So with this upcoming book I went back to the March/April 1975 issue of The White Thing to find this article that was written when the Paul news was brand new.
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Paul in New Orleans
The Write Thing
March/April 1975
McCartney always manages to choose such dull places to
record his albums, like Lagos, Nigeria during a cholera epidemic and a monsoon
(he also managed to get mugged while there), and Dustin Hoffman will never be
the same after watching Paul pass out while singing “Drink to me” for the twentieth time. But for the ultimate in ho-hum what could
exceed New Orleans during the Mardi Gras?
What boring thing can he possibly do next year?
Paul and his entourage arrived in mid-January with a working
visa good until March 1 and studio time reserved at Sea-Saint Recording Studio
for the rest of January and all of February.
His visa was good for studio work only and not for live performing. A local man, hired to work with the band as a technician, said Paul had been
considering at least eight other studios, including one in Brazil. But McCartney chose Sea-Saint because Paul
Simon had recommended it to him. Allen
Toussaint, the co-owner, arranged the horn parts on Simon’s last album. Toussaint was an early rhythm and blues
artist in New Orleans, and now works with such stars as Maria Muldaur, The
Band, and Ringo Starr, for whom he may write songs, arrange or play during the
sessions. Besides the attraction of
Sea-Saint, Paul is here to absorb the unique “New Orleans sounds”, which refers
to the style of rhythm and blues that originated in this city.
Paul auditioned several local drummers and keyboard players
to add one of each to the band temporarily in order to incorporate elements of
a “funky New Orleans sound” in the songs for the new album. Denny Laine and Jimmy McCullough are still
with the band, but Geoff Britton, the drummer, left Wings when he was offered a
chance to appear in a karate film and write the soundtrack. “The breakup had been entirely amicable and
Britton is back in England now.” The
new, but temporary drummer during their stay was Joe English, 24, an American
from New York.
They recorded every week day, coming in about midafternoon
to the studio on Clematis street which was always surrounded by about a hundred
fans, photographers, and other assorted gawkers. Every day he would sign autographs, pose for
pictures, as the paper down there put it, “He has been extremely friendly to
the throngs of people that have been waiting for him each afternoon at
Sea-Saint. Paul’s warmth and
every-present smile have endeared him to the residents of Clematis Street and
the crowds of onlookers that greet him.”
Knowing exactly where Paul McCartney was every day and what
time, and that the was playing “Mr. Charming-Public-Relations Man” drove me
slightly crazy with jealousy and a mad desire to take the next plane to N.O.
and if it wouldn’t’ have been for the two hundred dollars in air fare I would
have gone too.
The newspapers there also printed where the McCartney’s were
staying according to the States Item they were secretly living at Le Richelieu
motel on Chartres. They also drove
around town inconspicuously in a Volkswagen or a beat-up Valiant. One weekend night they went out to hear
Professor Longhair (who they said was “fantastic”), a guru of rock n roll piano
playing, a Jed’s University Inn on Oak Street.
They went incognito according to the paper, but if they were so “secret”
and “incognito” and “Inconspicuous” then how come everyone knows about it?
On February 13 Paul held his first and only press conference
(if you could call it that). The
happening took place aboard the excursion boat “Voyageur” with some 100
photographers, reporters, and other “of questionable credentials” jamming the
small boat so that whatever side Paul was on the boat tilted 15 degrees into
the water!
“The black top-hatted Paul replaced his head cover with a
Tuxedo Brass Band hat, then pout a multi-colored beret over that and back to
his top hat as he clutched a black cane and danced to the Tuxedo’s “Saints Go
Marching In,” upon his hour-and-a-half late arrival at the dock on Canal
Street. On board, Pau smiled the
familiar grin, tried to drink his champagne and amiably answered inane questions
as his American wife shouted in a British accent, “Throw me something mister!”
“Dressed in a rumpled blue coat, black pants and heavy brown
shoes, Paul kept a distracted smile on his face through the whole thing.”
“The McCartneys and their band Wings, were in the studio
until about 2 a.m. the night before, working on the album, and then jamming
until 5 a.m. with Allen Toussaint and Atlanta recording star Mylon
LeFevre. Linda shows callouses on her
hands from playing the organ from the band.”
“Scotching reports that the album had a strong New Orleans
flavor to it, McCartney said it sounded more like his music – polished,
energetic rock—except for a song called “My Carnival” written the morning of
Ash Wednesday.
The reason they decided to spend six weeks in New Orleans
was “because we thought it would be warm and because it’s a great musical city
and it’s easier to record in a place that’s a little crazy.” “I doubt that is’ possible the Beatles will
ever sing again together. Everyone’s
happy with what he’s doing now.” Said Paul, who said he “occasionally” sees the
others. But he does plan on taking Wings
on tour around the U.S.
Marshall Sehorn, the part-owner of Sea-Saint talks about
disguising the McCartneys as clowns and their three daughters as fairies on
Mardi Gras. The other Wings were
Napoleon (Jimmy), Gen. Beauregard and the wolfman (Denny). “Can you imagine two limousines and an
Oldsmobile convertible going through these crowds on LaSalle hunting for
Indians?” Sehorn asks, adding that they found the Wild Tchoupitoulas and the Wild
Magnolias (recording stars in their own right).
Then the group watched the parades from the third floor balcony which
they rented from Kolb’s restaurant.
“It was lovely,” says McCartney. They caught lots of “double cones,” he says,
“as opposed to single oons,” A reporter writers this down. “What’s the matter?” McCartney asks, “Is the
humor a little too much for you? Over
your head? Under your head?”
“We spend about 10 hours a day in the studio with no lunch
breaks and stuff,” said Paul. It’s my job. It’s not as glamorous as it’s painted. We’re not combing work with being
tourists. Watch your finger,” he advised
a photographer whose camera was covered by another. Paul also said he hadn’t been too bothered by
crowds on the street in New Orleans.
“People don’t’ go crackers in a crowd.
Nice people have treated us nice,” he said. Why doesn’t he have more press conferences? “I don’t like them,” said Paul. “It’s not the grooviest thing to do on a
Tuesday morning, you know?” No one told
him it was Thursday.
Denny Laine sat in the background and played a tape of the
song Paul wrote with the New Orleans flavor, “My Carnival.” There’s sort of a Fat Domino piano through
McCartney’s characteristic polished, energetic music, lots of Mardi Gras noise
and brass band sound and a chorus of “All you good people get ready to play…I
want to hear you say, ‘Come on down. This is my carnival.’”
“I’ve always switched styles, “said Paul, “but I think I
sounded country when I was in Nashville because we used Nashville players. It’s not a whole new direction for me. We are a little influenced by wherever we
are, but we’re doing our own sound.” The
new yet untitled record which will be released in mid-April will consist of
rock, ballads, rhythm, and “good old McCartney and Wings music,” added a
helpful Linda McC. Asked to explain what
the music sounds like to him, Paul with his flip humor still showing, replies,
“It’s just like my stuff, but it’s better.”
Buster Holmes drove up to the dock in a gold Chevrolet station
wagon loaded with $300 worth of his
superb soul food for 100 people on a second cruise – red beans, sausage, ham
hocks, potato bread, mustard greens.
After the press was unloaded, that second cruise must have
been something The McCartneys would be free of the spotlight pressures, they
could relax and listen to two good New
Orleans soul bands , the Meters and Chocolate Milk.
But the real treat would be a small all-star show of New
Orleans rock and roll of the early 1960’s – with the likes of Ernic K-doe
(Mother-in-law), Lee Dorsey (Working in a Coal Mine), Earl King (Trick Bag) and
Robert Parker (Barefootin’) aboard to sing, drink and mix with the newer
celebrities.
The McCartneys stayed in New Orleans only one week after
this, leaving a week earlier than had been expected. During their last week they were dubbing
vocals and brass over the nearly completed recordings. They flew next to Los Angeles to mix the
tapes out there and to complete the album.
I’m sure everyone has already heard something on Linda’s
subsequent arrest on March 3, for suspicion of possessing marijuana. Paul was driving their rented ’74 silver
Lincoln Continental along Santa Monica Blvd. with Linda and the three kids all
in the car, when he went through a red light shortly after midnight. The officer smelled the marijuana as he was
writing out a traffic citation and ordered them out of the car. He found 16 grams in linda’s purse. She was released on $500 bail and ordered to
appear in municipal court on March 10.
On March 9 one fan was driving down Sunset Blvd, and saw a
sign on the side of one building that said, ‘Welcome to L.A. Paul and Linda
McCartney and Family!” I’m sure Paul and
Linda saw the irony in that!
Paul has so far not scheduled any L.A. press conferences, so
all that is coming out right now are unconfirmed rumors.
I had an invite to what I realize now was the 2nd trip the Voyageur took that day. I walked up the gang plank right into the boat to find it empty, sat at the bar drinking Chivas on the rocks. Paul emerged from a private room(office?) and gazed through the glass to the far side of the river which is almost a mile at New Orleans. I asked about the new album and told him my name. We walked to the dock side of the boat where the velvet rope had gone up and I remember all the local cool people waiting to board for the second cruise.. Especially attractive groupie looking girls. I told him you must be used to that by now. Admiringly, he said you never quite get used to that do you. Then others emerged from the office and he was called away. He politely said "Hey good meetin ya, Tim and I said " Same here". The cruise was tres cool, but very crowded.
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