Why Mick Jagger Kicked Paul McCartney Out Of The Studio, The Rolling Stones Sideman Explains

The Rolling Stones backing singer Bernard Fowler recently had a conversation with Rolling Stone about his time with the band. The musician looked back on his studio time with Mick Jagger and recalled that there was also the Beatles’ Paul McCartney in there.

The question of who’s the better band between the Rolling Stones and the Beatles is a tale as old as time. Since these groups are two of the most known rock bands of all time in history, their fans picked a side that established the foundations of the rivalry between the bands. Though there hadn’t been any significant dispute between The Beatles and the Stones band members, there have been occasions when their fans felt the tension.

Many years after the Beatles broke up, the Stones frontman Mick Jagger started a public feud when he said their disbandment was a great idea. Paul McCartney made a few unpleasant statements about their so-called rivalry in interviews following this incident, such as when he stated that the Stones is a cover band. The most recent incident happened when Jagger responded to one of McCartney’s comments about being a blues band and his claims about them being a cover band.

Their feud isn’t as intense as you may expect since both sides keep it cool while coming for each other during interviews. While many fans considered that their ‘friendly rivalry’ isn’t something that started in the ’80s, the Stones backing singer Bernard Fowler revealed otherwise during a recent interview. The musician remembered the time he first joined the band in 1985 and entered the studio with Mick Jagger as a means of auditioning.

Fowler mentioned one of the most memorable aspects about being in that studio that day, other than being with Mick Jagger himself. According to the singer, the Beatles icon Paul McCartney came into their recording room to watch their session. While Fowler was in awe of being in the presence of two iconic musicians, Jagger saw McCartney and fired the Beatle from their recording session.

About Jagger’s encounter with McCartney, Fowler said:

“I get in the room with Mick. We’re listening to tracks. Mick says, ‘I need some stuff here and there. Why don’t you go in there and try some stuff.’ I said, ‘Wait, before I do that, just listen to this.’ I give him the four-track machine and some headphones. He’s listening, and he goes, ‘You did this last night?’ I said, ‘Yeah, after I left you.’ He looked at me and said, ‘Yeah, okay. Let’s go in and do it.’ And I did it.

One of the most memorable things about that day in the studio is that Paul McCartney came into our room, into our session. It’s funny. I just mentioned this to Mick during the tour. I wanted to know if he remembered it. Paul McCartney is sitting in the room. Mick looks over and sees him there. He says to somebody, ‘Get him out of here. Get him out of here.’ I remember saying to myself, ‘Oh, sh*t, Mick just kicked a Beatle out of the studio.‘”

It’s fair to say that there had never been a vendetta between the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. Both bands also expressed their appreciation for each other in the past. However, there has been an undeniable competition between these two iconic groups that inevitably turned its members to each other, but not to an extent where they slam each other disrespectfully.