Beatles singer and bassist Paul McCartney said in an interview with Reader’s Digest (Reported by Classic Rock) that he will no longer sign autographs and joked that he always thought it was something strange. He already didn’t posed for photos with fans.
Paul McCartney said about not signing autographs anymore:
“It always struck me as a bit strange. Here, can I write your name down on the back of this till receipt please?’ Why? We both know who I am.” About taking selfies, he said “What you’ve usually got is a ropey photo with a poor backdrop and me looking a bit miserable. Let’s chat, let’s exchange stories.”
In an interview with GQ Magazine back in 2020, he had already explained why he doesn’t take pictures with fans, saying:
“So fame nowadays is a big ballgame, where all of these issues come into play and I would not like to be trying to get more hits than Beyoncé or more than Rihanna. I would not like to be playing that game. I just don’t want to have to engage that much. ‘OK, everybody. I’m at a restaurant. This restaurant is called,’ you know, ‘Quaglino’s, and I’m having this.’ Why would I want to tell anyone where I was? Why would I want to tell them what I’m eating?” Paul McCartney said.
“I’m the opposite. I don’t want people to know and I don’t want them to know what I’m eating. That’s private; otherwise, you don’t have any private life. For me, I’m glad it happened in the innocent days of the 1960s. It wasn’t so innocent, but the fame angle was.” It was exciting getting famous, but then it wears off a bit and when you’ve been famous for as long as I have, it’s a thrill sometimes and sometimes it’s a nuisance. But I’ve got strategies. I’m one of those people who – shock, horror – I don’t do pictures.”
He continued
“You’re walking down the street and someone says, ‘Paul! Paul!’ and they’re reaching in their pocket and you know what they’re doing: they’re reaching for their iPhone. And I say, ‘No, sorry, I don’t do pictures.’ And then I’ll say, ‘I hope you don’t mind. I’ll chat to you.’”
“And then I’ll spend bloody five minutes with them, explaining that if I do pictures I suddenly feel not like me. I feel like this famous celebrity. And you know what I always say? I say it reminds me of the South of France – come and have your picture taken with the monkey. Suddenly I’m that. I’ve got to be myself,” Paul McCartney said.