A Theory About The Beatles…

Bonus content for paid subscribers. My wee Beatles theory…

A lot of people reckon that Paul McCartney and John Lennon really didn’t like each other, that the falling out after The Beatles broke up carried on until John went to his grave. That’s actually not true. And did you know that George, who idolised John, didn’t speak to him after 1974? Worse than that, George didn’t — really — seem to care when he heard the news that John had died. George was so over being a Beatle that he carried that to his grave.

Anyway, look, Paul and John had a few hangs — they were each interested in the work the other was doing. There was some shit in the press passed back and forth, sure, but that was mostly Jann Wenner and his campaign to be John’s bestie.

And the Yoko thing? Well, that’s mostly racism, with some sexism thrown in too. Paul helped John win Yoko back. Paul had been the one to introduce them in the first place. Seeing his friend sad, hearing about his drunkenness when Yoko and John had separated, well that made Paul spring into action, he was the go-between, helping John to win her back.

John heard Coming Up from McCartney II and said “Paul’s back!” This of course was right as John was starting over, and there’s some real sadness there. Losing You and Beautiful Boy and Watching The Wheels tell us he was on his way back too.

But the thing no one really talks about is how George and Ringo grew to hate Paul. Okay, so there’s the documentary now, and it shows George storming out, getting pissed off at being told how to play guitar solos — instructed even. Paul’s brainwave were moving so rapidly that he’d wake with entire orchestrations in his head. And he knew his way around the guitar’s fretboard, and across the drum kit too.