Sir Paul McCartney has revealed that he still approaches songwriting with the same curiosity and playful attitude he had when he was a teenager.
The Beatles icon appeared in conversation with comedian Rob Brydon at London's Roundhouse in Camden on Wednesday (10.06.26), where he shared that he has never been interested in sticking to rules when creating music.
He declared: “I don’t want to know any rules because that’s the fun of it.”
The 83 year old musician, known for beloved hits including Let it Be, Lady Madonna and Love Me Do, also confessed that writing gloomy material does not come naturally to him.
He said: “I have a hard time doing down songs.
“If I’ve got a down song, I’ll suddenly try and lift it, give it a happy ending or something.”
McCartney also reflected on the special connection he first formed with his late bandmate John Lennon.
He admitted: “I look back and I just think, ‘wow’."
The Yesterday singer remembered how they were simply two youngsters from Liverpool who shared a hidden passion for songwriting.
Macca said: “He was the first person I’d met who ever said that.”
The music legend was speaking while promoting his latest solo album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, a record that revisits moments from his past, and he went on to recall his early experiences with the late George Harrison.
He explained that the song Down South was inspired by the hitchhiking journeys they enjoyed together years before The Beatles rose to worldwide fame.
He described Harrison as a “very erudite, smart guy, very spiritual, very beautiful guy,” adding: “We had some great times together… This really gave The Beatles its strength.”
Looking back after so many years, McCartney said he is now able to appreciate the band's achievements as a fan rather than feeling the need to downplay them.
He said: “I can look back on it now like I’m a major fan.
“When you’re doing it, you’ve got to be a bit modest. But once it’s all done, you don’t have to be modest at all! So I do enjoy looking back on those memories.”
Chris Brown has been ordered to pay close to $13 million in damages after a widely watched civil lawsuit tied to a brutal dog attack at his California residence. A Los Angeles jury ruled that the American singer and his company, Black Pyramid LLC, were negligent after his 200 pound Caucasian shepherd allegedly attacked his housekeeper, Maria Avila. According to Billboard, the decision concludes a hard fought two week trial centered on the devastating incident that took place in 2020.
The case focused on a terrifying incident at Brown's home in Tarzana, where the dog, Hades, reportedly mauled Avila as she was taking out the household trash. The attack left her with permanent facial injuries, serious nerve damage, and partial vision loss. During the trial, jurors heard testimony claiming Brown drove away from the property shortly after the attack instead of helping Avila or contacting emergency responders. Brown later admitted he left because his manager advised him to do so, explaining that he panicked after seeing the amount of blood and wanted to avoid attracting media attention.
Although Brown accepted a measure of responsibility before the trial began, his legal team challenged how severe Avila's injuries were and argued that she shared some of the blame. Brown said he had warned employees that the guard dogs were extremely dangerous, but both Avila and her sister rejected that claim, saying no such warning was ever communicated because of a language barrier. Avila also told the court that the lasting scars on her arm and the emotional trauma she continues to experience have made it impossible for her to return to work.
Billboard also reported that the jury awarded an additional $885,000 to Avila's sister, Patricia, who witnessed the attack, as well as $50,000 to Maria's husband, Oscar Olivo. Attorneys representing the family said they were grateful for the outcome, describing the verdict as long awaited justice after five years of legal proceedings. The ruling comes as Brown remains on a major North American tour and ahead of a separate criminal trial he is expected to face in the United Kingdom later this year over an alleged nightclub incident.
