[DOC] Revelations by Michael Stephen Levy at Arts-Photography

Description

An illuminating look at the most tumultuous decade in the life of a rock iconmdash;the only McCartney biography in decades based on firsthand interviews with the ex-Beatle himself. As the 1970s began; the Beatles ended; leaving Paul McCartney to face the new decade with only his wife Linda by his side. Holed up at his farmhouse in Scotland; he sank into a deep depression. To outsiders; McCartney seemed like a man adriftmdash;intimidated by his own fame; paralyzed by the choices that lay before him; cut loose from his musical moorings. But what appeared to be the sad finale of a glorious career was just the start of a remarkable second act. The product of a long series of one-on-one interviews between McCartney and Scottish rock journalist Tom Doyle; Man on the Run chronicles Paul McCartneyrsquo;s decadelong effort to escape the shadow of his past; outrace his critics; and defy the expectations of his fans. From the bitter and painful breakup of the Beatles to the sobering wake-up call of John Lennonrsquo;s murder; this is a deeply revealing look at a sometimes frightening; often exhilarating period in the life of the worldrsquo;s most famous rock star. Sensing that he had nowhere to go but up; Paul McCartney started over from scratch. With emotionalmdash;and musicalmdash;backing from Linda; he released eccentric solo albums and embarked on a nomadic hippie lifestyle. He formed a new band; Wings; which first took flight on a ramshackle tour of British university towns and eventually returned Paul to the summit of arena rock superstardom. In Man on the Run; Doyle follows McCartney inside the recording sessions for Wingsrsquo; classic album Band on the Runmdash;and provides context for some of the baffling misfires in his discography. Doyle tracks the dizzying highs and exasperating lows of a life lived in the public spotlight: the richly excessive world tours; the Japanese drug bust that nearly ended McCartneyrsquo;s career; his bitter public feuds with his erstwhile Beatle bandmates; and the aftermath of an infamous drug-and-alcohol-fueled jam session where McCartney helped reconcile the estranged John Lennon and Yoko Ono. For Paul McCartney; the 1970s were a wild ride with some dark turns. Set against the backdrop of a turbulent decade; Man on the Run casts the ldquo;sunny Beatlerdquo; in an entirely new light.Praise for Man on the Run ldquo;ldquo;Tom Doylersquo;s detailed chronicle; which includes rare interviews with McCartney and former Wings members; portrays a band that was far more contentious than eager-to-please hits like 1976rsquo;s lsquo;Let rsquo;Em Inrsquo; had us believe; fronted by a legend who wanted to be both boss and buddy. The book is larded with tales of Seventies rock-star excess; Paul and Lindarsquo;s love of weed; docked paychecks; and grousing musicians.rdquo;mdash;Rolling Stone ldquo;Well-researched but still breezy and engaging; the book offers a comprehensive tour of the shaggy; bleary-eyed decade when the hardest-working ex-Beatle reached the zenith of his creative and commercial success. . . . Man on the Run makes an excellent contribution to the burgeoning literature devoted to McCartneyrsquo;s post-Beatles career.rdquo;mdash;The Boston Globe ldquo;In the 1970s; a depressed; heavy-drinking Paul McCartney walked away from The Beatles and reinvented himself as the leader of another hitmaking rock rsquo;nrsquo; roll band. A new book by longtime Q magazine contributing editor Tom Doyle about that turbulent period in the legendary rock starrsquo;s life; Man on the Run; catches him in mid-flight.rdquo;mdash;BillboardFrom the Hardcover edition.