PAUL AT 76

It's June 18th and time for my annual celebration of my favorite creative person, Paul McCartney! McCartney's friend and collaborator, Barry Miles, summed up their early years by saying, "I think of the 60s as a supermarket of ideas. We were looking for new ways to live." If Swinging London in the 1960s represented a hurricane of cultural revolution, McCartney was in the eye of the storm. On his 76th birthday, Spy Vibe looks back at the art of Paul McCartney. Photo below: in true space-age fashion by Richard Avedon.

Paul McCartney was born seventy-six years ago today. His mother Mary (as in "mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom") was a nurse. His father, James, was an amateur musician with a local jazz band, and he brought Paul and younger brother Mike up with an appreciation for all kinds of music. The family enjoyed listening to old 78 records and to the radio, and McCartney developed a keen ear for the classics and a passion to make music of his own. After a brief interlude with a trumpet, he was inspired by the skiffle craze to pick up the guitar. He swapped his horn for a Framus Zenith acoustic model and began strumming away. It wasn't until he saw an image of Slim Whitman that he realized he could restring the instrument backwards for easier playing as a lefty. As Lonnie Donegan belted out Rock Island Line and other skiffle hits during the era, McCartney wrote his first tunes- including When I'm Sixty-Four! In 1956, he found his "messiah," Elvis Presley. Elvis opened the floodgates of Rock and McCartney became a devotee of Fats Domino, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, and the Everly Brothers. Photo below by brother Mike McCartney (The Scaffold): playing guitar in his back yard at 20 Forthlin Road, Liverpool. Although Paul has said in interviews that he has sad memories of the house -because of his mother's early death- the home is quite cheerful these days. I visited inside last summer and found the rooms filled with light, family photos, and a vibe that said "the more the merrier."  

McCartney's childhood friend, Ivan Vaughan (also born on June 18th), brought him to the Woolton County Fete on July 6, 1957, where he formally met John Lennon for the first time. The two boys shared a love for Rock n Roll, especially two rockabilly cats that would tour England quite a bit in those early years: Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent. Vincent is seen seen in the photo below with Paul and John in matching leather gear. As the story goes of that first meeting, McCartney impressed Lennon with Cochran's Twenty-Flight Rock and Lennon played Vincent's Be-Bop-A-Lula for the first time on stage. McCartney soon joined Lennon's band and history followed with Hamburg, The Cavern, world tours, Sgt. Pepper's, Abbey Road, and beyond.

While juggling the busy Beatles schedule, McCartney was a man about town in the mid-60s, soaking up inspiration from all corners of the arts. While his bandmates moved out to the suburbs, he helped Barry Miles start the underground paper, International Times, and they attended happenings at the Roundhouse with performances by Beat Poets and The Pink Floyd. McCartney got interested in arty film screenings and began to make his own experimental movies (his footage was later stolen). He also became fascinated with John Cage and the creation of tape loops and sound collages, which he called "electronic symphonies." McCartney's passion for experimentation fed back into a number of Beatles projects, including the seagull-sounding tape loops on Tomorrow Never Knows, The Sgt. Pepper's concept album, the formation of an Apple subsidiary label devoted to poetry and experimental music (including work by William S. Burroughs), and the Magical Mystery Tour film. McCartney later teamed with Sgt. Pepper's cover artist Peter Blake and others on an interesting album called Liverpool Sound Collage (2000).

When Yoko Ono was creating The Word, a book of graphic scores for John Cage, McCartney facilitated the inclusion of hand-written lyrics by Lennon. And McCartney helped to renovate and set up the Indica Gallery, where Lennon would later meet Ono in person. Moving with the London in-crowd, it would prove to be one of the most creatively fertile periods for both McCartney and The Beatles. Photo below: Miles and McCartney at Indica.

McCartney has supported animal rights for decades and has been a spokesman for PETA. He helped to organize the Concert for New York after the attacks in 2001. And recently in March 2018, he participated in the March For Our Lives against gun violence. Photos below: PETA campaign poster; Talking to the press in NYC about how one of his best friends (John Lennon) was killed by gun violence. 

Paul McCartney has continued to explore mainstream and experimental projects each year since The Beatles disbanded in 1970. In the last twenty-five years, he has released many classical music compositions, new electronic experiments, an anthology of poetry (including a memorial to childhood pal, Ivan), and he exhibited a large body of work as a painter. How does he manage it? If lifestyle is any clue to his output: jogging, family, laughter, music, and being meat-free seem to be the top of the list. Spy Vibers will, of course, celebrate McCartney's addition to the world of James Bond with his theme to Live and Let Die. Others may also applaud him for his Swinging-London style. It all comes back, however, to his deepest roots- music. That kid playing guitar in the backyard (photo above) is still driven by a love of performing. Spy Vibers can see for themselves during his on-going tours. And keep your eyes peeled for a new album launching soon! Happy Birthday, Paul! Many Happy Returns from Jason at Spy Vibe.

If you are interested in exploring more of Paul McCartney's creative work, here are some favorites:

Albums


McCartney (1970)
Ram (1971)
McCartney II (1980)
Working Classical (1999)


Run Devil Run (1999)


Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest (1993)


Rushes (1998)


Liverpool Sound Collage (2000)


Twin Freaks (2005)
Electronic Arguments (2008)


Ballad of the Skeletons (Allen Ginsberg/1996)


Hiroshima Sky is Always Blue (unreleased/w Yoko Ono/1995)


Good Evening New York City (2009) 

Kisses on the Bottom (2012)



Movies


Beatles Anthology (1995)

Live At the Cavern Club (2001)


Wingspan (2001)


The Real Buddy Holly Story (2004)


My Old Friend (1998)


Paul McCartney Live in Red Square (2005)


Magical Mystery Tour (1967)


Music and Animation Collection (2004)

Live Kisses (2012)



Books


The Unknown Paul McCartney (2002)


Many Years From Now (1998)


The Complete Beatles Chronicle (2010)


Paul McCartney Paintings (2000)
Blackbird Singing: Poems and Lyrics 1965-1999 (2001)


Related posts: Beatles Pac-Man, Interview: Fab 4 Mania, The Beatles: Mission to India, Sgt. Pepper 50th, The Beatles: The Curious Camera, Revolver At 50, Ringo Rocks At 71, Pattie Boyd Exhibit, Peter Sellers to John Lennon: UK Satire, Ringo Tribute, John Lennon Remembered, Vintage Vinyl, Experimental Beatles, Ivan Vaughan, Essential Ringo, Paul at 72, Notes Behind the Curtain 1, Notes Behind the Curtain 2, Notes Behind the Curtain 3, Notes Behind the Curtain 4, 1960s Overdrive, Make Love in London, George Martin R.I.P., Tony Sheridan R.I.P., Cynthia Lennon R.I.P., Encouragement From Yoko, My Experimental Re-Mix & Film with Yoko, Lennon70 Tribute Film, Home Movies, Sean Lennon Release, Gilbert Taylor R.I.P., Atomic Art, Love Piece, Sean Lennon Scores, Sean Lennon Limited Edition, Fab Fall 2013, George Harrison, New Beatles Fashion, Yellow Submarine 50th. 

Selected Spy Vibe Posts: Beatles Pac-Man, Spy Vibe Radio: Jerry Cotton, The Invaders, 007 Horowitz Book Tour, McGoohan/Prisoner Event at Elstree, The Prisoner Interviews Vol 1, British Underground Press, Interview: Fab4 Mania, Bond Cocktail Book, Bond at Bletchley, Spy Smasher, Spy Vibe Radio: Peter Gunn, Agent Zero M, New Prisoner Comic, Dr. No Villains Edition,  Spy Vibe Radio: Danger Diabolik, Dr. No 60th, Oy-Oy-Seven, Spy Vibe Radio (UFO), Cold War Comic Strips, Thunderball Event, Mission to India, Mort Walker Celebration,  Peter Wyngarde Celebration, Batman 66 Exhibit, Prisoner Fifty Event, Ian Fleming Publications 2017-2018, Interview: Ed Hulse Pulp, Avengers Audio Drama, Interview: Callan At 50, Interview: Playboys, Spies, Private Eyes, TWA Returns, Spy Vibe Radio 8, Interview: Ryan Heshka, Mid-Century Modern Schulz, Agent Werewolf, Mata Hair Exhibit, Johnny Sokko 50th, Interview: Trina Robbins, Eddie Izzard, The Prisoner Capt Scarlet 50th, Hugh Hefner R.I.P., Jack Good R.I.P., Interview: Shaken Not Stirred, Callan 50th, Spy Vibe Radio 7, The Prisoner 50th Event, Spy-Fi Event, Kaho Aso 007, Two Million, Bo Diddley, Carnaby Pop, Le Carre Events, Billy Bragg Skiffle, Elvis 68, Jack Kirby The Prisoner, Casino Royale Concert, Review: The Prisoner Vol 2, Interview: The Prisoner Essential Guide, Maud Russell Mottisfont, Spy Vibe Radio 4, Batman Gallants, Adam West R.I.P., Village Triangle, Roger Moore R.I.P., Spy Vibe Radio 3, Sgt Pepper 50th, Satanik Kriminal OST, 60s Overdrive, Make Love in London, Spy Vibe Radio 2, Spy Vibe Radio 1, James Bond Strips, Propaganda Mabuse, Interview: Police Surgeon, XTC Avengers, 1966 Pep Spies, Batman Book Interview, Exclusive Fleming Interview, Avengers Comic Strips, Robert Vaughn RIP, UNCLE Fashions, Thunderbirds Are Pop!, Interview: Spy Film Guide, Lost Avengers Found, The Callan File, Mission Impossible 50th, Green Hornet 50th, Star Trek 50th, Portmeirion Photography 1, Filming the Prisoner, Gaiman McGinnins Project, Ian Fleming Grave, Revolver at 50, Karen Romanko Interview, Mod Tales 2, Umbrella Man: Patrick Macnee, New Beatles Film, The Curious Camera, Esterel Fashion 1966, Exclusive Ian Ogilvy Interview, 007 Tribute Covers, The Phantom Avon novels return, Ian Fleming Festival, Argoman Design, Sylvia Anderson R.I.P., Ken Adam R.I.P., George Martin R.I.P., The New Avengers Comics, The Phantom at 80, 007 Manga, Avengerworld Book, Diana Rigg Auto Show, The Prisoner Audio Drama Review.

REVOLVER AT 50

Spy Vibers, I've returned from my mission at last! Stay tuned for my new photographs of filming locations from classic 1960s spy adventures (and from Doctor Who!). I also shot many images for my upcoming Spy Vibe book, so I'll try to share a sneak peek of some of the rare artifacts that crossed my lens. Peering through my jet-lag haze, I see The Beatles released their groundbreaking Revolver album 50 years ago today. Fifty! The 1960s represented a great renaissance of new ideas and pushing the boundaries in fashion, fine art, design, and the performing arts. Revolver sat right at the crossroads in 1966. For readers who are not familiar with the story, Revolver marked an important paradigm shift in the band's career. Bob Dylan had inspired The Beatles to explore a more personal approach to songwriting, which was increasingly evident on Help and Rubber Soul. The transition away from third-person pop continued into Revolver, but new elements were also making their way into the mix. The media loves to highlight drug influences, which were indeed referenced in some of the music. But it was in the field of avant-garde experimentation that the group made their greatest discoveries. As his bandmates moved out into the suburbs, Paul McCartney famously became increasingly involved in the London Art scene. He supported avant-garde galleries and the publication of International Times, and McCartney became fascinated with experimental filmmaking and sound collage. The most notable leap of curiosity focused on the use of tape loops inspired by performances of new music and the work of Karlheinz Stockhausen. Ever inventive as a group, The Beatles took to these new techniques in the recording studio and created the now-classic Tomorrow Never Knows. They each created tape loops, compiling about 30 in the end, and George Martin selected 16 from the batch. BTR3 tape machines were set up and the loops could be held at constant tension on the spools by hand with a pencil during playback. As John Lennon's voice chanted out lines inspired by the Tibetan Book of the Dead, studio technicians positioned themselves throughout the hallways and tended to the long tape loops- played in real time- as the track was assembled. Revolver is filled with top-tier compositions such as Here, There, and Everywhere and Eleanor Rigby, but with this experimental track, the record ultimately stood as a bridge between the youthful moptops of A Hard Days Night and the sophisticated, mature artists stretching toward Sgt. Pepper and beyond. This creative journey would redefine Rock music and their ideas continue to ripple through contemporary culture. The use of Musique Concrete was revolutionary in pop, and I'd hazard to suggest the construction in Tomorrow Never Knows connects us conceptually to the evolution of nonlinear audio composition. Revolver was released on August 6th, 1966. The band performed their final public concert on August 29th that same year at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Beatles manager Brian Epstein was worried that fans wouldn't accept the group's new direction. But the album cover art by Klaus Voormann apparently put Epstein at ease, as he felt the graphics would function as a kind of invitation into the band's experimental world. If you look closely at the cover design below and compare it to Tomorrow Never Knows, one can recognize a cohesive process using cut-ups and collage. Klaus Voormann (designer, artist, musician, and insider from the band's early days in Hamburg) worked at his kitchen table for three works to create this now-classic record jacket. He was paid 50 pounds for the job. Voormann recently spoke in an interview about his new book chronicling Revolver. Readers can order the book at his website here. By the way, Sean Lennon has been performing Tomorrow Never Knows on his recent tour promoting the Claypool Lennon Delirium project. Enjoy! Related posts: New Beatles film, The Curious Camera, Paul At 71, Notes Behind the Curtain I, Notes Behind the Curtain II, Notes Behind the Curtain IV, The Goldfinger Variations, UK Surrealism Sellers to Lennon, Ivan Vaughn and The Beatles, Tony Sheridan RIP, George Martin RIP, Essential Ringo Tribute, 

Selected Spy Vibe Posts: Interview:Karen Romanko Interview, Mod Tales 2, Umbrella Man: Patrick Macnee, New Beatles Film, The Curious Camera, Esterel Fashion 1966, Exclusive Ian Ogilvy Interview, 007 Tribute Covers, The Phantom Avon novels return, Ian Fleming Festival, Argoman Design, Sylvia Anderson R.I.P., Ken Adam R.I.P., George Martin R.I.P., The New Avengers Comics, Trina Robbins Interview, The Phantom at 80, 007 Manga, Avengerworld Book, Diana Rigg Auto Show, The Prisoner Audio Drama Review, David McCallum novel, Andre Courreges R.I.P., Who's Talking on Spy Vibe, UFO Blu-ray, Avengers Pop Art Interview, Fergus Fleming Interview, Avengers: Alan Hayes Interview, Jaz Wiseman Interview, Diana Rigg BFI Interview, Casino Royale Interview: Mike Richardson, Lost Diana Rigg Interview, Honor Blackman at 90, UNCLE School, Ian Fleming Memorial, Portmeirion Photos, Doctor Who Exhibit, Farewell Steed, Pussy Galore Returns, Diana Rigg birthday, Sherlock at 221B, Invisible Agent, Saint Interview: Ian Dickerson, Saint Doppelgänger, Fleming's Typewriter, Rare Fleming, Fleming's Music, Ian Fleming's Japan, Jim Wilson Corgi Interview, Fantomas Design, John Buss interview, Saint Volvo, Mod Tales Interview, Agente Secreto Comics, Danger Man Comics 2, Danger Man Comics, John Drake Comics, Der Mann Von UNCLE, Golden Margaret Nolan, Man From UNCLE Rocksteady, Pussy Galore Calypso, Cynthia Lennon R.I.P., Edward Mann Fashion, Leonard Nimoy Tribute, Shatner at 84, Bob Morane series, Thai Bond Design, Bond vs Modernism, Tokyo Beat 1964, Feraud Mod Fashion, Green Hornet Manga, Avengers Interview: Michael Richardson, Ian Fleming: Wicked Grin, Jane Bond Hong Kong Records, Ryan Heshka Interview, Comics Week: Man From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E., Comics Week: Archie, Comics Week: Robots, Comics Week: Cold War Atomic, Comics Week: SPYMAN, Comics Week: Jimmy Olsen, Shakespeare Spies: Diana Rigg, Shakespeare Spies I, Rodney Marshall Avengers Interview, Richard Sala: Super-Enigmatix, Cold War Archie, Playboy Bunny Interview, The 10th Victim Japanese and Kindle, U.N.C.L.E. Japanese Books, Catsuits, Batman '66 Green Hornet Interview: Ralph Garman Ty Templeton.

BOWIE SPIES BERLIN

I'm still reeling from the news of David Bowie's passing. His energy and work was so intertwined with many of my relationships and personal outlook. It's hard to imagine a world without him here and his brilliant, curious mind. I'll try to write a tribute soon, but I thought it might be interesting to first revisit a post from his Next Day release, where we talked a bit about spies in Berlin. Enjoy!

David Bowie surprised everyone in January 2013 when he announced he had recorded a new album in secret- his first record in ten years. Entitled The Next Day, the new collection of songs quickly went to number one in charts around the globe. With few exceptions, the vibe of the album is energetic and experimental. Bowie has mined his Berlin period with Brian Eno and Iggy Pop in the 1970s by re-exploring the theme of Berlin in some of the tunes, most notably Where Are We Now?. The cover image itself is a re-appropriated version of Heroes (1977):

Fans have enjoyed spotting various references to Bowie's past, including a connection between Five Years (Ziggy Stardust/1972) and the new track, You Feel So Lonely You Could Die. Besides its sweet echo of Presley's Heartbreak Hotel, the more interesting layer to this song is its thematic connection to tradecraft and the dirty business of espionage. Although some forum members have speculated connections to medieval brutality, one cannot miss the spy references to dead drops, secrets, betrayal, and assassination. I haven't seen an interview with Bowie about this, but I can't help but conjure up images of Deighton's Berlin tragedy, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, and the dark sad truth of East Germany's network of informants and agents during Bowie's years in Berlin. 

Bowie starred in a video for the new track The Stars (Are Out Tonight) with the wonderful Tilda Swinton, who also made the opening speech for the David Bowie retrospective at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Swinton herself has had an artistic fascination with Berlin. She made an an experimental film study of the Berlin Wall in 1988 called Cycling the Frame. Twenty-one years later she starred in a marvelous and meditative film that re-examines the presence -even in its absence- of the Wall called The Invisible Frame (2009). The film invites the viewer to travel with Swinton by bicycle along the scars and remnants of the Wall, an experience that becomes a long portrait of the city and the perceptions of identity and territory. Video still of Bowie above from The Stars (Are Out Tonight).

I have to say that I really love this new album. There is one track that breaks the cohesive texture (for my ears) regarding song order, but I'm perfectly content, like many modern listeners, to create my own version for ipod that flows smoothly. If you have not heard Bowie in a while, I urge Spy Vibers to pick up The Next Day. I think you'll find shades of Heroes (1977), Lodger (1979), and even Scary Monsters (1980). You Feel So Lonely You Could Die is one of the few torch-songs on the new album, which is an interesting choice to contrast with the gritty theme of the lyrics (excerpt below). Read the words over as poetry and tell me don't think of The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1965), The Lives of Others (2006), or Matt Kindt's Super Spy. Images in this post are from Spy Vibe's BOWIE ART board on Pinterest.

Feel So Lonely You Could Die

By David Bowie (2013)

No-one ever saw you 

Moving through the dark

Leaving slips of paper 

Somewhere in the park

Hidden from your friends

Stealing all they knew

Love is thrown in airless rooms

Then vile rewards for you

But I'm gonna tell

Yes I've gotta tell

Gotta tell the things you've said

When you're talking in the dark

And I'm gonna tell the things you've done

When you're walking through the park

Some night on a thriller’s street will come a silent gun

You've got a dangerous heart

You stole their trust, their moon, their sun

There'll come assassin’s needle on a crowded train

I bet you'll feel so lonely you could die

Buildings crammed with people

Landscapes filled with wrath

Grey concrete city

Rain has wet the street

I want to see you clearly 

Before you close the door

A room of bloody history

You made sure of that

Selected Spy Vibe Posts: Who's Talking on Spy Vibe, UFO Blu-ray, Avengers Pop Art Interview, Fritz Lang Spies, Fergus Fleming Interview, Avengers: Alan Hayes Interview, Jaz Wiseman Interview, 007 SPECTRE Comics, Casino Royale Folio, New James Bond Comic, Diana Rigg BFI Interview, Casino Royale Interview: Mike Richardson, Early Saint Box Set, Lost Diana Rigg Interview, Honor Blackman at 90, UNCLE School, Ian Fleming Memorial, Radiophonic Exhibit, Portmeirion Photos, Doctor Who Exhibit, Farewell Steed, Pussy Galore Returns, Diana Rigg birthday, Sherlock at 221B, Invisible Agent, Saint Interview: Ian Dickerson, Saint Doppelgänger, Fleming's Typewriter, Rare Fleming, Fleming's Music, Ian Fleming's Japan, Jim Wilson Corgi Interview, Fantomas Design, Jeremy Duns on Bond, John Buss interview, Avengers Season 5 Titles, Saint Volvo, Mod Tales Interview, Agente Secreto Comics, Danger Man Comics 2, Danger Man Comics, John Drake Comics, Der Mann Von UNCLE, Golden Margaret Nolan, Man From UNCLE Rocksteady, Pussy Galore Calypso, Cynthia Lennon R.I.P., Edward Mann Fashion, Leonard Nimoy Tribute, Shatner at 84, Bob Morane series, Thai Bond Design, Bond vs Modernism, Art of Modesty, Tokyo Beat 1964, Feraud Mod Fashion, Green Hornet Manga, No 6 Festival, Avengers Interview: Michael Richardson, Ian Fleming: Wicked Grin, Jane Bond Hong Kong Records, Ryan Heshka Interview, Comics Week: Man From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E., Comics Week: Archie, Comics Week: Robots, Comics Week: Cold War Atomic, Comics Week: SPYMAN, Comics Week: Jimmy Olsen, Shakespeare Spies: Diana Rigg, Shakespeare Spies I, Rodney Marshall Avengers Interview, Richard Sala: Super-Enigmatix, Cold War Archie, Playboy Bunny Interview, The 10th Victim Japanese and Kindle, U.N.C.L.E. Japanese Books, Trina Robbins Interview, Catsuits, Batman '66 Green Hornet Interview: Ralph Garman Ty Templeton.