Paul McCartney Says Obama Has Brought Hope Back To The World

By Howie Edelson

Paul McCartney gave a surprisingly candid interview to LA Weekly in which he gave a shout out to president-elect Barack Obama. McCartney was asked about the most historical event that he's ever witnessed, to which the former Beatle replied, "The death of John Kennedy. He was our hope and he got wiped out, and we hadn't realized that hope could get wiped out quite so easily. But now Obama's brought it back. I love it."

McCartney went on to say that the biggest obstacle he's overcome in his life was the death of first wife Linda McCartney; he felt that he became an adult upon the birth of his and Linda's first child Mary in 1969, and that emotionally he still feels like he's 25.

When asked if he felt nostalgic for the past, McCartney said, "Nostalgia's not the right word because it implies something sort of wrong. I love the past. There are parts of the past I hate, of course. My mum died, Linda died, John (Lennon) died, and George (Harrison) died, so I can't say I love everything about it, but I have a great affection for the past. And why shouldn't I? I was just some kid from Liverpool who walked around the streets with John Lennon, and wrote songs with him, and met this beautiful girl from New York, then married her and had kids with her -- why shouldn't I love the past? Mine has been good."

He said that he began to feel that the Beatles had begun making "important" music around 1966, with their Revolver album: "It's difficult to discuss this without sounding immodest, but I think I started to feel it around the time of 'Eleanor Rigby.'Prior to that, I thought the music was very good, and I realized we were in a different league when we wrote 'From Me To You,'because it had a middle eight in it and went somewhere we hadn't been before... For me, 'Eleanor Rigby'was the start of that."

McCartney has been receiving nearly universal praise for his latest Fireman album called Electric Arguments. He says that he's way past the point of worrying about pleasing the critics: "The thing is you think about, the first time we ever went out with the Beatles was risky. I mean, you know, we were no one and we had to build the whole thing up. I think every time you go out, from time to time, you're just not in your hottest period, you know, record-wise. So you just go, I just do my best, you know, try to play some good music. If people come and see me, you know, then great. If they buy the album -- better."

After his appearances on ABC's The View and Sirius'The Howard Stern Show on Wednesday (January 14th), The New York Post reported that McCartney, girlfriend Nancy Shevell, and Linda McCartney's brother -- and Paul's chief legal counsel -- John Eastman were spotted having lunch at the exclusive Manhattan eatery Michael's. The trio reportedly asked for a table in the back far away from the paparazzi.