Paul McCartney is a Beatles fan

What a strange timeline we’re in: Paul McCartney is going on Chicken Shop Date and doing social media livestreams. On Wednesday evening, the music legend went on TikTok to promote his new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, which is out today. During the 45-minute stream, he discussed the trajectory of his career and answered questions from fans, many of which understandably revolved around the Beatles. “When we started out, we were just kids, and rock and roll was just really coming in, and we thought, ‘If we’re lucky, we’ve got a couple of years,’” McCartney said. “That’s how long people normally lasted.” 

The Beatles lasted eight years, but their legacy has far surpassed that. McCartney coyly admitted as much on the live: “I think the Beatles were the greatest band ever… I’m a fan.” In the past, he’s demurred the title, saying it ought to go to the Everly Brothers, a group he claims were a major inspiration for him and John Lennon. “We expected five years max, and then that became ten and we were kind of still going, and the scene’s still there,” McCartney continued. “Then it became 20, then 30, and now it’s right up there. It is a lovely feeling.” McCartney’s been in such a nostalgic mood recently that he even invited his old bandmate Ringo Starr to sing a duet with him, “Home to Us.”

Despite his 60 years of success, McCartney seemed genuinely touched by the Beatles’ lasting importance. “People will come to me and say, ‘My kids love your music,’” he said. “And that’s something, you know, because you can’t indoctrinate kids. They just either like it or they don’t.” He also commended streaming for enabling the band’s legacy to continue. “I don’t care how people choose to access it. As long as they do access it… that’s all I’m interested in.”

Keep scrolling for more great stories.