Paul McCartney Revealed the Moment He Knew His Fame Had Gone Too Far
After The Beatles took over the world in the 1960s, Paul McCartney became one of the most recognizable faces internationally. While riches and notoriety have their benefits, there are times when fame becomes too much. McCartney shared the moment when he had paid the “price to fame.”
Paul McCartney still likes to feel ‘ordinary’ amidst his fame
McCartney has a high level of fame that makes it hard to feel normal in public. Everyone recognizes him and might try to talk to him, making living like an ordinary person challenging. In an interview with GQ, the “Blackbird” singer said he often takes the bus to feel grounded, even if everyone on the bus recognizes him.
“When I was a kid, I’d get on a bus, just going three or four stops, and get off, look around,” McCartney shared. “I remember years later, George Harrison said to me, ‘Do you still go on buses?’ And I said, ‘Yeah. I like it. I find it very grounding.’ And I actually do like it.”
McCartney believed his celebrity status became too much after he played a Beatles trivia game
One downside to fame for Paul McCartney is that he often finds people forget he’s human. In a 1994 interview with Rolling Stone, he recalled when someone gave him a Beatles trivia game and there was a question involving his mother’s death that he believed was too personal and made light of a traumatic situation for him.
“There’s a price to fame I decided to pay long ago. It was brought home to me when someone gave me a Beatles trivia game. The first question I looked at was, ‘What did Paul McCartney’s mother die of?’ Now for me, that’s my mom, who died when I was 14, and I know she died of breast cancer. But I don’t need it on some fun Beatley Pursuit game, because me and my brother are the two kids it happened to. That’s really emotional s***, and that can be hurtful. I’m adult enough to know they didn’t mean it that way. But when someone does mean to be nasty, I’ll give them what for, and suddenly it’s not cute Paul anymore.”
The ‘Yesterday’ singer doesn’t like taking pictures with fans
McCartney revealed to GQ that he refuses to take photos or sign autographs for fans. He reasons that he doesn’t feel like himself when posing for photos. He compares himself to a sideshow attraction that people can take advantage of. Instead, he likes to chat with them so he can be a normal person having a conversation.
“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,” McCartney explained. “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.”
