McCartney Times

The musician-on-musician public tiff, sometimes referred to as a rap beef, has become something of an art form in recent years. Drake and Pusha T, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B: these are epic battles in which artists use social media and the world’s greatest producers to release devastating diss tracks about each other, often responding to the latest slur within hours.

For older artists, it can be hard to muster that kind of animosity. But Quincy Jones and Paul McCartney, with 161 years and 45 Grammys between them, are giving it a go – albeit without quite as much malice as their hip-hop counterparts.

It began in February, when Quincy Jones gave a wildly unguarded interview with New York magazine in which – as well as claiming that Marlon Brando had sex with Richard Pryor, that he knew the true identity of who killed JFK and that he had dated Ivanka Trump – Jones cast aspersions about the Beatles’ musicianship.

Jones said: “They were the worst musicians in the world. They were no-playing motherfuckers. Paul was the worst bass player I ever heard. And Ringo? Don’t even talk about it

“I remember once we were in the studio with George Martin, and Ringo had taken three hours for a four-bar thing he was trying to fix on a song. He couldn’t get it. We said, ‘Mate, why don’t you get some lager and lime, some shepherd’s pie, and take an hour-and-a-half and relax a little bit.’

“So he did, and we called Ronnie Verrell, a jazz drummer. Ronnie came in for 15 minutes and tore it up. Ringo comes back and says, ‘George, can you play it back for me one more time?’ So George did, and Ringo says, ‘That didn’t sound so bad.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, motherfucker, because it ain’t you.’ Great guy, though.”

The interview was well received – many cheered Jones’s honesty – but Jones felt bad about what was said, and later apologised, saying it had been a case of “word vomit” and that “bad-mouthing is inexcusable”.

Now, seven months later, McCartney has responded, not via a YouTube diss video, but via another lengthy profile with a legacy media title, this time GQ magazine. In the piece, McCartney recounts the apology call from Quincy.

“So he rang me, and I’m at home on my own. And I’d finished work, so I had a drink, and now I’m grooving at home, I’m cooking, I’ve got a little bit of wine going, I’m in a good mood, and I don’t give a shit. So I get a phone call: ‘Is this Mr McCartney?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Quincy would like to speak with you.’ Because he’s always worked through security guys.

“I said, ‘Hey, Quince!’ ‘Paul, how you doing, man?’ ‘I’m doing great – how are you, you motherfucker!’ I’m just jiving with him. ‘Paul, I didn’t really say that thing – I don’t know what happened, man. I never said that. You know I love you guys!’

“I said, ‘If you had said that, you know what I would have said? Fuck you, Quincy Jones!’ And he laughed. I said, ‘You know I would say to that: Fuck you, Quincy Jones, you fucking crazy motherfucker!’ So actually we just had a laugh. And he was like, ‘Oh, Paul, you know I love you so much.’ ‘Yeah, I know you do, Quince.’”

McCartney’s rejoinder is not exactly a knockout blow, and it seems the two men have buriedwhat was already quite a blunt hatchet. Still, McCartney was at pains to point out that he’s actually quite good at the bass guitar.

“I don’t think I’m the worst bass player he’s ever heard,” he said. “Or maybe he’s never heard bad bass players.”

Source: Dry aged beef? Paul McCartney’s and Quincy Jones’ slow-moving squabble | Music | The Guardian