It would be all too easy to call Paul McCartney: Man On The Run a documentary about Paul McCartney and Wings. There is another documentary called Wingspan that came out in 2001, and it covers the same 10 years of McCartney’s life after the Beatles. One difference is that it seems to be more hands-on, with McCartney popping up on camera, providing commentary throughout. He speaks but is never seen in Man On The Run, which is fueled by archival footage and brutal honesty.
As the title of the film implies, Paul McCartney was very much “on the run” in 1970s. The emergence of Wings comprised a significant portion of it. What the film reveals, however, is that McCartney’s life — from the break-up of rock’s greatest rock band he was part of to the senseless death of his best friend and collaborator — was very much a marathon, mostly spent “running” away from the immeasurable legacy of The Beatles.
Directed by Morgan Neville, Man On The Run provides a fresh perspective, from a much older and wiser Paul McCartney, along with commentary from Linda, Mary, and Stella McCartney, Wings band members, Sean Ono Lennon, Mick Jagger, Chrissie Hynde, Nick Lowe, Elton John, and others.
From the outset, we’re with McCartney when the Beatles have broken up and — what he will he do now. As we’re shown, he chose to live with wife Linda, stepdaughter Heather and new-born Mary in a “broken down farmhouse” in Scotland. Despite a bit of drinking and drugging, McCartney starts making music again, albeit on a much smaller, simpler scale. Still, the influence of John Lennon, The Beatles partnership, and Apple Records weren’t going away any time soon.
“John broke up the Beatles, but I got the rap,” McCartney proclaims. “And that’s a bit of a weight to bear.” Lennon, his moves, even his opinions about his former partner’s music come up here and there. After going over why the first McCartney solo album tanked, critically and commercially, we hear a sound byte of Lennon calling it “rubbish.”
We’re reminded the Walrus had his own issues with the Beatles and took square aim at his old songwriting partner with the venomous “How Do You Sleep?” To which, the 82-year-old McCartney responds with a mighty “Fuck you,” followed by: “How do I sleep at night? Actually, quite well.” As it were, It all seems to drive McCartney to go back to “square one” by forming Wings.
The early live footage and photos of Wings touring Europe serve as a major turning point. As much as McCartney says he wanted Wings to be a real band with an equal partnership, the film suggests the playing field could never be level simply because whatever Paul McCartney did, he would always be a beloved Beatle. Until he embraced it years later, the shadow was as much of a curse as it was a blessing, especially with regards to Wings.
Still, the validity of Wings is called into question. Recording “Mary Had A Little Lamb” didn’t seem to resonate. Linda McCartney catches flak for even being in the band (Beatles wives couldn’t get a break). It becomes perfectly clear then and now how vital she was to McCartney’s state of mind and body.
To hear Lennon say on camera that “Paul’s suspicions were right” when news that he, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr had severed ties with uber manager Allen Klein is a major step forward. There’s another clip of Lennon responding to a question from a TV show audience member about Wings. “It’s getting better…he’s going in the right direction.” We’re let onto the fact that the iciness between Lennon and McCartney at that time was beginning to thaw. “If I can’t have a fight with my best friend, then who can I have a fight with,” Lennon said.
It’s this kind of reinforcement that allows McCartney to expand Wings, with numerous bumps and band members to navigate along the way. After drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarist Henry McCulloch bailed before the band was set to go to Africa to make Band On The Run, McCartney dug his heels in to make the “best record” he could. As we are to learn, getting mugged and losing their demos in Lagos somehow provided the needed incentive for Wings to finally break through.
With number one records, a growing family, and a strong work ethic, McCartney was ready to tour big in Australia and America — the only proper tour he really ever did with Wings — though he admits it was “a scary moment.” You can watch Rockshow to see Wing’s finest lineup (with guitarist Jimmy McCullock and drummer Joe English on board) in full bloom.
Multiple frustrations from various band members about pay, being in the background, and musical direction are aired out. McCartney comes to grips with the fact that Wings was always his band, offering: “I try to be a good boss.” That seems to have been working well with subsequent hired hands.
Having achieved worldwide success, McCartney hesitantly added Beatles songs. At the same time, as the film vividly exposes, talk of a Beatles reunion started to circulate, resulting in multi-million dollar offers. Hearing McCartney talk about being with Lennon watching Saturday Night Live’s paltry offer of $3,000 to reunite provides new revelations.
The upbeat tone of Paul McCartney: Man On The Run shifts once the tour ends and more lineup changes happen as McCartney ages and reflects. Denny Laine says Wings was no longer the same. McCartney weathers the storm, the “run” continues and he never stops making music. Out of nowhere, a tribute to Scotland, “Mull of Kintyre,” with its undercurrent of bagpipes, became a huge hit. And more additions to the family kept the hive happy and healthy.
Even as McCartney’s infamous arrest for possession of marijuana in Japan nearly ended his career, it most certainly ended Wings. Looking back, the whole controversy hasn’t aged well. “I was an idiot” is how McCartney sums it up. Once he was free, he turned face and made “Comin’ Up.” It was enough to even inspire Lennon’s brief return to music.
Which brings us back to John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s relationship. “It’s beautiful we made up,” McCartney says. But then Lennon’s untimely demise and the official end of Wings brings the story to a close. While diehard Wings fans will want to compare notes with Wingspan, perhaps the end result of the rip-roaring decade covered here is a man no longer on the run, but rather a man who simply grew up.
~ Shawn Perry
