About The Beatles

Late July 1963
The Beatles
Interviewed By Alan Smith
Washington Hotel, Liverpool, United Kingdom
Published On August 9, 1963 In New Musical Express, page 10

ALAN SMITH: Has fame changed you?

PAUL: If anything, it's other people who are different. I can't quite explain it, but when I meet some of my old mates, they don't seem the same. They have a different attitude towards me. Perhaps they think we've all gone big-time since getting into the charts, I don't know. But they're so wrong. Mind you, I'm not knocking anybody. I suppose people can't help feeling we've changed. It's a natural reaction.

ALAN SMITH: How did you get started in music?

PAUL: I didn't start in a very spectacular way. I got my first guitar when I was fifteen, and I just used to fool about with it, more or less. As time went by, though, I got more interested. I was still fifteen when I met John Lennon at a village fête in Woolton, in Liverpool. He was playing with a couple of fellows and I asked if I could join in. That's how it started, really. I suppose we just went on from strength to strength - John, me, George and another lad named Pete Best, who's now with another group. You'd never dream the names we had: "Johnny and the Moondogs," "the Quarrymen" and "the Rainbows." We were called the last because we all had different coloured shirts and we couldn't afford any others! After that, somebody wanted to call us "Long John Silver and the Pieces Of Eight"! We weren't standing for that, but we did end up as "the Silver Beetles" for a while. After that it became just the Beatles. I guess it's pure chance that I met John. You see, my mother was a district nurse until she died when I was fourteen, and we used to move from time to time because of her work. One move brought me into contact with John. Since then I suppose John and I have written about 100 songs together, including "Bad To Me" for Billy J. Kramer. Fab about it doing so well, isn't it?

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PAUL: I decided I'd like to enter art college if we flopped in show business. I got my GCE in art, and I'm still very interested in the subject. I often sketch when we're on tour - when I'm not writing or go-karting! That's the big rage for me these days, go-karting. We were doing some of it recently and now I'm thinking of taking it up in a big way. I'm not really interested in sport apart from that, except for swimming - but that's the thing these hot days, isn't it? It really cools you off.

ALAN SMITH: How do the rest of you get along with Paul?

GEORGE: Oh fine. He hasn't changed a bit, you know. He's just the same old big-'ead we all got to know and love!

JOHN: Funny habits? I'll say! Did you know he sleeps with his eyes open? We've actually watched him, dozing there with the whites of his eyes showing. And he won't believe us when we tell him. He's a good lad, really. We don't have much trouble with him, except that he gets a bit restless at feeding time. He's always good when we tell him, because he knows that if he isn't, we won't take him out for a walk on his chain!

PAUL: You have to laugh, don't you? If you don't live this life with a sense of humour, it could soon get you down. That's the way I look at it, anyway. Sometimes, you know, I feel as if there's nothing I'd like better than to get back to the kind of thing we were doing a year ago. Just playing the Cavern and some of the other places around Liverpool. I suppose the rest of the lads feel that way at times, too. You feel as if you'd like to turn back the clock. It's only a passing mood, though. Most of the time lately we've been living on top of the world. Everything has been going right for us! No, I haven't bought anything special for myself since everything happened. Perhaps I could get a cine-camera - then the lads could film me while I'm dozing, and I'd know if I really sleep with my eyes open!