Paul 'The Poet' McCartney Bursts Into Verse <http://news.excite.com:80/news/r/010101/05/entertainment-people-mccartney-dc> January 1, 2001 By Paul Majendie LONDON (Reuters) - First the pop, then the paintings, now the poetry, Paul McCartney has burst into verse. The former Beatle, who composed some of the world's most memorable pop classics with John Lennon, is to publish more than 100 of his poems as a personal epitaph to his late wife Linda. "It was Linda who wanted Paul to get them published," playwright and poet Adrian Mitchell told the Sunday Times, which revealed details of McCartney's latest artistic venture. "Paul is not afraid to take on the art of poetry, which is the art of dancing naked," Mitchell said. His fellow poets were warm in praise of the McCartney verses, which are being printed in a collection entitled "Blackbird Singing." "Clearly Paul has a proven ability and I find many of his poems very apt and moving, particularly about Linda's death," said poet Michael Horovitz, who has known the Beatles since their pop heyday in the 60s. Poetess Ursula Fanshawe said: "There is touching evidence of a mind ravaged by memories." Much praised was his bittersweet reflection on Linda's long fight against breast cancer before her death in 1998. In one poem, McCartney wrote: "Sadness isn't sadness, it's happiness in a black jacket. Death isn't death, it's life that jumped off a tall cliff. Tears are not tears, they're balls of laughter dipped in salt." Beatles biographer Hunter Davies was not surprised that McCartney had burst into print: "He always had literary leanings," he said. "But he probably felt a bit inhibited because he and John were always in friendly rivalry and John had his (poetry) books published. I find his new poems rather moving and touching." McCartney has always been eager to push beyond the boundaries of pop music, moving first into the field of classical music. He has also been painting for the past 20 years, but only went public with an exhibition in Germany in May 1999 followed by shows in London and New York. Thirty years after the group broke up, Beatlemania shows no signs of vanishing. Their recently released collection of number one hits topped the charts around the world. The group has also launched its own Web site. McCartney's personal appeal shows no sign of fading either. Last month, young girls wept, paparazzi snapped and fans screamed when he went to a London bookstore to sign copies of his new book "Paintings."
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : 01/09/01 EST