‘I didn’t instigate the split’: Paul McCartney reveals ‘John Lennon walked into a room and said ”I am leaving the Beatles”’ as he insists he had nothing to do with group’s break-up and ‘wanted the band to continue’
Sir Paul McCartney has set the record straight on the Beatles’ split in 1970, insisting: ‘I didn’t instigate the split.’
Speaking in an upcoming episode of BBC Radio 4’s new interview series This Cultural Life, McCartney, 79, said: ‘John walked into a room one day and said ‘I am leaving the Beatles”.’
He added: ‘This was my band, this was my job, this was my life, so I wanted it to continue,’ The Guardian reports.
Candid: Paul McCartney, 79, has set the record straight on the Beatles’ split in 1970, insisting: ‘I didn’t instigate the split’
It has often been heavily implied that Paul instigated the band’s break-up, with The Mirror reporting on the split in 1970 with the headline: ‘Paul Quits The Beatles.’
Keen to set the record straight, Paul insisted in his new interview that other band members (Ringo Starr and George Harrison) wanted the Beatles to continue, going as far as to say that if Lennon had not quit at the age of 29, the iconic group’s journey ‘could have been much longer’.
He explained to interviewer John Wilson: ‘It could have been. The point of it really was that John was making a new life with Yoko.
‘John had always wanted to sort of break loose from society because, you know, he was brought up by his Aunt Mimi, who was quite repressive, so he was always looking to break loose.’
Split: It has been heavily implied that Paul instigated the band’s break-up, with The Mirror reporting on the split in 1970 with the headline: ‘Paul Quits The Beatles’ (pictured in the 1960s)
Paul noted that after their split had been agreed, then-manager Allen Klein ‘told them to keep quiet about it so he could conclude some business deals’.
The hit-maker said this was the reason for confusion over who instigated the Beatles’ split.
Paul noted it was ‘weird’ as despite all band members knowing it was the end of the Beatles, they were unable to ‘just walk away’.
Paul decided to ‘let the cat out of the bag’ after becoming frustrated by the situation.
He noted: We were having little meetings and it was horrible. It was the opposite of what we were. We were musicians not meeting people.’
Paul said of John: ‘John had always wanted to break loose from society because, you know, he was brought up by his Aunt Mimi, who was quite repressive’ (Lennon pictured in 1969)
Paul’s full interview can be heard on October 23.
It comes after Paul revealed that he is growing hemp at his farm but told how he has to hide the crops so teenagers don’t steal the plants.
He has started producing crops of hemp as well as spelt wheat, rye and peas at his estate in Peasmarsh near Rye.
Hemp – which is legal to grow in the UK if a licence is obtained – is a plant that comes from the same species as cannabis. But unlike cannabis, hemp contains very low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
The product is used to make cloth, cosmetics, rope, printer’s ink, wood preservative, detergents, soaps, and lighting oil.
Keeping quiet: Paul noted that after their split had been agreed then-manager Allen Klein ‘told them to keep quiet about it so he could conclude some business deals’ (pictured in 1963)
Speaking on the River Cafe Table 4 podcast he said: ‘We grow crops, I like doing things like spelt wheat, rye, we grow peas.
‘We’re actually just getting into growing hemp, the funny thing with government regulations is you’ve got to keep it where people can’t see it, because you get all the kids coming in and robbing it!’
He went on to explain that his farm is all organic and that the estate doesn’t use any pesticides or fertiliser.
Interesting: It comes after Paul revealed that he is growing hemp at his farm but told how he has to hide the crops so teenagers don’t steal the plants
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