Paul McCartney

Paul: I've got a few guitars that I like. The trouble with fame and riches is that you have more than one guitar. When you're a kid, you've only got one guitar, and you love it, and you string it and you cherish it, and you put it to bed at night and all that shit. You relate to it. When you've got more than one, you've got two. (laughs) And then you don't know which one to choose. It's an embarrassment of riches. Then you've suddenly got three and four, and then at my stage in the game, people give you guitars. So you've suddenly got a cellarful.

Paul: I used to think that all my Wings stuff was second-rate stuff, but I began to meet younger kids, not kids from my Beatle generation, who would say, "We really love this song".

Paul: I definitely did look up to John. We all looked up to John. He was older and he was very much the leader; he was the quickest wit and the smartest.

Paul: (on rumors his song Mister Bellamy is written about Heather Mills) Who is Mr Bellamy? Well, I never know who these people are. Who is Chuck and Dave from When I'm 64? Who is Eleanor Rigby? Who is Desmond and Molly from Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da? I don't know, I just make them up.

Paul: None of us wanted to be the bass player. In our minds he was the fat guy who always played at the back.

Paul: It was Elvis who really got me hooked on beat music. When I heard "Heartbreak Hotel" I thought, this is it.

Paul: The issues are the same. We wanted peace on earth, love, and understanding between everyone around the world. We have learned that change comes slowly.

Paul: I used to think anyone doing anything weird was weird. Now I know that it is the people that call others weird that are weird.

Paul: You try to concentrate on the lyrics, the music, the melody, and putting it all together, and there's a sign... and half of you is saying "ignore it", but the other half is saying "read it, go ahead." "My grandmother saw you at Candlestick." That says it all.

Paul: I've seen those famous Nixon transcripts where Elvis actually starts to try to shop us - The Beatles! He's in the transcript saying - to Richard Nixon, of all people - 'Well, sir, these Beatles: they're very un-American and they take drugs.' I felt a bit betrayed by that, I must say. The great joke is that we were taking drugs, and look what happened to him. He was caught on the toilet full of them! It was sad; but I still love him, particularly in his early period. He was very influential on me.

Paul: We didn't all get into music for a job! We got into music to avoid a job, in truth - and get lots of girls.

Paul: I don't take me seriously. If we get some giggles, I don't mind.

Paul: I'm not religious, but I'm very spiritual.

Paul: If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.