You Gave Me The Answer - 23 Questions for 2023

Blink and you missed it – 2023 is almost over! And what a year it has been. Once upon a long
ago, the plans for the year were just ideas Paul was developing... yet here we are, having enjoyed an unprecedented exhibition of his Beatles-era photographs; a jet-setting tour that saw him play in Australia, Mexico and Brazil; a best-selling paperback book; a part-masterclass, part-memoir podcast; and, of course, a new Beatles song playing on the radio. Phew!

With so much to reflect on as we come to the end of December, and with it being the season of goodwill, we thought we’d get a little help from our friends for this final edition of the ‘You Gave Me The Answer’ Q&A. We gathered up some excellent quickfire questions from the Paul McCartney Official Fan Group on Facebook, threw in a couple of our own, and sat down with Paul to scroll back through all our favourite 2023 memories. 

Enjoy, and we’ll be back with more questions for Paul in 2024!

1.     PaulMcCartney.com asks: What has been your highlight of 2023? 

Paul: The GOT BACK tour!

2.    Ross asks: We saw your exhibition Eyes of the Storm open this year and loved the accompanying book. Do you still use a film camera, and if so which one? 

Paul: No, my iPhone has taken over.

3.     David asks: What’s your favourite song to play live on the GOT BACK tour?

Paul: It varies. Probably ‘Hey Jude’, just to see all those thousands of people singing in harmony with each other.

4.     Rosa asks: How did you feel when you heard John´s crystal clear voice on ‘Now and Then’ for the first time? 

Paul: Very emotional.

5.     Bryna asks: What’s your favourite part of the ‘Now and Then’ music video? 

Paul: John goofing around!

6.     Maxime asks: Would you ever release a soundcheck album featuring some of the covers you do before the live show? 

Paul: It’s a thought! We have the ‘jams’ – we always start the soundcheck with a made-up piece, and there’s a lot of them. So, we might go through those and do something someday.

7.     Joann asks: After 60+ years of playing guitar, how do you take care of your fingertips? 

Paul: I don’t seem to have to. When you first get back into rehearsal, they’re a little bit un-used to it, but usually they harden up and... ‘get back’.

8.     Jennifer asks: What is your favourite song or album that has been released this year? 

Paul: I don’t know, there’s so many! 

9.     Dennis asks: What is your ‘guilty pleasure’? 

Paul: I have lots of guilty pleasures. Maybe TV shows more than music. I love Bargain Hunt.

10.  Vonnie asks: Is there anyone else you would like to sing a duet with? 

Paul: Bob Dylan keeps coming up in my mind, but I don’t know if we’ll ever get round to it.

11.  Elayne asks: How many pets do you have these days, and what are their names? 

Paul: We have two dogs, Rose and Jet. They’re both rescues. Rose is a dignified lady, and Jet is a crazy monster.

12.  Renee asks: What have you enjoyed watching on TV this year? 

Paul: Well, I like David Attenborough’s shows, and in-depth historical documentary stuff. But I also like Strictly.

13.  Trav asks: Paul, what is your favourite vegetarian meal you love to cook at home? 

Paul: Quesadilla.

14.  Mika asks: If you have time machine and can go to the future, which year are you going to? 

Paul: Next year. I have no idea what’s going to be in the distant future, so I wouldn’t risk it! 

15.  Dominic asks: Is there anything left in your music bucket list? 

Paul: I don’t think so. I’ve been very lucky.

16.  Sigrid asks: What is something that always gives you a Christmas feeling? For me it’s mulled wine! 

Paul: As a kid it was always the smell of cigars. My dad didn’t smoke them except at Christmas, and my brother and I used to buy him a little pack each. Then one year our dad said, ‘Don’t buy me the pack, just get me one really good one!’

17.  JoAnn asks: Do you have a Christmas light display at your home during the holidays? 

Paul: And how! Yes, I have a guy who loves to decorate it for me, and I love to view it.

18.  Miranda asks: At Christmas, do you prefer giving gifts or receiving them? 

Paul: Both.

19.  Brandon asks: What’s the best Christmas gift you’ve received? 

Paul: It’s hard to just choose one, but Nancy gave me a beautiful old Telecaster guitar from 1956 which is pretty darn special.

20.  Alex asks: Which do you prefer, a white Christmas or winter sun? 

Paul: White Christmas.

21.  Aoife asks: Do you have an advent calendar? 

Paul: Yeah, but I must admit I only open the first few. It’s like a diary, you do the first few pages then you forget.

22.  Julie asks: Will we ever get to hear the songs that you wrote for a musical stage version of It’s A Wonderful Life? 

Paul: I hope so, yeah! Musicals are difficult things to put together, but I think it may be shaping up at last. So, hopefully you’ll get to hear the songs.

23.  PaulMcCartney.com asks: What are you most excited for in 2024? 

Paul: My birthday.

2023: it’s a wrap! Now, time to set our alarms for the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special and remember where we put our advent calendars…

Get in the festive spirit with Paul’s holiday song ‘Wonderful Christmastime’, available to stream and buy. You can also watch the remastered HD music video on YouTube.

Stay tuned for more reflections on a brilliant year on PaulMcCartney.com, coming soon.