Advertisement

There's hope for all of us if Paul McCartney looks this good at 70

 
Published June 26, 2012

LONDON

Paul McCartney can still rock at 70. What more could he want? • To get rid of the gray, of course, something he has no trouble fessing up to. • McCartney has admitted dyeing his hair but his musical ability has not diminished with age. • The former Beatle, who celebrated his 70th birthday in private earlier this month, has appeared relaxed and almost jovial recently as he eases into his role as one of rock's eminent elder statesmen, a position he shares with Bob Dylan (71) and Mick Jagger (68).

And while there are plenty of other musicians of his generation still playing, McCartney manages to keep his act squarely in the mainstream, rather than becoming just another oldies show. He shows no sign of slowing down as his music is passed on to generations too young to have seen him in Wings, much less the Beatles.

He attracts new fans because he continues to put out new music. His latest album, Kisses on the Bottom, was released in February.

Once a pot-smoking counterculture rebel, "Sir Paul" is very much part of the British establishment now, closing Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee concert with a mix of favorites that included a raucous All My Loving, one of the Beatles' first smash hits.

He's also preparing for a featured role as the final act at the July 27 opening ceremony of the London Olympics — just another global audience of a billion or more for one of the most popular performers in pop history.

There's no slowing down in his personal life either. He married his third wife, dark-haired American heiress Nancy Shevell, in October, closing the book on his failed union and messy divorce from second wife Heather Mills. His first wife, Linda, died of breast cancer in 1998.

He can still captivate a large arena with a simple acoustic performance of Blackbird and can shift gears at the drop of a hat for a mean, Vegas-style, pyrotechnic-aided rendition of Live and Let Die, a James Bond theme song that has become a favorite part of his repertoire.

One thing you may not know about McCartney: He's a longtime vegetarian. He recently made a plea to everyone to cut back on meat consumption to help cut greenhouse gas emissions and ease the global warming crisis.