Interview for Q Magazine

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From RR Auction, May 2025:

McCartney sums up his thoughts on John Lennon: “He was, and still is, the heroic figure whose wit and wisdom, with a little help from his friends, shaped the thoughts and lives of millions of people”

Superlative ALS signed “love, Paul,” one page, 8.5 x 11, “Paul McCartney US” graphic letterhead, no date but circa 2005. Handwritten letter to British popular music magazine Q, summing up his feelings about Beatles bandmate John Lennon. In full: “It’s impossible to sum up in a short letter how & why I love John, but here are a few thoughts. I love him because…. he was a mate through our teenage years in Liverpool, he was the guy I sat across from as we worked out how to write songs, he was the man I admired as we evolved through the madness of fame, fortune, and ‘fabness,’ and he was, and still is, the heroic figure whose wit and wisdom, with a little help from his friends, shaped the thoughts and lives of millions of people. And so much more.” In fine condition, with an unobtrusive light diagonal crease to the lower left edge.

Accompanied by a letter of provenance from James Hyman, founder of HYMAG, in part: “This letter was discovered amongst several (vast) amounts of materials (i.e. magazines, photo archive, internal correspondence and related ephemera) acquired by HYMAG (previously Hyman Archive) from Bauer Media during the period of March–June 2017, when Bauer were moving their UK, London office…Bauer Media’s assets include Q, the music magazine (that began in 1986, and ceased publication in 2020).”

Paul McCartney and John Lennon shared one of the most iconic friendships and songwriting partnerships in music history. Meeting as teenagers in Liverpool, they bonded over a love of rock and roll and began writing songs together, forming the creative heart of The Beatles. Their contrasting styles—Lennon’s edgy introspection and McCartney’s melodic optimism—complemented each other, producing a catalog of timeless classics. Though their friendship faced tensions over the years, their collaboration was built on mutual respect and a deep, transformative creative synergy that reshaped popular music forever.

This letter, perhaps the only one known in which McCartney directly describes his feelings about Lennon, stands as a testament to that partnership and is truly a treasure of pop culture history. Further, he makes a deliberate reference to the classic Beatles song ‘With a Little Help from My Friends’—a marvelous ‘Easter egg’ for the Beatles enthusiast.