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Paul McCartney is finally opening up about one of the most fascinating chapters of his life. Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run is the new book about McCartney in the 1970s – how he started over after the end of the Beatles and found his own voice. Rolling Stone has an exclusive excerpt from the audiobook, including his hilarious impersonation of Mick Jagger.
First turning point after the end of the Beatles
“For so many decades,” McCartney recalls in the excerpt, “I tried to suppress these stories about how I felt when the Beatles broke up and what was happening at that time when we formed Wings.”
When the Beatles broke up in early 1970, McCartney was lost and confused, with no idea what to do next. So he simply formed a new band with his wife Linda. It sounded like a crazy idea. As he says: “When Linda joined Wings, eyebrows were raised, and not just in the press. Mick Jagger said: ‘What’s he got his old lady in the band for?'”
Building Wings – from zero to global success
The Wings book is a comprehensive oral history edited by Ted Widmer, based on new interviews by filmmaker Morgan Neville (“20 Feet From Stardom”). It accompanies Neville’s upcoming documentary Man on the Run, which recently premiered at the Telluride Film Festival. The book contains 150 photographs, Paul’s handwritten lyrics and diary excerpts, as well as commentary from Linda McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, George Martin, Sean Ono Lennon, Jann Wenner, Yoko Ono, Mick Jagger and all Wings members.
The book tells the story of McCartney’s solo debut in 1969 and the classic “Ram” from 1971. But instead of relying on superstar sessions or big solo shows, he puts together a new band and starts from scratch, starting from his farm in Scotland. Just like his old band in the early days. They go to universities and play tiny concerts for surprised students, with this experimental spirit. “In fact, we could just try things and just do them,” McCartney remembers. “If it worked, great. If not, then move on to the next idea.”
Wings become the super band of the seventies
But Wings became one of the biggest arena rock bands of the 1970s, creating classics like “Band on the Run” and “Venus and Mars.” The band is also releasing a definitive triple vinyl anthology set, personally selected by McCartney. It includes expected hits like “Jet,” “Hi, Hi, Hi,” “Band on the Run,” “Live and Let Die,” and “Let Me Roll It.” There are also deep cuts (“Deliver Your Children,” “I’ve Had Enough,” “Some People Never Know”) and fan favorites like “She’s My Baby” and “Call Me Back Again.”
The end of Wings and a time McCartney rarely spoke about
The band ended in 1980, after an event McCartney had rarely discussed in detail – his nine-day stay in a Japanese prison following a drug raid at Tokyo airport. For years he was hesitant to reclaim that time. “But suddenly Wings is having its moment again,” he remembers. “I remember doing an interview with a young guy, I think it was with ROLLING STONE, and I was talking about Sgt. Pepper and the Beatles. And he said, ‘Yeah, I get that, but that’s not really my time.’ He said, ‘I’m more interested in Wings and Band on the Run.’ Then I thought, okay. A generational shift is underway.” Listen to Paul McCartney’s exclusive excerpt here.
McCartney’s present: tours and new Beatles editions
“Wings” arrives at a typically busy time for McCartney. He is currently on his long-running “Got Back” tour, with marathons across the U.S. and Canada, ending November 25 in Chicago. Also later this month, the beloved Beatles documentary Anthology returns in a long-awaited new version – restored, expanded and remastered, with a new episode on Disney+ starting November 26th.