Music

Paul McCartney was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 1999, but it turns out he was expecting it to happen a lot earlier.

Vanity Fair just published a 2015 interview with McCartney that was conducted for a biography about Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner and in it McCartney reveals Wenner, who co-founded the Rock Hall, went back on a promise regarding his solo induction.

McCartney explained that when John Lennon was inducted into the Rock Hall as a solo artist in 1994, Wenner asked him to handle the induction, and while he agreed, it got him thinking about himself. 

“Then I put the phone down. I thought, Well, what about me? I’m not inducted. Now John’s going to go in,” McCartney said. “The thing about John Lennon and McCartney was we were always equal. But, of course, once John got murdered, he became the martyr—the Buddy Holly, the James Dean character—because of the atrocity.”

McCartney said he eventually called Wenner and said, “Well, wait a minute. What about me? Maybe I’ll do John, and then maybe I should go in.”

McCartney said Wenner told him they couldn’t do that, with McCartney noting, “In all my dealings with him, it’s never up to Jann. It’s up to these other people down the corridor somewhere. He happens to have ‘owner-editor’ on his door, but they’re responsible for things?”

McCartney says Wenner eventually told him his solo induction would happen the next year.

“I said, ‘Okay.’ And I bought the deal,” McCartney said. “Next year came around … Crickets.”

McCartney noted, “Eventually I did creep in there, and my daughter Stella wore a T-shirt [that said] ‘About f***** time.”

According to the article, Wenner claimed to not remember making the deal with McCartney.

Both McCartney and Lennon were inducted as members of The Beatles in 1988.

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Elton John: He’s not just like us. We’ve got our family photos framed on a shelf, but he’s got his family photo hanging in one of London’s most famous museums.

A portrait of Elton, his husband David Furnish, their sons Elijah Furnish-John, 13, and Zachary Furnish-John, 15, plus their two Labrador Retrievers, Joseph and Jacob, has been unveiled at London’s National Portrait Gallery. The portrait was taken by photographer Catherine Opie, who has a new exhibit opening at the museum.

The U.K. paper The Telegraph quotes Elton and David as saying, “To have our family photographed by Catherine Opie and on display at the National Portrait Gallery is a huge honour. We are huge admirers of her work, and proud to have her beautiful and poignant images in our collection.”

The photo was taken at the couple’s home in Old Windsor, England. According to the paper, Opie took the portrait three days before Christmas in the library of the house. She’s quoted as saying, “It is truly an honour to photograph Elton, David, Zachary and Elijah. For me, it represents the humanity of what family can be.”

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Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings are set to tour the U.S. as The Guess Who for the first time in 23 years.

The Canadian duo has announced dates for a U.S. leg of the Takin’ it Back Tour, with former Eagles guitarist Don Felder on board as special guest.

The dates kick off June 25 in Shakopee, Minnesota, outside Minneapolis, and wraps Aug. 22 in Seattle, Washington.

“Randy and I are incredibly grateful that our music has endured all these years,” Cummings said in a statement. “Knowing that people still want to hear these songs live means everything to us, and when we go out on stage, our goal is to truly honor the music.”

Bachman added, “I’m really excited about reuniting with Burton and touring again as The Guess Who. He noted, “We created an amazing body of work together, along with memories that have lasted for decades, and those songs are still as strong as ever. I can’t wait to sing them with everyone very soon.”

A Citi presale for tickets begins Wednesday at 10 a.m. local time, followed by an artist presale at 12 p.m. local time. Tickets go on sale to the general public starting Friday at 10 a.m. local time.

Before the U.S. shows, Burton and Cummings will launch the Takin’ it Back Tour in Canada, starting May 26 in Moncton. A complete list of dates can be found at TheGuessWho.com.

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Despite his recent health issues, Barry Manilow seems to be doing just fine — and he’s thrilled about the success of his latest single, “Once Before I Go.”

In a new Instagram video, Barry says, “Well, looks like I made it, and I look fabulous, right?” He goes on to announce that the song has reached the top 10 on the Adult Contemporary chart. This marks his sixth decade on the charts, dating from “Mandy” back in 1974.

“How do you like that? I’m 100 years old with a top 10 single,” Barry, who’s 82, jokes. “Like my grandmother once said, ‘Next thing you know, they’ll be walking on the moon!'”

He goes on to thank his longtime friend Clive Davis for suggesting the song, which was written by the late Peter Allen and Dean Pitchford, who’s best known for co-writing the many hits from the movie Footloose. He also thanks radio stations for playing it and his fans for requesting it.

Barry then goes on to thank fans for all their support over the last couple of months, when he was forced to postpone multiple shows following lung cancer surgery. “It’s been a long ride and since I have no patience, it’s been agony,” he says of his recovery. “But I am getting stronger and I have great doctors and wonderful friends and family. But I am so looking forward to getting back onstage.”

“What a time it’s been,” Barry adds. “Hey! That’s the name of my new album! It’s called What a Time. It comes out real soon and I can’t wait to show these songs to you. So here’s to another century of making music together, my friends! All my love and gratitude.”

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