Paul McCartney Said He Politicized The Beatles, Not John Lennon
John Lennon’s antiwar activism in his solo career caused people to see him as the most political member of The Beatles, but Paul McCartney said this was not the case. While Lennon might have been the most outspoken about politics in his solo career, McCartney claimed that he was the one to introduce political messages to the band. He explained that he felt more politically motivated after a conversation with Bertrand Russell.
A black and white picture of Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and John Lennon of The Beatles wearing black jackets.
The Vietnam War raged as The Beatles rose to success, but McCartney said they didn’t pay much attention to it. This changed after he met with Russell.
“Just when we were getting to be well-known someone said to me, ‘Bertrand Russell is living not far from here in Chelsea why don’t you go and see him?’ and so I just took a taxi down there and knocked on the door,” McCartney told Prospect Magazine in 2009. “There was an American guy who was helping him and he came to the door and I said, ‘I’d like to meet Mr Russell, if possible.’ I waited a little and then met the great man and he was fabulous. He told me about the Vietnam War — most of us didn’t know about it, it wasn’t yet in the papers — and also that it was a very bad war.”
Source: Emma McKee/cheatsheet.com
