![]() ![]() On stage he is self-deprecating – ‘This is one I wrote with my dad. 'We don’t need to stay in five-star hotels. It’s cheaper to drive than fly so we go around in a minivan. ‘It is about the music and keeping it authentic. The aim is to introduce him to the US market and showcase his first solo album, Me. James plays ‘hole-in-the-wall’ venues, often to just a handful of people. Travelling in a white minivan, James and his tiny entourage (his manager, tour manager and bodyguard) have driven more than 13,000 miles, staying at cheap motels (a cockroach skitters across the floor of the one where we meet). Sibling rivalry: James admits to sometimes feeling jealous of his sister Stella's success In a marathon schedule that echoes the tough training The Beatles endured in the nightclubs of Hamburg at the start of their career, James is now nearing the end of a 47-date, 27-state American tour. ‘I had to serve my time as a musician and wait until I had a good body of songs and for a time when both myself and my music were ready. I started out playing under an alias because I wanted to start quietly. Even Dad found it hard living up to The Beatles. ‘It’s hard to live up to The Beatles,’ admits James. It’s not difficult to guess why it’s taken him so long to pluck up the courage. ![]() Though he has played guitar since childhood, it’s only now that James has decided to follow his father into the music business, a prospect he describes as simultaneously ‘thrilling and a bit nerve-racking’. James says he ‘adores’ Nancy and considers her his ‘new mother’. Though his accent is softly modulated English, he peppers his conversation with Americanisms such as ‘awesome’, which are clearly a throwback to his American mother and perhaps the influence of his father’s third wife, New York heiress Nancy Shevell. He discusses his father’s disastrous marriage to Heather Mills (‘I didn’t like her’), the pain of losing his mother Linda, and how he ‘lost’ most of his 20s in a haze of drugs – a downward spiral that ended in rehab and caused a rift with his father. Having said that I want people to know who I really am – I’m OK with the truth.’ ![]() ‘But I understand people are interested in who I am. ‘I’m naturally guarded because of the way I was brought up,’ he tells me. It’s clear – even to his doubters – that James is a natural performer, almost as if the confidence and charisma of Paul have been handed down in the genes.Ĭlose knit: James sitting on his father's lap as the happy family pose for a photograph at home in 1980 His encore is met by a rousing standing ovation. If his soulful, spiritual lyrics have something of The Beatles about them, they are more Harrison than Lennon and McCartney. However, as the show progresses they are won over by his musicianship, pure singing voice and quirky charm. It also seems that many are expecting a Beatles-esque performance.īut James sounds nothing like his famous father, Paul, and at first the crowd are polite, but subdued. ‘I want to see what the offspring of a Beatle looks like,’ one woman tells me as the lights dim. The venue seats just 100 people and competition for space is keen, even though most admit they are there out of curiosity. The crowd has been queuing around the block to gain entry to The Bluebird Cafe, a legendary nightclub on the edge of town where stars such as Taylor Swift were discovered. He might be 35, but he has the diffidence of an awkward teenager, while his open-necked white shirt, jeans and black blazer make him look more like a dressed-down City slicker than a hellraiser.īut there is something about the hooded eyes and cherubic face that is eerily familiar.Īnd when James McCartney takes to the stage in America’s music capital, Nashville, he seems instantly at home under the spotlight. Going solo: James McCartney opens up about his relationship with drugs, his mothers death and why he waited until his 30s to start a music careerĪt first glance, he is an unlikely rock ’n’ roll star. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |