Sir Paul McCartney has been navigating fan requests for over six decades, but one request he consistently declines is the selfie. The 83-year-old former Beatle, who launched his solo career in 1970, shared his thoughts on how fame has evolved in a recent podcast interview with The Rest is Entertainment hosts Richard Osman and Marina Hyde.
The Smartphone Revolution and Fan Interactions
McCartney noted that smartphones have transformed fan encounters. 'Now – phones. So if I meet someone, they're reaching for their phone, and I say: 'I'm sorry, I don't do pictures.' And that is radical these days,' he said. He recounted telling Oprah Winfrey about his policy, and when she asked why, he simply replied, 'I don't want to.'
Why No Selfies?
The singer-songwriter explained that refusing selfies helps him stay grounded. 'The minute I start thinking I'm something above myself, I won't like me. It's very important for me to just be me,' he stated. He elaborated with a vivid analogy: 'Down on the south coast of France in Saint-Tropez, there's a man on the beachfront who has a monkey, and you pay to have your photo taken with the monkey. I really do not want to feel like that monkey. And when I take a picture with someone, I do feel like him. I'm not me anymore – I'm suddenly something else.'
Critique of Influencer Culture
During the interview, McCartney also voiced his bewilderment at modern influencer culture. 'I'm not that generation. But you can't help seeing it,' he admitted. 'My wife will be looking at Instagram and showing me something, and then one of those will come on. I think it's funny – and I suppose it always happened – but people who don't seem to be particularly talented are incredibly famous. Billions of hits and views. You've got to be careful about talking about that, because it makes you sound very old-fashioned. Which I am.'
McCartney married Nancy Shevell in 2011. He was previously married to Linda McCartney from 1969 until her death in 1998, and to Heather Mills from 2002 to 2008. Earlier this month, he surprised fans with a secret playback of his new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, at Abbey Road Studios.
