James McCartney: The Beatles are quite a hard act to follow

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James McCartney: The Beatles are quite a hard act to follow

James McCartney, son of Beatles star Paul McCartney, talks to Metro about the worst job he's ever had, going into the music business and what it's like working with his famous father. 
By Andrew Williams
8th September, 2012

How would you describe your music? 

Just rock’n’roll – I’ve been influenced by lots of bands such as Nirvana and The Cure. 

What was the first song you wrote about? 

It was called Wings Of A Lightest Weight – it’s about me and my dad but maybe unconsciously about my mum in some ways. I watched Death Of A Salesman and it made me think about life and I wrote that song. I was around 17. I’d been writing stuff before then but never finished anything. 

Did you go through a period of writing generic love songs?

A little bit later. My  version of love songs, a bit grungier. I liked Kurt Cobain a lot and went through a period of that after my mum died. I wanted to come to terms with negativity and had an epiphany. 

Why did you decide to pursue a career in music? 

My family is very artistic. Having an amazing father like I do, he was a great teacher and still is. He was and still is a huge role model. More than that, I love music and if I’m not doing anything I’ll pick up a guitar and write songs and lyrics. I grew up listening to bands such as Sonic Youth and just love music. 

What other careers did you consider?  

I thought about doing animation for a while and did art at college, I did a bit of sculpture. I always focused on being an  artist. When I was a kid I thought about becoming a fireman. 

Was there anything that convinced you to pursue music over art?

When I was around 13 I realised I was better than everyone else at my school at playing the guitar and thought: ‘Wow, this is something I’m good at.’ From that point I thought music was what I wanted to do. 

Given your background, did you think it might be a good idea to do something else? 

I never thought that. I didn’t want to worry about it. Rock’n’roll is about not worrying about stuff. 

But aren’t you either going to be accused of benefiting from nepotism or have your work unfavourably compared to that of your father? 

For a while I did run away from music but then I thought: What’s the point of running away from myself? I love music so decided to embrace it. 

Did that take a while? 

Yeah, because The Beatles are quite a hard act to follow. 

There was a story you’d be forming a group with the other sons of The Beatles. What happened? 

Nothing. It was something that was taken out of context and cleared up straight away. I made a statement on my website. I was just thinking out loud. 

Did you have a showbiz childhood? 

Yeah, it was quite jet setty. It was good fun but pressured in some ways. I travelled a lot but had a good education. In some ways it was difficult but I met lots of rock stars and grew up with them as role models and teachers and stuff. 

Who made a particular impression on you? 

All of them, really, but Dave Gilmour, Eric Clapton, Mick  Jagger, George Harrison, Ringo. 

In what way? 

In the same way as my dad. George still does. It’s really sad I don’t get to hang out with him any more but he’s still there on a spiritual level, which is very much what he was about. George was a prolific songwriter and an amazing artist, very spiritual and an amazing guy. 

Did any of them teach you anything? 

Paul Simon taught me to finger pick. My dad taught me the most – being in the studio with him creating sounds. Just being in their presence and watching them play guitar was a big lesson. 

What sort of working relationship do you have with your father? 

We write music together and he produced my EP Collection. Occasionally we’ll play the blues together and stuff like that. 

As a producer, is he collaborative or does he tell you what to do? 

Both, which is good. It’s good to have direction. He cuts to the chase. 

Did you see many crazy fans growing up?

We’d have fans come to the house at 6am sometimes and I remember my mum trying to talk to them politely. It happened a fair amount. You get used to it. If they’re harmless, it’s fine. I don’t really experience much of it. It’s stories from the past – like John getting shot, that’s all a bit nuts. 

What’s the worst job you’ve had? 

Gardening. I had to get up at 5am and the people I was working with weren’t that great. We were fairly different people. We’d mow the lawns at cemeteries. I lasted three days. 

What are your ambitions? 

To write good songs and immerse myself in the variety and expanse of music. Like most people I’d like commercial success but I’m just as interested in the artistic side.

James McCartney: I ran from music at first (Picture: Getty Images)