Back in Oz: Paul McCartney’s advice for youngest Aussie fan

HE’s back in Australia for his One on One tour. And Beatles legend Paul McCartney had plenty of stories to tell when he met fans at an intimate fan Q&A.

Paul McCartney begins the Australian leg of his One on One tour by sitting down with fans for a Q&A in Perth. Picture: The Australian

“GO to school — number one — and just be good.”

That was music icon Sir Paul McCartney’s advice for nine-year-old Perth super-fan Harrison Haines yesterday at an intimate fan Q&A at the Regal Theatre.

“Learn a lot about the world and where there’s issues you think need changing, just be very strong and go and change them,” the 75-year-old added.

What about learning the guitar?

“Nah,” the Beatle joked.

Paul McCartney sits down with fans for a Q&A in Perth.

Since learning the guitar and writing his first song at age 14, McCartney has changed the world and led a remarkable life.

The Liverpudlian legend took time out from rehearsing for tomorrow’s concert at Perth’s nib Stadium — the first date of the Australian leg of his One on One world tour — to field questions from 10 lucky fans, and their guests, plucked from an online competition run by promoters Frontier Touring.

McCartney shared stories about the Beatles’ first tour of Australia, writing hits with superstars Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Kanye West, and Martha, the Old English Sheepdog which inspired a song on the White Album.

Paul McCartney plays for fans at a Q&A session in Perth. Picture: Colin Murty

“We had great times and the guys loved her, John (Lennon) particularly because he’d never seen me with a pet,” he said.

“He’d come around to my house and there was this woolly thing licking him. That was me.”

The small contingent of fans also got up close with the Beatle, who left the stage at the start of question time to personally greet each of them.

Many diehards could barely believe they were meeting their hero, but that didn’t stop Loredana Santoro from asking the staunch vegetarian out for a vegan meal.

“A nice stir fry,” Macca suggested before retracting the offer. “I’ve got things to do. My wife would kill me.”

Third wife Nancy Shevell reportedly flew in with McCartney on Monday.

Harrison, with his father Matt, dons his Sergeant Pepper attire to meet his hero Paul McCartney.

While on previous visits he went horse-riding and swimming with dolphins, the superstar has not yet found time for sightseeing.

But he did have a jam on Wednesday with former Shadows guitarist Hank Marvin, who lives in Perth.

Asked what fuels his passion for touring, McCartney quipped “sex and drugs”.

“It’s just because I love it,” he added. “I’ve loved it since I was 14 when I wrote my first song.

“I don’t need to go touring. The answer is, and I heard Ringo (Starr) say it, it’s what we do.”

McCartney said that while the early days of Beatlemania were exciting, the screaming female fans became a drag.

“It got a bit much because we couldn’t hear what we were doing, and that’s one of the big differences now.

“We go louder than the audience now.”

McCartney says he keeps touring for the sheer love of performing.

They certainly do. Following the 20-minute grilling, McCartney strapped on his famous Hofner violin-shaped bass and warned “Now, we don’t rehearse quiet”.

Then, with his long-serving four-piece band, the legend tore into Beatles classics Drive My Car, Lady Madonna and I’ve Just Seen a Face, plus a rowdy rendition of Wings’ favourite Junior’s Farm.

McCartney plays six shows in Australia on the One on One tour, which kicked off in the US in April last year and wraps in New Zealand on December 16.

Originally published as Back in Oz: Paul McCartney’s advice for youngest Aussie fan