Exclusive Interview with James McCartney
THE ROXY EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JAMES McCARTNEY
By: @brentXmendoza
Thursday, May 31, rock n’ roll royalty returns to the fabled Sunset Strip with Beatle progeny James McCartney. Having painstakingly crafted his own critically acclaimed and unique pop sound, McCartney has for years been patiently stowing away musical gems, until he felt both the music, and a career as a solo artist, were ready to stand on their own merits.
Retrace this road to solo stardom, as the humble and heartfelt scion of Sir Paul speaks about the personal stories behind his songs, his off-duty hobbies and embracing his legendary lineage.
You didn’t release your first solo material until 2010? Why wait so long?
Well honestly, I just wanted to wait until I had the strongest possible collection of songs before introducing them to everyone. And I wanted to do this in the right way; so I waited until I felt both the music and myself were ready.
I would imagine you would be pretty stressed/apprehensive about releasing your own solo material given your lineage? Do you worry or care much about “expectations?”
I’m not really… I mostly want to enjoy letting it all happen as much as possible, and then just be who I am. I like to embrace the connections to my family and my lineage, without either running towards it, or running away from it.
Tell us about the track “I Love You Dad.” Is there a particular story behind it?
Well my dad had just written “Dance Tonight,” and he’d been playing a lot of mandolin. He gave me a mandolin for Christmas, and I loved it and started playing it a lot. I was walking around my kitchen and playing this riff––quite like he’s doing in the video for that song in fact––and I was thinking of my dad. That riff became the basis for the song. In some ways, it’s a bit like my own version of his song “Here Today” in that I was trying to say something very heartfelt to him, in the same way he does to John in his song.
When you’re not playing music, what do you like to do in your spare time? What are your non-music related hobbies?
Meditation is a big part of my life, and I often do work with the David Lynch Foundation. I also love painting, sculpture and reading. Recently I did something really fun… I did some voice-over work for a cool animated feature called The Beach Chronicles, which was an official selection at the Miami Film Festival this year. That was great!
This is your second show on The Sunset Strip. Does this area hold any significance for you personally?
Oh, just great memories mostly… hanging out with my family, Jeff Lynne (ELO), Dave Grohl. Yeah, I love L.A.
What are you most proud of in your life?
Of being a songwriter, of writing songs. I really love this new song I just wrote in fact…
From :theroxyonsunset.com
By: @brentXmendoza
Thursday, May 31, rock n’ roll royalty returns to the fabled Sunset Strip with Beatle progeny James McCartney. Having painstakingly crafted his own critically acclaimed and unique pop sound, McCartney has for years been patiently stowing away musical gems, until he felt both the music, and a career as a solo artist, were ready to stand on their own merits.
Retrace this road to solo stardom, as the humble and heartfelt scion of Sir Paul speaks about the personal stories behind his songs, his off-duty hobbies and embracing his legendary lineage.
You didn’t release your first solo material until 2010? Why wait so long?
Well honestly, I just wanted to wait until I had the strongest possible collection of songs before introducing them to everyone. And I wanted to do this in the right way; so I waited until I felt both the music and myself were ready.
I would imagine you would be pretty stressed/apprehensive about releasing your own solo material given your lineage? Do you worry or care much about “expectations?”
I’m not really… I mostly want to enjoy letting it all happen as much as possible, and then just be who I am. I like to embrace the connections to my family and my lineage, without either running towards it, or running away from it.
Tell us about the track “I Love You Dad.” Is there a particular story behind it?
Well my dad had just written “Dance Tonight,” and he’d been playing a lot of mandolin. He gave me a mandolin for Christmas, and I loved it and started playing it a lot. I was walking around my kitchen and playing this riff––quite like he’s doing in the video for that song in fact––and I was thinking of my dad. That riff became the basis for the song. In some ways, it’s a bit like my own version of his song “Here Today” in that I was trying to say something very heartfelt to him, in the same way he does to John in his song.
When you’re not playing music, what do you like to do in your spare time? What are your non-music related hobbies?
Meditation is a big part of my life, and I often do work with the David Lynch Foundation. I also love painting, sculpture and reading. Recently I did something really fun… I did some voice-over work for a cool animated feature called The Beach Chronicles, which was an official selection at the Miami Film Festival this year. That was great!
This is your second show on The Sunset Strip. Does this area hold any significance for you personally?
Oh, just great memories mostly… hanging out with my family, Jeff Lynne (ELO), Dave Grohl. Yeah, I love L.A.
What are you most proud of in your life?
Of being a songwriter, of writing songs. I really love this new song I just wrote in fact…
From :theroxyonsunset.com
1 comment:
Thank you for posting!
Way to go, James! Absolutely, be who you are--who's better qualified and what could possibly make you happier?
Stay safe and well, good luck for wherever you're headed next.
Best wishes from
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