November, 1983: In his interview with DJ Roger Scott, Paul has less than favorable things to say about Beatles biographer Philip Norman, and gets heated about Norman’s insinuations re: John’s sexuality.
PAUL: Philip Norman is the same kind of – or Norma Philips, as I prefer to call her – is the same thing, really. ’Cause I met him at a reception, Guinness Book of Records thing, and he said, “I’m doing a book, Paul, and I’ve talked to all the kind of people up in Liverpool, Bob Wooller and all of them,” and I said, “Yeah, oh, great,” you know. And I didn’t really like the look of him. I didn’t think he – he would have a great thing. He didn’t seem like the man to me, to go and do the big story. So I had a lot of stuff on, and I, um, wasn’t keen to be interviewed by him – as the others weren’t, either. Nobody agreed to be. So he turned it all ’round and tried to do that clever thing at the end of his book he says, “Unfortunately, I asked to see The Beatles but they wouldn’t see me, but I think – and people have told me – I’ve got a better book because of it.”
It’s rubbish, you know. He’s taken some very accurate moments, and written them well, because he’s probably quite a good writer – he’s Sunday Times and all that, he better had be – so he’s got a little bit of class attached to his name. So people tend to believe anything that’s the Sunday Times is generally – you just believe it, because it’s the Sunday Times, you know. “It’s not like the Sun, love.” It’s all that, you know. He’s a respectable writer. And he just put some stuff in there that is just crazy, you know. But the thing is, it’s – it’s couched, uh, or it’s – it’s—
SCOTT: It’s written so well.
PAUL: It’s – it’s set – it’s written very well, it’s written very cleverly, and it’s also set in a lot of true facts. Occasionally, this little fact like, you know, virtually, he’s got – well, I mean, Brian Epstein, that hitman, mafia [associations]? Well I think that’s a load of crap. I really do. I don’t know where he’s got it from, and the evidence is all about the merchandising set up in the book or something. I just think he’s made it up.
SCOTT: It’s more about the myths. More of it is myths.
PAUL: I think it’s sensationalism. And I really do think it’s myths. And I do think all this stuff… “John was gay.” Right? That’s in the book. I – I just think they’re old fruits, these guys. They’re just old fruits, and they’re out to make a buck. John – and I know exactly where he’s got it from. When the group was being formed, John was a smart cookie. Brian Epstein was going on holiday to Spain, and Brian was gay. Brian was going on holiday, and Brian invited John along. John, not being stupid, saw his opportunity to impress upon Mr. Epstein who was the boss in this group. And I think that’s why John went on holiday. It’s since – and I think good luck to him, too, ’cause you know, he was that kind of guy – he wanted Brian to know— [audio glitch] —not always, but he was – he was into that kind of stuff. And so now, this fella’s just decided to say, “Oh, well, he went on a holiday with somebody who was known to be gay, and therefore I think he’s gay.” [pause] I mean, I don’t know what to make of it, myself. I mean, I knew John for—
SCOTT: [commiserating] Oh, who cares.
PAUL: Well, who cares, I suppose, yeah. I mean, well – I care, ’cause as much as, like… [distracted] All I care about is that if he isn’t, then it’s a naughty [on Norman’s part]. I mean, if John was – the trouble is, see, is he’s not here to fend for himself, and we can’t ask him, “’Scuse me, John, are you – have you ever been gay?” I mean, he’s the kind – I remember people used to ask that. There were lots of people asking cheeky questions, and they were always saying, “Well, why – have you ever tried homosexuality, John?” You know, they always used to ask all that kind of stuff. I remember John saying to them, “No, I’ve never met a fella I fancy enough.” And that was his kind of opinion. You know, “I may go – I may be gay one day, if some fella really turns me on.” He was – he was that open about it. But as far as I was concerned, I slept in a million hotel rooms, as we all did, slept in a million places with John, and there was never any hint of it. So I suspect that it’s just a – it’s just something to sell a book. The guy will say that I’m a hopeless romantic, and I’m naive, and I’m an idiot, and I’m cloaking stuff behind this mask of secrecy, and I’ve got a great front and I’m really a wicked person behind it. But you know, you can say all that stuff, but I just don’t think it’s true. I think he just made it up.
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