Paul remembers Astrid
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| Paul by Astrid, 1960 Hamburg. Stuart in the background. |
Yesterday, Paul McCartney finally released a statement on the passing of Astrid Kirchherr. Statements from Ringo, Pete Best and the estates of George and John were posted May 15-16. Paul’s statement came nearly a week later and was posted on the various social media platforms where he is present. It reads like this:
Very sad news this week about Astrid Kirchherr.
Astrid was a dear friend from my Hamburg days with The Beatles. Another friend, Klaus Voormann, told me she had passed away and this brought back memories of our days in the clubs in Hamburg. Astrid looked unique. She had a short blond haircut and wore a slim black, leather outfit which made her look like a funky pixie. She would come to the club with Klaus and another friend, Jürgen Vollmer, and the three of them made quite an impression on us four lads from Liverpool. Their wit and conversation was really stimulating and we fell in love with Astrid’s style.
Astrid took beautiful photographs of us. She used black and white film and achieved a stunning mood in her pictures that we all loved. She had a great sense of humour and later went on to marry Stuart our bass player. I have so many fond memories of our time together in the club or her home or a trip to the nearby seaside resort, Lübeck.
So sad for all of us who were her friends to lose such a lovely lady from our lives. I will miss her but will always remember her and her cheeky grin with great fondness. God bless you Astrid, see ya love! – Paul
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| Paul and Astrid in Tenerife, 1963. |
There are several mistakes in the statement which has been spurring comments from Beatles aficionados: Astrid and Stuart never married, though they were engaged. They didn’t get around too it, as Stuart fell ill and died. Astrid later married twice, but never had children and she was living alone in Hamburg at the time she died. It has been revealed that she suffered from a form of cancer and that she died on May 12, surrounded by her friends.
Also: «four lads from Liverpool»? They were five.
At the end of the statement (God bless you Astrid, see ya love!), Paul seems to confirm that he is no longer an agnostic (which the Beatles said they all were in a 1965 Playboy interview) and that he believes in an afterlife.
All of this begs the question: Was this really written or dictated by Paul? And is he okay?
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| This photo was taken backstage at Paul’s Hamburg concert in 2009, where he played Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da live for the first time. Obscured by Klaus Voormann, Paul and Astrid are exchanging hugs. |
Here are the tweets from the other ones:
Absolutely stunned to hear the news of Astrid passing. God bless you love. We shared some wonderful memories and the most amazing fun times. Condolences to family and friends, Pete (Petey) pic.twitter.com/lNduJ8EHHC
— Pete Best (@BeatlesPeteBest) May 15, 2020
God bless Astrid a beautiful human being And she took great photos peace and love 😎✌️🌟❤️🎶🎵🍒🥦☮️ pic.twitter.com/fGXqDbz5bW
— #RingoStarr (@ringostarrmusic) May 15, 2020
Astrid is and was the sweetest woman, so thoughtful and kind and talented, with an eye to capture a soul. Our family loved her and none more than George. I am truly saddened but honoured to have known her. Olivia #AstridKirchherr pic.twitter.com/5Dt7OmuGS8
— George Harrison (@GeorgeHarrison) May 15, 2020
Rest in peace, Astrid Kirchherr pic.twitter.com/cX5DRIvpQJ
— John Lennon (@johnlennon) May 15, 2020
Saying "God bless" is hardly proof of being religious. It's a common expression in the UK, regardless of belief.
After McCartney was taking part in 'One World: Together at Home', I deleted him from my life. He is an opportunist and hypocrite.
facts.always has been.lennon too.
What a bastard he is. Astrid never got married with Sutcliffe. He should now this, should he? He should come out now and tell people that he is not the real one
So the man got a bit confused about Sutcliffe and Frau Kirchherr being married. Whoopie. Um, he is 77, not 37. You should try growing up. You might fancy it.
If you're going to delete people from your life, it's probably better to stop reading blog posts about them. And if you should accidentally click on one, do try as hard as you can to refrain from commenting on it. It saves us having to delete you from ours.
Shad Radna: Go and heed your own advice.
Get a grip…and hopeforbetter, for YOURSELF!
Bizarrely, this post has attracted several reality-challenged people. I do agree, however, that it does sound as though Paul didn't write this. He knows perfectly well that they weren't married. On the other hand, he has misremembered plenty of things from the past. One story he repeats ad nausea is how he was pushed into singing the lead bit in Love Me Do, and how he can hear the nervousness in his voice on the record. This is clearly not the case, as they'd already recorded a version with his singing it on 6th June, three months before recording the single, and he's probably thinking about the version that was on the album anyway, which was the 3rd time they'd recorded it. Still, it's odd that he should say that Stu and Astrid got married. He would surely have been invited to the wedding.
Paul has had these sort of things before. He once had to ask a MOJO journalist if Rubber Soul was before Revolver. And George in the Anthology said he didn't remember going to Shea Stadium a second time. The thing with the Beatles is that so much happened and there is so much to remember. As John himself sang. It's nothing to get hung about.
To be fair, in that funny 1965 Playboy interview (I have it right in front of me), the Beatles also claimed that they were all "queer," and "midgets," that John was brought up by the Mounties, and that George and Ringo were getting married "to each other," that Paul wanted to meet Hitler, and that Jane Mansfield was a "clot" and an "old hag."
I think eventually they took back ALL those things they said then!
And „I join the Beatles as an already setup affair“.. as well from Anthology.. come on. Either he‘s suffering from dementia for 25 years now, or this guy is somebody else
New – what on earth are you talking about?
He said it in the Anthology video, while driving in a jeep somewhere in Scotland. You find the scene on youtube as well. Just type I join the Beatles as an already setup affair. Interesting..
Yes, that is a weird thig to say. Presumably he was alluding to the Quarrymen, but even so, he was instrumental in bringing George and Ringo into the band, so this remark doesn't make a lot of sense. However, please stop with the conspiracy nonsense. Those of us who have grown up with Paul's permanent presence in our lives know exactly who he is. It's a fact that the Paul Is Dead story was a student journalist's prank anyway.
Tony, I grew up with the Beatles, play in a Beatles cover band and the more I think about, it’s more and strange what he said over the years. The student thing was three years later. The whole story starts in fact 1966. If you go deeper you start to wondering. And by the way; I don‘t call it conspiracy, I call it brainactive:) No offence meant
Try to remember that to Paul it is all just ancient history. Try to remember something from 60 years ago in your life. It is not easy. Paul doesn't read the books and study their career like some of us do. He lived it and continues to live it now. He has a completely different perspective looking out from the inside of decades of people, concerts, recordings, TV appearances.
He has to move on to the next event in an amazing life.
He can’t remember that he founded the Beatles with Lennon? He can’t remember that his friend wasn’t married? What? These thing you will rever forget, doesn’t matter how busy you are. If you would follow his interviews over the years, you would be surprised in how many personel facts he is wrong
Very well put, David Brailsford! I couldn't agree more.
More of your conversation would infect my brain.