Paul McCartney had a busy year, and he’s wrapping up his 2023 by answering 23 questions from fans.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer responded to questions posted to his Official Fan Group on Facebook, sharing insights into the new Beatles tune “Now and Then,” Christmas, his Got Back tour and more.
When it comes to “Now and Then,” McCartney says he was “very emotional” the first time he heard John Lennon’s clear voice on the track, adding that his favorite part of the video was “John goofing around.”
He reveals that “Hey Jude” was his favorite song to play live — “Just to see all those thousands of people singing in harmony with each other,” he says — and teases a possible release of covers he performs during soundcheck.
“It’s a thought!,” he replies. “We have the ‘jams’ — we always start the soundcheck with a made-up piece, and there’s a lot of them. So, we might go through those and do something someday.”
McCartney also shares that he’d love to collaborate with Bob Dylan one day, noting, “But I don’t know if we’ll ever get around to it.”
As for Christmas, McCartney’s favorite gift was a 1956 Telecaster guitar from his wife Nancy Shevell, and says the smell of cigars is something gives him a feeling of Christmas.
“My dad didn’t smoke them except at Christmas, and my brother and I used to buy him a little pack each,” he says. “Then one year our dad said, ‘Don’t buy me the pack, just get me one really good one.’”
Finally, McCartney reveals there’s hope fans may one day hear the songs he wrote for a planned It’s a Wonderful Life musical, sharing, “Musicals are difficult things to put together, but I think it may be shaping up at last.”
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