Sir Paul McCartney has been fielding fan requests for over 60 years, but there is one he will always refuse: posing for selfies. The 83-year-old former Beatle opened up about how fame has changed throughout his career in a new podcast interview with The Rest is Entertainment's Richard Osman and Marina Hyde.
McCartney explained that smartphones have transformed fan interactions. '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 recalled telling Oprah Winfrey his policy, and when she asked why, he replied, 'I don't want to. It's as simple as that.'
The singer-songwriter elaborated on his reasoning, comparing the experience to a performing monkey he saw on the beachfront in Saint-Tropez. '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 said. '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.'
During the interview, McCartney also criticised modern influencer culture, admitting he 'just doesn't really get it'. He noted that people without apparent talent can become incredibly famous, adding, 'You've got to be careful about talking about that, because it makes you sound very old-fashioned. Which I am.'
