Mike McCartney (Paul's brother) on the Beatles' early years

Paul McCartney's brother Mike takes a trip around Liverpool and talks about childhood memories, school days at the Liverpool Institute, the Beatles' early years, the Cavern Club and how he started his career in photography. Anecdotes about his first camera which Paul bought in Hamburg, the first photographs, Ringo Starr and Little Richard, George Harrison with Joe Brown's guitar, John Lennon, Peter Scissons, Brian Epstein and 'Flash Harry'.

From the BBC's 'Daytime Live' show with Pamela Armstrong, 1987 - 1988, which I recorded on VHS.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• mike
• mcgear
• mccartney
• paul
• scaffold
• beatles
• john
• lennon
• george
• harrison
• ringo
• starr
• little
• richard
• liverpool
• pictures

[tmac052558]

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Mike. He was so down to earth, and so nice. He actually took my glasses off and put them on, and someone snapped a photo, which I still have, of course. He signed a Lennon pic for me (the Statue of Liberty photo) and inscribed it "to Tim...Friend of John." I walked away feeling I knew him my entire life and wanted to go and have a Guinness with him. Good people, the McCartneys.

[JaneFokster]

@tmac052558 Thanks for that story. :) That's exactly how I remember Mike from meeting him 20 odd years ago. I've got a picture of me kissing him on the cheek (I asked first!). He didn't mind. :)

And let me take this opportunity to say 'Merry Christmas, Mike'! :)

And a very merry X-mas to everyone, of course. :)

[spikepedestal]

Where's the clip taken from, Jane?

[JaneFokster]

@spikepedestal

It's from the BBC's 'Daytime Live' show with Pamela Armstrong, which aired in 1987 and 1988. Can't remember much else about it. I just recorderd this little clip at the time. I used to always have my vcr standby just in case there was something about the Beatles on tv and that's how I got this. :)

[odiugelcnu]

@JeffersonDinedAlone

You sound as if you haven't had a healthy shit in quite some time!

[LadyGrinningSoul]

@JeffersonDinedAlone Really? I think the family dynamic is interesting.

[billymullarky]

Great stories!

[JeffersonDinedAlone]

Who gives a healthy shit what Paul's brother thinks about any of it? As if any of their relatives have some kind of extraordinary imput. They don't. They were, by random circumstance, just there.

[observer9670]

Joe Brown and George later became very good friends and neighbors. Joe was George's best man at his wedding to Olivia. Joe also was a feature performer at the Concert For George; he did the closing number "I'll See You In My Dreams".

[ABCLakey2012]

thanks for sharing this video. This was my 1st time seeing & hearing Mike McCartney speak. Paul is his big brother - hard to believe, but I can see the family resemblance & I love the Liverpool accent. I'm so glad Mike took so many cool pictures of the Beatles & of a younger Paul before the Beatles happened. What a rough, yet carefree life it was.

[groucho39]

@p1ppl I interviewed Mike for a magazine some years ago - he was a total gentleman!!!!*****

[james7167]

how strange is that all those famous people from the same school whats that all about

[observer9670]

@p1ppl I've never met him, but from the interviews I've seen, Mike seems like a great guy with a wicked sense of humor. He never seemed resentful of his brother's success. And from all accounts he is still very close to Paul - he's been Paul's best man three times!