Paul McCartney didn’t show up for The Beatles induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 due to some unresolved business with the other Beatles. Instead George Harrison and Ringo Starr accepted the award along with Yoko Ono, Julian Lennon and Sean Lennon.
McCartney, about the “no-show” said, “After 20 years, The Beatles still have some business differences which I had hoped would have been settled by now. Unfortunately, they haven’t been, so I would feel like a complete hypocrite waving and smiling with them at a fake reunion.”
Paul did show up in 1994 for the induction of John Lennon in to the Hall of Fame.
Then on March 15, 1999, after the death of his Linda McCartney, Paul McCartney was inducted as a solo artist into Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame. During his speech Paul invited his daughter Stella to join him on stage who happened to be wearing a shirt that said “About Fucking Time” for the occasion.
Paul said, “This is a brilliant night for me but it’s sad too. I would have liked my baby to be with me. She wanted this.” Check out Paul’s speech and Stella’s appearance.
Many saw it as Paul being arrogant and upset that John was inducted before him as a solo artist but at the ceremony he said, “By the way, while we’re here, you’ve got me, you’ve got John in this, what about George and Ringo?” Harrison was inducted as a solo artist in 2002 but Ringo has not. Stella’s shirt even had the date (3-15-99) on the back of the shirt…
Crazy thing is that Paul is the only Beatle without a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Paul not only did “show up” at John’s 1994 Solo Artist induction into the Rock n’Roll Hall of Fame – he even INDUCTED John.
COME ON… Arrogance and upset that John got in first? Doesn’t make any sense considering Paul agreed to induct his late Beatle Brother into it!
I would have agreed that he should have been inducted soon after – but five years is not such a bad wait time!
And BTW, during the Beatles’ 1988 ceremony, George looked at the camera and said “Paul, we love you…” but his face tells the opposite. He clearly had beef with Paul during that time – which I am glad was resolved in the 1990s.
The board members of the rock and roll hall of fame included Jann Wenner and his pro-John allies, and they DELIBERATELY delayed Paul’s induction. Waiting for 5 years to induct Paul was an insult. And Stella’s T-shirt was right on the mark. It also provided the most rock and roll moment ever at those lame ceremonies.
She wore the same t-shirt when Macca was knighted in 1997, I remember it well…..