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Does Paul make ex-bandmates sign a non-disclosure agreement?

Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2021 6:19 am
by mojofilter
We know that two of the first Wings members quit because they couldn't handle working with Paul anymore, being told how to play their instrument or being in a band with his wife. And that's the last we heard from them. But of all the other people he's worked with, it seems that no one ever talks about what it was like. There are no salacious books that I know of, describing debauchery or whether he's an insufferable git in real life. And Paul never seems to talk about any of his former bandmates. It's as if they never existed. He's cultivated this whitewashed image as The Famous Paul McCartney, and that's the only one we get to experience. No journalist asks him the hard questions. I believe I've even read that there is a list of subjects that interviewers may not bring up, and everything you're going to ask has to be vetted by his manager before you get to see him.

I can't find anything about it now, but is is not true that Denny went to Paul with hat in hand, offering to relinquish his part-authorship of "Mull Of Kintyre" for an amount of money that would get him out of the massive debt he was in?

We know that he had a falling out with Elvis Costello, who wanted "Flowers In The Dirt" to be a more Beatle-ish record while Paul wanted it to be the complete opposite. So, is Mr. McManus persona non grata on Planet McCartney now?

Just wondering what your opinions on this are.

Re: Does Paul make ex-bandmates sign a non-disclosure agreement?

Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2021 5:40 pm
by onemojofilter
I did ask Wix a question about whether he had ever talked anywhere to anyone about his rig (ie: a magazine or website) and his response was that he tended to reside under the radar. Unclear if that's by choice or by contract.

Re: Does Paul make ex-bandmates sign a non-disclosure agreement?

Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2021 6:09 pm
by AdamBound
Paul’s other Wings bandmates have spoken a lot about working with him. Denny Seiwell, Laurence Juber, and Steve Holley have many interviews where they talk about working with him.

Re: Does Paul make ex-bandmates sign a non-disclosure agreement?

Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2021 6:23 pm
by WilliamShears
The former bandmates that do talk, tend to all speak pretty positively, from what I can recall. Which makes sense personally and professionally. What would they have to gain by complaining that their talents weren’t held to equal weight as Macca?

Re: Does Paul make ex-bandmates sign a non-disclosure agreement?

Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2021 10:23 pm
by Rick
I've kind of wondered that too. I happened to stumble upon this a few weeks ago after also wondering whatever became of Chris Whitten...
  • rolandcorp.com.au/blog/roland-artist-page-for-chris-whitten
He seems to look back with fondness on his time playing with Paul from 1987-1990.

Re: Does Paul make ex-bandmates sign a non-disclosure agreement?

Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2021 1:52 am
by jpgr0420
I have seen many interviews and documentary footage with ex band members speaking about their time working with McCartney, and they quite often show up at Beatle conventions, so I would say there doesn't seem to be an NDA. Anyone who reads magazines like Record Collector, Mojo, or Uncut has probably seen the interviews ex band members have done for reissues and anniversaries talking about Ram, Wild Life, Red Rose Speedway, and Band On The Run. Elvis Costello played at Obama's White House when McCartney was honored and did Penny Lane. It's on YouTube. And any negative feelings regarding reasons for leaving have been pretty out in the open by ex band members. Some wanted more equal footing, some wanted to party like Led Zep, Macca dropped the last lineup to go solo. Denny Laine got pissed at Macca after the 1980 drug bust and had enough of him at that point. Jimmy McCullough and Geoff Britton didn't get along (I think it was those two). And the guys that left before Band On The Run didn't want to go to Nigeria I believe.

Re: Does Paul make ex-bandmates sign a non-disclosure agreement?

Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2021 2:14 am
by mojofilter
OK, well, I was just wondering. I wasn't looking for there to be any acrimony between him and them. I was just trying to make conversation.

Re: Does Paul make ex-bandmates sign a non-disclosure agreement?

Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2021 2:17 am
by jpgr0420
I edited my reply. Sorry. I put a little more info in.

Re: Does Paul make ex-bandmates sign a non-disclosure agreement?

Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2021 2:23 am
by jpgr0420
I know one common complaint of the early Wings days is Macca had them living on the cheap and they were expecting to be living like rock stars out of the gate. That pissed some of them off. Macca was living in his house and had the rest of the band in lesser accommodations on his property.