Jean Catharell
A founder member of the Liverpool Beatlescene fan club responds to John Dowie's plea for Paul McCartney to retire gracefully to the Isle of Wight
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Your support makes all the difference.I couldn't quite make out what Mr Dowie was trying to say ("Take my advice, Sir Paul. Put your feet up", 4 September). But this flippant attempt to have a go at Sir Paul McCartney probably fell on deaf ears around the country anyway. I'm sure Sir Paul was amused to read Mr Dowie's advice, but I don't think he has any intention of hanging up his Hofner bass just yet.
I couldn't quite make out what Mr Dowie was trying to say ("Take my advice, Sir Paul. Put your feet up", 4 September). But this flippant attempt to have a go at Sir Paul McCartney probably fell on deaf ears around the country anyway. I'm sure Sir Paul was amused to read Mr Dowie's advice, but I don't think he has any intention of hanging up his Hofner bass just yet.
Mr Dowie rightly pointed out Sir Paul's achievements over the decades, and the latest art-form that Sir Paul has chosen to share with the world - poetry. The crass comment "Dear Sir Paul, although we think your work shows promise..." is laughable. Many people have laughed (and cried) over the years because they made the fatal mistake of not recognising the talent and rejecting a youthful Paul.
The choirmaster at the Anglican cathedral in Liverpool, for example, who told the young Paul, "Your voice is not up to scratch for our choir." I wonder how many Paul McCartney records the choirmaster has in his record collection now. This is on a par with John's Aunt Mimi, who told him, "The guitar is all right, John, but you'll never make a living out of it."
The talents of this man appear to be never-ending. I'm sure that there are people who just wish they had a smidgen of his talent, whether it be in music, art or poetry. Taking a dig at a 20th-century icon, a man who was part of a group that changed our lives for ever, seems a little trite.
I don't know how old you are, Mr Dowie, but this 58-year-old knight of the realm obviously still has the drive and resilience to continue to churn out stuff that gets played at the Royal Albert Hall. He won't be putting his feet up in a cottage on the Isle of Wight.
And yes, we will still love him when he's 64!
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