Producer and guitarist Kevin Armstrong recently reflected on Paul McCartney firing him. With the announcement of the release of his new book ‘Absolute Beginner,’ the guitarist appeared on Classic Album Review, where he spoke about numerous topics, including the time McCartney fired him.
According to Armstrong, the main reason was a movie that he mentioned while working with McCartney, ultimately leading the rocker to fire him. The guitarist shared his thoughts and explained what the film is about:
“I’m not past to Paul McCartney’s mind, but I think we didn’t really click somehow, and Elvis Costello told me that I mentioned ‘The Rutles,’ and The Rutles is for those of your viewers who don’t know, is the affectionate Pastiche, sort of spoof film about The Beatles, it’s like a spoof of the Beatles, and it was sort of partly funded by George Harrison’s handmade films I think. And it was masterminded by Neil [Innes] from the [Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band] or whatever.”
He went on to explain what happened after mentioning the movie:
“So apparently, I’d mentioned that he’d been on TV or something, and according to Elvis, that was enough to pull over the edge.”
He then was asked whether McCartney sees the movie as ‘an affectionate pasty’ or a ‘piss take,’ to which Armstrong said:
“Well, clearly, he saw it as a piss take and didn’t like the fact that I’d enjoyed it or mentioned it. That’s the only conclusion I can come to with that. It clearly was offensive to him in some way.”
It turns out that Armstrong is a big admirer of McCartney. The guitarist expressed his admiration for the Beatle and his disappointment for not having been able to work with him:
“So, I’m sorry about that because I’m a huge fan of McCartney, and it’s a shame I messed that up because it would have been great. It would have been a great thing for me to do, for sure.”
Armstrong’s book is set to be released on October 17, and it talks about the story of what it took the guitarist to survive in the music scene as a self-taught musician while providing a glimpse into the backstage of the artists he has worked with, mentioning McCartney as well.
See the latest interview below.
