Paul McCartney talked in an interview with GQ Magazine about the about the difference of fame in the 60’s with the Beatles and nowadays. The 78-year-old musician probably one of the most famous people in the world for over 50 years.
Paul McCartney about the difference of fame in the 60’s and today:
“So many. In the 1960s, fame was a completely different ballgame. It was new, it was innocent, it was exciting and any time anyone asked you for an autograph you said, ‘Yeah, let me do two!’ You just wanted to do that. Then there came a time when that started to wear off, so you go, ‘Yeah, OK, I’ll do the autograph.’ But then people are coming up to you when you’re having a private dinner or something and you go, ‘Could you wait until I’ve finished eating?'”
“It starts to pale and fame will start to become something that was not as attractive as it once was. But I would not want to be trying to get famous now, with social media and stuff. Lots of people in my family do Instagram and I say, ‘I can’t believe you’re doing this, because every time you post something you’ve got to think of something clever to say.’ It’s the worst pressure on earth.”
“Because all you’re doing is taking a picture of your breakfast and you’ve got to say, ‘Pancakes are not just for Shrove Tuesday.’ For me, that is not fun. In truth, I do have an Instagram account and I occasionally dip into it, but it’s not really me. It’s my team who do it. I like it and I like that they do it, and when I do dip in I kind of enjoy it, especially when something important has happened, like someone’s birthday or someone has died…” Paul McCartney said.
Social Networks
“I remember once having dinner with Gwyneth Paltrow and she asked if I had a Facebook page and I said I did but that I didn’t look at it very much. And she looked at me in horror and said, ‘That could be very dangerous.’ And I said, ‘Well, I suppose it could be, but I just can’t be bothered.’ All of this stuff, I dip into it, but it doesn’t really attract me. I’d rather just go off into a corner and try to write a song.”
“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.
Paul don’t do pictures
“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.”
“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.