH, IT COULD BE.
THAT'S A VERY GOOD GUESS.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU.
THAT'S PART OF THE JOB.
WE'VE GOT TO GUESS THINGS LIKE THIS.
I CAN ALSO GUESS YOUR WEIGHT AT THE CARNIVAL.
( LAUGHTER ) ASIDE FROM INTERVIEWS, WHEN
YOU'RE ASKED ABOUT JOHN LENNON, HOW OFTEN DO YOU THINK ABOUT
JOHN?
>> QUITE OFTEN, YEAH.
I DREAM ABOUT HIM.
>> Stephen: REALLY?
WOULD YOU MIND SHARING ONE?
>> NO.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
URE.
I MEAN, THE THING IS, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'VE HAD A RELATIONSHIP
LIKE THAT FOR SO LONG, SUCH A DEEP RELATIONSHIP, YOU KNOW, I
LOVE IT WHEN PEOPLE REVISIT YOU IN YOUR DREAMS.
SO I OFTEN HAVE BAND DREAMS, AND THEY'RE CRAZY.
I'M OFTEN WITH JOHN JUST TALKING ABOUT DOING SOMETHING, AND I
COME TO GET MY BASS READY TO PLAY, AND IT'S COVERED IN STICKY
TAPE.
YOU KNOW, DREAMS!
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: SURE, I KNOW.
O, YOU KNOW, I'M PICKING UP A THIS STUFF OFF AND TRYING TO
TALK TO HIM.
NOW, I HAD A LOT OF DREAMS ABOUT JOHN, AND THEY'RE ALWAYS GOOD.
>> Stephen: DO YOU EVER WRITE SONGS IN YOUR DREAMS?
>> YEAH.
"YESTERDAY."
>> Stephen: WHAT?
"YESTERDAY" WAS WRITTEN IN A DREAM?
>> UH-HUH.
>> Stephen: PLEASE, TELL ME.
I WOKE UP ONE MORNING, AND THERE WAS THIS TUNE IN MY HEAD,
AND I HAPPENED TO HAVE A PIANO BY MY BED.
IT WAS A LITTLE APARTMENT.
SO -- ( HUMMING )
-- WHAT IS THIS?
I THOUGHT, IT'S JUST AN OLD TUNE MY DAD MUST HAVE PLAYED, OR I
JUST HEARD IT YESTERDAY, YOU KNOW.
( LAUGHTER ) AND, SO, I WENT AROUND TO ALL MY
FRIENDS, TO JOHN FIRST, WHAT'S THIS?
WHAT'S THIS TUNE?
AND HE'D GO, I DON'T KNOW.
SO I WENT TO GEORGE MARTIN, PRODUCER, GEORGE, YOU KNOW A LOT
OF SONGS, WHAT'S THIS?
HE SAID, I DON'T KNOW.
SO AFTER ABOUT A COUPLE OF WEEKS, I DECIDED IT WAS MINE.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: AND NO ONE CAME
OUT OF THE WOODWORK.
>> NOT YET.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: THAT REMINDS ME,
YOU KNOW THIS MOVIE "YESTERDAY "-- .
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: THAT JUST CAME OUT.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: HAVE YOU SEEN IT?
YOU KNOW -- YEAH.
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SAYING TO US, WE'LL GIVE YOU A SCREENING.
I SAID, I'M NOT SURE WE WANT TO GO TO A SCREENING.
SO I SAID, NANCY AND I, WE'LL JUST GO TO THE CINEMA.
SO WE DID LAST WEEK THEN.
>> Stephen: SO YOU JUST WALKED INTO A MOVIE THEATER?
>> CORRECT SNOOD FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MAY NOT KNOW, IT'S ABOUT
A WORLD IN WHICH SOMETHING VAGUELY MAGICAL HAPPENS AND
THERE'S ONLY ONE MAN ON THE ENTIRE PLANET WHO KNOWS THE
BEATLES CA CATALOG, THE BEATLES NEVER EXISTED, AND HE'S SOMEWHAT
OF A FAILED MEW SESSIONS AND HE STARTS DOING THE SONG AND
EVERYBODY LOVES IT AND HE BECOMES A MUSICIAN.
WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THAT?
>> IT WAS A PRETTY GOOD PLUG FOR ME.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) WE WERE IN THE BACK ROW OF THE
CINEMA, WE PLANNED THAT MUCH.
>> Stephen: SURE, SURE.
O WE WERE IN THE BACK ROW.
THE GUY IS SORT OF SAYING, THIS IS PAULA PAUL McCARTNEY, THE
GREAT SONG WRITER, I WAS KIND OF --
( LAUGHTER ) IT WAS GREAT.
IT WAS A GOOD WAY TO SEE IT.
I WANTED TO SEE IT WITH PEOPLE RATHER THAN A CORPORATE
SCREENING.
>> Stephen: SURE.
O WE DID.
I THOUGHT IT WAS A NICE MOVIE.
>> Stephen: YOU KNOW WHAT I LIKED ABOUT IT IS IT GOT ME
EXCITED BECAUSE EVEN IN A WORLD WHERE NO ONE'S HEARD OF THE
BEATLES, JUST THE MUSIC ITSELF MOVES PEOPLE.
IT'S A MESSAGE TO YOUNG GENERATION THAT THIS IS NOT
HYPE, THIS IS BEAUTIFUL MUSIC OFTEN ABOUT LOVE AND THE NEED TO
LOVE OTHER PEOPLE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) SADLY, WE HAVE TO TAKE ANOTHER
COMMERCIAL BREAK, BUT IF YOU STAY THERE, HE'LL BE RIGHT THERE
WHEN YOU COME BACK.