Paul McCartney has met every notable person in the world he could ever want to meet. It takes a lot of standing to take his breath away or make him star-struck. McCartney has repeatedly paid tribute to his major musical influences. However, of all the famous faces he has met, one artist stands out as “the coolest“.
McCartney was less used to rubbing shoulders with celebrities when he was younger. But once The Beatles became successful, he began meeting his childhood heroes. Early in his career, the bassist had the opportunity to perform a residency with Little Richard, which was a surreal experience. He also shared a stage with Bruce Springsteen, smoked marijuana with Bob Dylan, and found friends in almost every corner of the music industry. However, hanging out with Elvis Presley at his mansion in Bel Air is a moment he will never forget.
This was one of McCartney’s most memorable moments, taking place in the summer of 1965. It was shortly after Beatlemania had taken America by storm. Although Elvis‘ singles were not charting as well as they once were, he remained ‘The King‘ and exuded an undeniable aura.
In 1965, no group was bigger than the Fab Four, and Elvis had the world’s most recognizable face. There is simply no modern equivalent of two artists working on a similar scale and with the same cultural cache.
When McCartney appeared on the Adam Buxton Podcast, he was asked about the coolest person he had ever met. Rather than initially naming a musician, he chose his wife, Nancy Shevell, but when pressed, he named Elvis Presley. “My wife…she is very cool,” Macca told the host, hoping she was listening. “However, speaking of that, I’ve met Elvis Presley, who was cool. Because this was before his Las Vegas and rhinestone suit [period], it was more like Beverly Hills. So he was very cool.”
He went on to say, “If I had to choose, I’d have to go with my wife, Nancy, and if I had to give a second, I think I’d have to do Elvis.” Considering Lennon, a noted Elvis fan himself, always spoke candidly about his disappointment meeting The King, McCartney seemed to enjoy his visit.
The evening he spent with Elvis was an awkward affair, to begin with, but things eventually loosened up, and they even enjoyed a jam together towards the end of the night. Shortly after the meeting, McCartney shared his immediate thoughts on spending time with his hero. He explained: “I think he was exactly like I imagined, yeah. I didn’t quite know what to expect when we went there, you know. I mean, I thought that he’d be the same, but I didn’t know how the atmosphere or anything would be in the place.”
McCartney continued: “But it was good, ‘cuz it was all old mates around. Old mates of his, you know, and we brought quite a few of ours. And so we just had a bit of a ‘do.”
