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Check out this CD I burned. (Puts it in my car radio and plays it and it's just a medium quality recording of you coughing)

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John Lennon and Yoko Ono Playboy interview September 1980

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Made my favourite scene from Help! (1965) into a print. The original pencil drawing was done during lockdown and I must have been thinking that particular luxury midcentury surrealistic loft would not be too bad to be stuck in.

Get a copy!

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pattern recognition test

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For Paul’s Birthday: Some of my favorite Pauls in fic

I shouldn’t be overthinking this list, but it’s mine, and it’s done in the spirit of McCartney, so I guess it’s inevitable. So: this is a handful of stories that stayed with me because of a Paul-specific image or vibe. Totally subjective. I kept it to one story per writer (brutally difficult in places!), I wanted a reasonable spread over Paul eras and writing styles & I slightly favored “less well known” stories…to honor the Beatles’ love of B-sides?!

Finally, I avoided deep angst/sadness for now. They say it’s his birthday, and such. (I love angsty and sad stories, and I did go back and forth on this one, but...)

There are so many sparkling Paul’s stories. To no one’s surprise. Maybe there will be other lists? There could be a million.

What a mind, what a man, this is still that body: Paul McCartney.

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Birney (bookofapril): 1967. Paul loves himself.

The Storytellers (whiteisthewarmestcolor): Very early days. Paul and John discuss how they’re going to share their story with the world once they’re famous.

Thinking of Linking (@beatlessideblog): INYD-verse extra. A confident but also very nervous Paul is determined to impress John at the Woolton Fete. I love stories about baby Elvis Paul engineering “the meeting,” and this is one of the very best!

My Open Arms Ache (Try to Fall For Me) (@thegirlwiththeaxe). Young Paul is touch-starved, and John is there for him. Some of the loveliest descriptions of them sleeping together.

Fur (@ohjohnnysblog). Also early days. The first time John sees Paul’s leg fur. Sweet cuddling ensues!

Monkberry Moon Delight (goodbody). Slightly later early days. After playing a late show, John is nursing at Paul’s breast. They discover that this is what they both need. I love the dreamy nighttime mood of the story, and how surprisingly well it fits them. Just Us.

Lifting Latches/Writing Postcards (thinkpink20). A classic for a reason! John and Paul realize their feelings for each other. It starts with John stealing Paul’s shirt…

Macabre (@dovetailjoints). I always summarize this as “Lennon & McCartney go too far.” Mesmerizing serial killer moment that, once more, just fits them perfectly.

Sock hop, soda pop (@scurator). John is developing a taste for Stu. Paul shows him what he’s missing. This one has several unforgettable lines/ images; for me it’s this one: “Paul rolls his hips in a way he thinks is probably illegal in the Deep South, and bites his lip when John makes a sound like a gasp.” 

The Bass Lesson (@aquarianshift). Hamburg. Paul teaches Stu how to play the bass, or tries to. To his horror, they are attracted to each other. Resentful, hot sex is the result.

How You Were Diverted (candle_beck). At the height of fame, it’s like it’s always been: Paul is taking care of John’s volatile emotions. The sex is part of it. George POV on a different, rough version of Lennon/McCartney.

Plant A Seed (@eveepe). It’s short, it’s sweet, it’s my desert island smut. And so much more. John fucks Paul in his slutty sailor boy outfit in Miami. Incredibly slow and intimate, and of course it ends in music.

still mates (@pauls1967moustache). Peter Asher and Paul. The descriptions of Paul/Jane and Paul/John are so good, and yet, they’re background: the focus is on Peter Asher and his confusing feelings for the hot mess that is 1968 Paul. I can’t word it well, but to me, this is a story about manliness, and *men*; about heroism in a sense. I loved the glow of hope in the end.   

Silly Girl (@bluewater9). Paul through the years, through the eyes of Martha. The ending…!

Be Careful of the Thorns (@skylikeaflame): NYC, the 70’s. John and Paul pay a visit to David Bowie and Mick Jagger. Seeing Paul through John’s eyes is such a treat!

Lucky You (@crumblingcookies): NYC’s, the 70’s. Paul answers an ad in a gay paper. Someone is looking for a Paul McCartney lookalike…guess who that is. And did Paul ever let him down?

oh darling, pardon me (can you help me remember) (inherownwrite). Mid 80’s: John and Paul are together. Paul is nervous about the release of their new album, and John calms him down by combing his legs.

but still they lead me back (@revollver): Paul looks back on the night John asked him “do you like me?” The summary quotes from Giovanni’s Room, and that is the vibe.

Someone Else Can Worry About Me…(@idontwanttospoiltheparty): Paul taking care of others, and being taken care of by others, through the years. I love the symmetrical structure of the story, and how real Paul & his relationships feel throughout. It’s lovely to see him open up, and for his courage to be rewarded with love and comfort. kissing the blarney (@zilabee): Paul as good luck charm.

AU’s:

bright are the stars, dark is the sky (Chapters 8 and 9 of the incredible “Smutlets” collection) (@unchaineddaisychain): Liverpool, 1960’s. John is developing a crush on his bandmate's father (a.k.a. middle-aged Paul). What can I say, it feels right, and the sex, spiced by guilt and how wrong it feels, is to die for.

eclipsed by the moon (@dailyhowl): John and Paul are elite students working to develop technology to ensure humanity’s survival on a moon base. Paul is his lovely, stubborn, overachieving Self in this story, and I love the route by which he and John get their happy ending.

vide noir (@backbenttulips): John disappears after taking a mysterious new drug. Paul follows him down the rabbit hole.

I’ll Pretend That I’m Kissing the Lips I Am Missing (yaggerdangs_jumpsuit). Praise Smaul in all eternity!!! (Unofficial John Lennon quote)

Double Fantasy (@javelinbk): This Paul (a.k.a. the best customer of John’s flower shop) is incredibly charming, and his and John's growing friendship and love are the loveliest thing to see. I think of this AU every time I see a Venus Fly Trap. Read and find out why. (This is part of a series that also contains Paul’s POV of these events.)

A Definitive Next Time (@toovirgins): Famous actor John Lennon (How I Won the War) visits Liverpool to meet the fan who wrote him that flirty letter—a certain Paul McCartney, who plays in a very good band. I love Paul’s confidence and experience in this story. He knows exactly what (and who!) he wants.

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happy horrible piece of red meat anniversary <3

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31 days countdown

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I’m one of seven cousins of John’s generation… Holidays in Edinburgh were fairly normal, though the funniest thing was when John came up on holiday to the north of Scotland, where Mater’s - we called Aunt Elizabeth “Mater” - husband’s family home was located. David and I used to go up there regularly during the summer, helping Uncle Bert with doing repairs and maintenance to the house and outbuildings and cutting hay and digging potatoes - anything he gave us to do. We did that for three weeks of our four-week holiday, and on the fourth week he gave us some time off to go fishing or to the beach. On one occasion, John joined in this trip, and he hated it, because the man was not put on Earth to do manual work - a mark of his being an artist, I guess - and being asked to fetch and carry and dig and cut and cement and do brickwork for three weeks was just absolute hell on earth for him. It was quite funny, really, he had to join in but not with any enthusiasm or dedication - I think it was a nightmare for the poor lad.

The good side of it though, was that most evenings we used to go up a hill just behind the house to visit a friend of the family, and they had a wind-up gramophone. John quite enjoyed that, even though the music was mainly Jimmy Shand and his band, a Scottish group playing traditional Scottish music. Still, it was music.

Mike Cadwallader, in Memories of John Lennon (2005)

John aged 11 with Mike aged 4, around 1951

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he’s everyones idol but also should’ve been everyone’s muse

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exactly

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John Lennon in Beatles '64 (2024)

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sir paul mccartney you are more than a historic and national treasure to me. you are a mother and a father. a daughter and a mouse. a musical beast, a mythical archangel, and the most annoying person to exist. you are the virgin mary and the best juggler at a circus. you are a pin up doll and the 20th century mozart. all that.

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“are you sure?”

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Tangents, December 1966 cover - Tangents was a grassroots gay US magazine that was born from One

John wearing a different version of a 'Down With Pants' pin 😌

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