Sir Paul Lauds O, Disses W (McCartney Insults Bush at Gershwin Prize White House Concert)

The New York Daily News ^ | Wednesday, June 2, 2010 | Michael McAuliff

[kristinn]

President Obama may be hitting new lows in the polls these days, but he’s hitting high notes with British music royalty — in the form of Sir Paul McCartney, who sang Obama’s praises tonight and slammed George Bush.

“After the last eight years, it’s great to have a president who knows what a library is,” McCartney quipped at the end of a star-studded ceremony in the White House East Room where he picked up the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song — a lifetime achievement award given by the Library of Congress.

“Getting this prize would just be good enough, but getting it from THIS president …” Sir Paul gushed, to big cheers.

And he assured the mostly American crowd that even though there are “lots of really difficult issues” in the United States, “You have billions of us who are rooting for you and we know you’re going to come through.”

The President got some local props as well from D.C. native and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, who declared “Paul: You’re definitely my hero. And Mister President, you’re definitely my other hero.”

For his part, Obama professed that McCartney helped write the soundtrack for a generation.

The former Mop Top did tread into some mock dangerous territory by regaling the First Lady with a tune he said he’d been “itching to do at the White House.”

“I hope the President will forgive me,” McCartney said, then launched into the Beatles hit “Michelle.”

Pool reporter Christina Bellantoni couldn’t see the President’s face, but as she was escorted out heard McCartney joke he’d be “the first guy ever to be punched out by a president.”

Her full pool report is after the jump.

[T. Buzzard Trueblood]

I’d be willing to let you compare GWB’s college grades with that of the current resident, if that resident weren’t too embarrassed to let the world see his.

Well said.

[Yardstick]

Good point.

BTW, here’s Karl Rove’s WSJ column on their reading competition:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123025595706634689.html

[no dems]

HEY PAUL; YOU OLD WASHED-UP HAS BEEN...........BITE ME!!!

[RobbyS]

Might mention McCartney’s pathetic attempts to produce symphonic music.

[LibFreeOrDie]

Gershwin Prize for Popular Song — a lifetime achievement award given by the Library of Congress

Why is an American institution awarding a prize named for an American composer to someone who's not an American?

[Liberty Valance]

He should have done ‘Taxman’. But since he didn’t ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWAl5V-SiKQ

[csense]

Did anyone really think that Lennon was the only Marxist in the group? It doesn’t surprise me at all that McCartney would say something like this, but then again, I’m in my early fifties, so I know a thing or two about the Beatles...

[Mr_Moonlight]

“After the last eight years, it’s great to have a president who knows what a library is"

As a lifelong Beatles fan, and one who has often criticized their foibles and follies but gave 'em a pass nonetheless because the music was so good, this really takes the cake.

Paul just jumped the shark with this comment, and I for one will never give him one more cent. He just alienated a good percentage of his fan base with this sucking up to Obama and getting partisan about it.

There is an apt phrase in Mario Puzo's book, "The Godfather", regarding Tessio's betrayal:

"How could such an intelligent man make such a gross error of judgment so late in life"

[Dapper 26]

McCartney has spent too much time in his Yellow Submarine.

[ETL]

The Lost John Lennon Interview
"Power to the People"

TA (interviewer): In a way you were even thinking about politics when you seemed to be knocking revolution?

JL (Lennon): Ah, sure, 'Revolution' . There were two versions of that song but the underground left only picked up on the one that said 'count me out'. The original version which ends up on the LP said 'count me in' too; I put in both because I wasn't sure. There was a third version that was just abstract, musique concrete, kind of loops and that, people screaming. I thought I was painting in sound a picture of revolution--but I made a mistake, you know. The mistake was that it was anti-revolution.

On the version released as a single I said 'when you talk about destruction you can count me out'. I didn't want to get killed. I didn't really know that much about the Maoists, but I just knew that they seemed to be so few and yet they painted themselves green and stood in front of the police waiting to get picked off. I just thought it was unsubtle, you know. I thought the original Communist revolutionaries coordinated themselves a bit better and didn't go around shouting about it. That was how I felt--I was really asking a question. As someone from the working class I was always interested in Russia and China and everything that related to the working class, even though I was playing the capitalist game.

http://beatlesnumber9.com/lostlennon.html

[Magic Fingers]

“After the last eight years, it’s great to have a president who knows what a library is,” McCartney quipped.

Yeah, like HE’S spent lots of time there.

[Cyropaedia]

He should stick to bass playing.

In his final interview, John Lennon said he thought it was with his skill at the electric bass where McCartney *truly* excelled.

Ironically, said Lennon, that was the one thing that Paul was truly modest about.

He claimed that McCartney was a virtual egomaniac with regards to every other aspect of himself.

[Natural Born 54]

OK, Paul. You burst into my world on Ed Sullivan’s stage. As the girls in the audience screamed and passed out, I developed my first crush - on you. I was 11 and all of a sudden boys were interesting because of you. It’s been a nice nostalgic memory during the ensuing years. Now, thanks to your ill advised foray into public political commentary, I am not only officially over you but I am refiling my memory under “misguided childhood notions.” (Note: I was even willing to give you a pass on your weak chin - noticed that as I got older - now it seems to suit you.)

[Mortrey]

Gershwin (a true genius) must be rolling over in his grave.

[MPJackal]

“After the last eight years, it’s great to have a president who knows what a library is,”

I’m sorry, GW has a degree from Harvard and a degree from Yale> Where did Paul go to college? Did he even graduate high school?

[Cincinna]

Sir” Paul can neither read nor write music.

Can’t read music?

[blackd77]

What an idiotic statement. I thought more of him. I guess that was misguided.

Strictly speaking, these are clear:

1. Bush did know what a library is.
2. Knowing what a library is is not an impressive bit of knowledge.

So...what was the point? Why focus on faulty recollections when current events...are...rather....IMPORTANT?

[Minn]

“After the last eight years, it’s great to have a president who knows what a library is,” McCartney quipped

Man, that's clever. Except we have transcripts verifying that W must have spent time in libraries to earn respectable grades. How about your hero Paul? What kind of grades did he get?

[Blind Eye Jones]

Paul should have wrote, “When I get older losing my mind many years from now... will I be dancing with a one legged gal, Sunday morning have a Marxist as a pal, If I be crazy at quarter to three, would you lock the door... will you let me out of the nut house, let me out of the White House, when I’m sixty four.