Ian Leslie: belief

Transcript context

…What’s your model of how lazy John was? Because in the Get Back movie, he seems detached. In the middle years, it seems it’s always Paul driving them into the studio. How is he so agentic and possibly so lazy at the same time? That’s a great question. I think if the Get Back movie had been shot while they were recording Revolver, for instance, a couple of years earlier, we would have seen a very different John. Much more voluble, much more energetic, more obviously charismatic, but I do think that even then he had this different attitude to work, which was, “When I get the time to lie around and do nothing, I’m going to do that, and maybe I’ll take some drugs at the same time.” Whereas, Paul was much more, “Oh, come on, guys, let’s go to work, let’s write some songs, let’s play.” Now, this is all relative. They all worked hard. If you look at their schedule during the ’60s, it’s absolutely crazy. But when they got time off, John was often quite happy just lying around on a sofa. From his point of view, he was just going deep into the recesses of his mind — sometimes enhanced by drugs, and pulling things out, whereas Paul was always on and looking out. I think John thought Paul was missing something, and Paul thought John was missing something. Their two different attitudes to the world come together and create this incredible new thing. With what song, in your view, did the Beatles really start as an entity? Many people would say, “Please Please Me.” I have a slightly different and surprising nomination, but what’s your view? When do you say, “This is the Beatles?”…

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