The Scribbler

By Paul Cashmere The highlight if my media career was definitely having the chance to interview George Harrison. George was funny, informative and up for a chat. Today marks the 7th anniversary of the death of what we all called `the Quiet Beatle`. Here is a a candid chat with Beatle George. Paul Cashmere: I'm going to start off by talking about movies. I don't know how many times I've see "Monty Python's Life of Brian," in which you have a cameo. I've searched for your part, even on freeze frame. The problem with that movie is that everyone in it looks like George Harrison. Put me out of my misery. Where are you in it? George Harrison: Well if you're looking for me, then everybody's going to look like that. There's just one little shot, it's probably about 12 frames. Do you know the scene where he comes out of the room and there's crowds of people in the house and John Cleese is there saying, "Those people with gifts form a qu...

By DAVID BRINN - Jerusalem Post In the end, it comes down to the music. After all the hoopla surrounding Paul McCartney's visit to Israel - the calls for boycotts, the death threat, the private chef and grand piano in his hotel suite, and the visit to Bethlehem - it all boiled down to a little over two hours onstage Thursday night at Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv before 40,000 plus fans. "Shalom Tel Aviv, Shana Tova, Ahalan": Sir Paul McCartney on stage in Tel Aviv, Thursday. And it was a dynamite two hours, with the 66-year-old former Beatle proving time and time again that he's a consummate performer, musician and songwriter. Evidently in fine spirits, despite reports of him receiving threatening emails up to two hours before show time cautioning him not to go onstage, Sir Paul and his energetic and versatile four-piece band surprised the crowd of all ages by opening with a rousing version of "Hello Goodbye." It faithfully recreated The Beatles' original, th...

One of the key reasons why I (and I suspect many others) admire the Beatles and their music so much is due to the group's totally non-cynical and genuine desire to spread the message of love to the world. This is not a new desire, granted that the Torah tells us to "love our neighbour/friend (in the same way) as we love ourselves" - an ideal that preceded the Beatles by only a mere three thousand years. A cursory glance at the Beatles' songs verifies the fact - Love Me Do, She Loves You, All My Loving, Can't Buy Me Love, Love You To, All You Need Is Love testify to the fact. Let's also not forget that the Word was indeed "Love"! What better a message could anyone give out to the world? Paul McCartney's trip to Israel, besides being the catalyst for some rare good news emanating from the country (that's another one we owe you Paul) was all about spreading the message of love and tolerance. He managed, in his own way to assuage the critics and ...

The full set list from the September 25 Yarkon Park concert. Hello, Goodbye (The Beatles single, Magical Mystery Tour [US version], 1967) Jet (Wings: Band on the Run, 1973) Drive My Car (The Beatles: Rubber Soul, 1965) Only Momma Knows (McCartney: Memory Almost Full, 2007) All My Loving (The Beatles: With The Beatles, 1963) Flaming Pie (McCartney: Flaming Pie, 1997) Let Me Roll It (Wings: Band On The Run, 1973) including a tribute to Jimi Hendrixs' Foxy Lady during the coda My Love (Wings: Red Rose Speedway, 1973) Let 'Em In (Wings: Wings At The Speed Of Sound, 1976) The Long and Winding Road (The Beatles: Let it Be, 1970) Dance Tonight (McCartney: Memory Almost Full, 2007) Blackbird (The Beatles: The beatles [The White Album], 1968) Calico Skies (McCartney: Flaming Pie, 1997) I'll Follow the Sun (The Beatles: Beatles For Sale, 1964) Mrs. Vandebilt (Wings: Band On The Run, 1973) Here, There and Everywhere (The Beatles: Revolver, 1966) Eleanor Rigby (The Beatles: Revolver, 1...

Tonight the man does his thing at Yarkon Park. I wish so much that I could be there and am praying like never before that the Moshiach (Messiah) arrives before 6 pm GMT and whisks me away to Jerusalem (well, dropping me off in Tel Aviv first so that I can see the concert as there are still some affordable tickets left). I know that I really shouldn't use this as an excuse to pray for the arrival of our saviour, but at the end of the day, does it really matter why I want to be in Israel??? C'mon Moshiach , if you need an excuse to come, can't it be Beatle related?

I make no apology whatsoever for adding one article after another regarding Sir Paul McCartney's upcoming trip to Israel. How could I not go bananas over the notion that my two great loves, the State of Israel and the Beatles are for the first time becoming entwined. Words fail me... Additionally, I have nothing but the utmost respect for Sir Paul. In defying those who would wish that he cancel his trip (and I won't even tell you what I think about that scumbag in Lebanon who threatened him with assassination), he shows himself to be a true friend of the Jewish people and the State of Israel and we don't forget things like that . As they say in Hebrew "Kol Hakavod" - all respect due - to him. I have always held him in high estimation with regard to his amazing music. Now I see him in an ever greater light, if that were at all possible. I only wish I were there to experience the show.

David Horovitz , THE JERUSALEM POST A full half century after The Beatles began to take shape, Paul McCartney still sounds awed, modest and appreciative when discussing the lasting resonance of their music. Ahead of his Tel Aviv concert on Thursday, McCartney talks here to The Jerusalem Post about his beliefs, about how he copes with near-universal fame, about the puzzling, even "magical" inspiration for some of his songs, and about his abiding, insistently optimistic outlook on life. Paul McCartney, just turned 15, was introduced to John Lennon, all of 16, at a church fete in Woolton, Liverpool, at which Lennon's skiffle group, The Quarrymen, was playing. The older boy, so legend has it, was impressed by McCartney's familiarity with rock and roll music and his facility with a guitar. For one thing, he knew how to tune it properly. The year was 1957. McCartney, who had already started penning his own songs (he still sometimes plays his first ever composition, "...

By Geoff Baker Paul McCartney performs in Israel on Thursday for the first time. The concert in Tel Aviv will be a security nightmare and rival groups are playing tug-of-war with Paul's personal politics. Because he is seen almost universally as 'one of the good guys', everyone wants to recruit him to their side. Israel, which famously banned the 'decadent' Beatles in 1965, is billing the concert as part of its 60th anniversary celebrations. Paul with Linda in the Nineties. His Tel Aviv concert is a nod to the Jewish element in his success, including her family the Eastmans whose legal advice helped him during the Beatles' breakup Some Palestinian groups insist the event should not go ahead - and no one discounts the possibility of an extremist attempting a 'spectacular' to make a political point. 'I was approached by different groups and political bodies who asked me not to go to Israel,' Paul told the Israeli media. 'But I refused. I do wha...

In an odd twist to this story, World Net Daily reported that Aaron Klein, a terrorism author and expert, contacted several men he described as Palestinian terrorists and was said to have found not one of them had heard of Paul McCartney. Klein, WorldNetDaily's Jerusalem bureau chief and author of the book "Schmoozing with Terrorists," even sang Beatle songs, including "Yesterday," "Let It Be" and "She Loves You" to them, but even those didn't help. Abu Ahmed, said to be a senior leader of Islamic Jihad in Gaza, reportedly told Klein, "We don't know these Beatles." They had, however, heard of Britney Spears and Madonna. In fact, Abdel-Al had threatened to "cut the heads" of Madonna and Spears for spreading Satanic culture. As as adjunct, Dana thinks that Paul McCartney shouldn't be told because he'd be more upset if he knew the terrorists had never heard of him, as opposed to knowing of any plans they might...

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Legendary Beatles star Paul McCartney said he was pressed to cancel his upcoming performance in Israel, but reassured Israeli fans in comments published on Thursday he would go ahead with the planned concert. "I was approached by different groups and political bodies who asked me not to come here. I refused. I do what I think, and I have many friends who support Israel," McCartney said in an interview with Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth. Pro-Palestinian groups have frequently called on international academics and prominent cultural figures to boycott Israel over its occupation of the West Bank and blockade of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Jewish groups have condemned cultural and academic boycotts as anti-Semitic. McCartney will perform hits from his Beatles days and his solo career during a September 25 concert in Tel Aviv as part of a series of shows that has taken McCartney to cities he never visited before. Asked about how members of the Beatles, o...

I was hoping that this blog would have been written up by my two eldest daughters, but it looks like this is not going to happen, as they don't seem to be as keen as I am to share their experiences of my adopted city. My mother, Dassi, Tali and I went up to the city on Sunday. If you recall, I had promised Tali that she would go to Chester Zoo, accompanied by her oldest sister and grandmother...oh yes, and me. The journey north didn't start too well as I managed to forget the free entry vouchers at home. A quick call to the zoo from the service station sorted the problem out. I would pay the full price and they would reimburse me the cost of two children's tickets. I suppose it was cheaper than turning around and going back home. We staggered our way to the city and headed straight for the Liverpool John Lennon Airport as I wanted to show them the Yellow Submarine as well as see the terminal building for myself. I had seen the submarine when I visited two years ago, but had...

We're into the second week of August, which can only mean one thing... My annual Liverpool trip. Discounting my recent excursion to the city, which for all intents and purposes was severely curtailed by the pressures of work, I will be revisiting my adopted city for the third year running. This year's trip takes on some very special guest stars, namely my mom, Dassi and Tali. I can't wait to share the city with them and create some great new memories. This trip, though shorter than the last two, has been some months in the planning and although we're only going to be there for three days, only one will be spent in the city itself. On Tuesday, we will be visiting Chester and giving Tali her Afikomen present, albeit four months late. The weather might be interesting, but even if it pours, I can't wait to share my love of Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields and the like with my family. As wonderful as it was to visit the places with friends, nothing can compare taking my d...

Paul McCartney to Play Israel Gig By Adam Nutburn, July 17 2008 Sir Paul McCartney is set to make history -- by playing his first gig in Israel. The Beatles were banned from the country more than 40 years ago, after being turned away by its then education minister David Zarzevski, who believed a gig by the band would corrupt the country's morals. However earlier this year, Israel's government sent apology letters the band's remaining members -- Sir Paul and drummer Ringo Starr -- as well as the relatives of deceased Beatles George Harrison and John Lennon -- inviting them to play as part of the country's 60th birthday celebrations. The letters stated, "We should like to take this opportunity to correct the historic omission which to our great regret occurred in 1965 when you were invited to Israel. "We missed a chance to learn from the most influential musicians of the decade." McCartney, 66, is now said to be on the verge of signing a deal to play to 25...

I've returned from another visit to my beloved city. I first set foot in Liverpool on Friday 22 nd February 1985 (ironically the day on which Dana had been born but fourteen years previously...and Tali wasn't even a twinklet ). I don't remember much of the trip, except for the visit to the Beatle City exhibition (on Sunday the 24 th ), which is long gone. I have a vague memory of walking around Seel Street and seeing the docks....and that's about it. When I bought my first Beatles' tape at Oliver Crombie , a music shop in Golders Green the next day, I really didn't realise that I was on the cusp on developing one of my life's great passions. The tape, by the way, was Please Please Me . Fast forward 23 years and then some... and I've come back from my fourth visit to the city - my third annual trip. To be fair, this wasn't exactly a Beatles event. As you know, I was here on business, although the lads were never far away from either my mind, or t...

Paul McCartney is no longer a threat to Israeli youth. by Nathan Burstein More than four decades after the Beatle and his famous band mates were told they couldn’t perform in Israel for fear that they would corrupt the country’s young people, the “Let It Be” singer has signed on for a September concert in either Tel Aviv or Ramat Gan. The big-budget show, first reported by Yediot Aharonot, will follow McCartney concerts in Georgia and Turkey. The show, likely to be the largest and most expensive of the summer, is being organized by David Zarzevski, a promoter behind the Eilat Jazz Festival and recent Tel Aviv-area concerts by Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu. The show will mark McCartney’s debut concert in Israel, though not his first invitation to perform. The singer and his Beatles counterparts planned a concert in the country in 1965, but they were barred from performing by then-education minister Yaakov Schneider on grounds that the band members might serve as negative role models for ...

I was very sorry to read about the passing of Neil Aspinall, the unassuming and fiercely dedicated former head of Apple, whose tireless work for the Beatles new no bounds - in both good and not so good times. If you are searching for an example of loyal friend, you need look no further than this gentleman. He was only 66. As a Beatles fan, you will know exactly to whom I am referring. Everyone knows "Nell" his Beatles' nom de plume . He was there with the boys from the start, carrying their gear and baggage and I suppose, you could say that he's now back two of them (as well as with Brian, Mal and Derek) once again. If you enjoyed The Beatles Anthology, thank Neil. If you loved the Beatles "1" album, give a nod to him because he was the prime mover behind these two wonderful projects. It is also very sad to note that yet one more person involved in the magic that was the Beatles has passed away at a criminally young age. With Brian dying at 32, John at 40, ...

Israel to Beatles: Um, can you play now? More than 40 years after it barred the iconic British band from playing there, Israel said it wants the surviving members of the Beatles to participate in a concert celebrating the country's 60th birthday. But the Israeli embassy in London denied a report that the Jewish state had apologized for its original refusal to let the Beatles perform in the country. The band had been booked to appear in 1965, but the government refused to grant the necessary permits on the ground that its music might corrupt the country's morals. "Israel missed a chance to learn from the most influential musicians of the decade, and the Beatles missed an opportunity to reach out to one of the most passionate audiences in the world," Israeli ambassador Ron Prosor said in a letter addressed to Sir Paul McCartney. "On our 60th anniversary, we would like to take the opportunity to offer you a second chance to play in Israel." The embassy said a ...

Julian plays Strawberry Fields Forever in the most appropriate location possible. My guitar's never felt so proud.

I'm back! I drove for nearly four-and-a-half hours, directly from Liverpool to London, traversing the UK from the North West to the South East. Throughout my week in Liverpool, I kept a diary of my trip and submitting postings or rather, notes, to my Facebook page, via my phone. I felt it only fair to reproduce these for those of you who have not read my entries on my Facebook page. So, now, without further ado, I proudly present to you.... My Liverpool Diary: Day One (22nd August 2007) Having returned to one of my favourite places on earth, it feels as though I'd never left. The sun is out and the city is radiant. I am sitting in Sefton Park writing up this post on my mobile phone...ah the wonders of technology. The parents are talking with their friends as the children run about, feed the ducks' fall over, cry when dogs approach...in other words, pretty much like in London, but oh so very different . This morning, I was treated to two amazing guided tours, one after anoth...