Twitter trolls aside, pretty much everyone knows who Paul McCartney is. The former Beatle has been in the music industry for over 50 years and has amassed a huge fan base and collection of songs in that time. That's why it's so offensive for fans to hear Paul McCartney's ex-wife Heather Mills call him irrelevant. In a recent interview with Ireland's version of The Late Late Show, Mills talked about McCartney's recent collaborations with Rihanna and Kanye West, and had a pretty negative outlook on why he's teaming up with them.
"[People are not interested.] That's the thing. When I go down the street, I get kids coming up to me — half of them don't even know who he is — that's why he's got to do songs with Rihanna and Kanye West, so people remember," she said. Then she went on to explain that people do recognize her in the street. "When I go down the street, it's ‘Oh, my God, you're a ski-racer' or ‘You help the animals.' You know, I own the biggest vegan company in the world," she added, before having the audacity to downgrade McCartney's career to a "guy that happened to write a few cool songs in the '60s and a few in the '70s."
That's where she's so wrong. I know McCartney and Mills didn't have the most amicable of breakups, but to insinuate that he's no longer relevant is just inaccurate. He wouldn't have to write another song for the rest of his life and he'd still be relevant. As a former Beatle and a musician in his own right, McCartney has amassed a fan base that stretches from the elderly to young children.
I think artist collaborations between old and young singers are really cool. I don't think it was an attempt for McCartney to stay relevant. I think he's interested in today's music scene and wanted the opportunity to work with two talented artists. I'm certain Rihanna and West felt the same way about getting to work with a legend like Paul McCartney. And if anything, all three musicians are helping each other. West and Rihanna are getting their fan base interested in McCartney and McCartney is getting his engaged in today's music.
So newsflash for Heather Mills: When The Grammys dedicate an entire television special to your ex's band, it's probably safe to assume he's still pretty relevant. No matter who he's collaborating with or why he's choosing to do so, Paul McCartney will always be legendary.
