Paul McCartney on the clashes with John Lennon: "His criticisms were like little daggers"

Paul McCartney has once again reflected on his difficult relationship with John Lennon in the years following the end of the Beatles, recalling how painful the public attacks from his former bandmate were during the most tense phase of the group's split. In an interview with NME, the Liverpool musician described how those jabs left their mark, though he now frames them in a broader, more human context. "At the time it was really painful, like little daggers being stuck into me," McCartney explained. "It was frustrating because you'd think: 'Should I answer him? What do I do?' But then I realised it was just John. He was the kid I'd known since I was 16. Once I understood that, it hurt less."

The tension between the two stemmed mainly from the financial disputes that followed the Beatles' breakup. McCartney opposed the decision by Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr to hand the band's business affairs over to Allen Klein, backing instead the proposal put forward by the Eastman family. As the years went by, Klein's management proved increasingly controversial, and according to McCartney, even Lennon eventually came to acknowledge that his concerns had been well founded. "It was nice to hear John admit, even through gritted teeth, that maybe I was right," he recalled. "It was a painful time, but we probably had to go through it. Otherwise someone would have robbed us blind."

The former Beatle also stressed the importance of the reconciliation that took place in the second half of the 1970s. Over time, and partly thanks to the birth of Sean Ono Lennon, relations between the two eased, allowing them to rebuild a bond that went beyond their professional disagreements.
Today McCartney prefers above all to hold on to the memory of the friend with whom he shared one of the most important artistic experiences in the history of music. "I have wonderful memories of John," he said. "To me he was first and foremost a friend, the guy I wrote songs with and shared a fundamental part of my life with."
The comments come just days after another interview in which McCartney openly admitted that John Lennon was the Beatle he admired most. "Well, there's only one of us left. Right now I'd say Ringo," he joked in reply to Amelia Dimoldenberg on the show Chicken Shop Date, before clarifying: "Back in the Beatles days, I think we all looked up to John. He was a kind of leader, even though the band didn't officially have one. He was very funny and it was great having him in the band." Speaking on behalf of the others too, he added: "I think all of us would have said John was the leader of the group."

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