“I lose interest”: Paul McCartney’s sage advice for Eddie Van Halen
From youthful devotees of skiffle to the global pop phenomenon that defined the 1960s, The Beatles were a band like no other. Pioneering a wealth of production techniques and songwriting styles that changed the musical landscape forever, the Liverpudlian band perfectly balanced commercial success with artistic experimentation. In the process, the band and its members achieved an unprecedented reputation within the music industry, earning them the respect of everybody from Britpop heroes Oasis to metal icon Eddie Van Halen.
In truth, it would be quicker to name all of the artists who have not been influenced by The Beatles, as opposed to those who have. The pioneering songwriting style of Paul McCartney and John Lennon continues to captivate audiences to this day, over five decades since the band went their separate ways. What’s more, even those few artists who do not harbour an obvious appreciation for the band’s songwriting, their various advancements in production techniques and music technology are virtually unavoidable.
Following the break-up of the ‘Mop Tops’ after the recording of Abbey Road, each individual member embarked upon their own unique solo career. McCartney, in particular, has inspired a wildly successful and diverse solo career, ranging from the DIY experimentalism of McCartney I to the pop mastery of Wings. Throughout it all, the songwriter has continued to inspire musicians of all styles, including Eddie Van Halen.
Like every self-respecting rock artist, Van Halen was an open appreciator of The Beatles. Expectedly, for a songwriter and guitarist who came to define the landscape of heavy metal, he tended to gravitate towards the Fab Four’s heavier offerings. He once revealed to Lava Magazine, “That whole [Abbey Road] album takes you for a ride. And ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ takes you for a ride within that ride. Those monster riffs seem to go on forever and then suddenly drop you off a cliff.”
Seemingly, McCartney reciprocated the respect that Van Halen had for The Beatles. Despite Beatles tracks like ‘Helter Skelter’ being essential moments in the history of hard rock and heavy metal, the ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ songwriter rarely entered the riff-heavy world of heavy metal during his extensive solo career. Admittedly, it is difficult to imagine the former Beatle donning a hair-metal wig and blasting out a 10-minute wailing guitar solo.
Nevertheless, McCartney always made an effort to stay on top of new musical trends and artists. Talking to Guitar Player back in 1990, the songwriter shed light on his favourite guitarists, revealing, “I like Stanley Clarke. We only really met once, and just had a bit of fun in Montserrat. And he played on a couple of tracks. I admitted to him, ‘Hey, I’m trying to steal your licks, man’ He said, ‘Oh, you’ve got licks of your own.’ So, we just had a bit of fun. I decided not to steal his licks after all; he was right. He’s got his style; I’ve got my style. And he’s a great guy.”
“I like Eddie Van Halen as a player,” McCartney continued. “He gets it right quite often. I like a lot of heavy metal guys because they wind it up. What I usually like in a heavy metal band is the guitar player. But when it’s just miles of scales, I lose interest.” Less is more has been McCartney’s mantra going back to the days of The Beatles, often opting for relatively simple basslines so as not to overcomplicate the already expansive sound of the band.
That advice for not overcomplicated things was particularly needed within the heavy metal scene of the late 1980s, which often seemed like a continued competition of who could do the longest and most complex guitar solo. Van Halen, of course, was an endlessly skilled guitarist, but he also knew the power of keeping things simple every now and then, much like Paul McCartney.
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