"Resolver"

Yes, I am a Beatles fan, but I’ve got my reasons. Paul McCartney has been soundly criticized – for musical blandness, for alleged character flaws; we may address these claims someday. But when we look at the facts, we see a pattern in the life of Paul McCartney. And this pattern tells us everything we need to know about what kind of man Paul is.
In 1965, early in their fame, John Lennon and George Harrison were, for the first time, dosed with LSD. The drug was discreetly slipped into their tea by their host at an elegant dinner party. Needless to say, from these auspicious beginnings came an important chapter in the Beatles saga. John was thrilled to try the drug again, and existed under its influence for days, weeks, some say years, at a time.
George, too, began a lifelong path toward enlightenment and spirituality, of which conscious-altering chemicals, including LSD, played a major part.
Ringo Starr voluntarily took the controversial drug a short time later, cheerfully ingesting anything his companions offered in social situations. This left Paul McCartney the lone LSD holdout.
The rest of the band chided Paul and goaded him – they were, of course, an all-for-one-and-one-for-all organization – but Paul declined. By no means a teetotaler, Paul steered clear of acid, uncertain that he wished to undergo the startling mental transformation the others promised awaited him. Continual brotherly coaxing and proselytizing did not nudge his resolve.
It was a full year later when, deep into the landmark Sgt. Pepper recording sessions, Paul finally took the plunge, ingesting a tab of acid in Lennon’s company, riding out the drug while the songwriting partners stared into each other’s eyes.
Paul, at first, was a believer. He told the others they had been right; he regretted holding out for so long; the influence of the drug on his perceptions was valuable and he was glad he’d done it, and he had no objection to other consenting adults giving it a try.
Not long afterward, a reporter came knocking on Paul’s door, asking if Paul had used LSD. He considered giving the usual coy response, but he elected to speak his truth: Yes, I have tried it and yes, I believe in it.
The startled reporter inquired what effect this might have on his fans. Good point, Paul said; please factor that into your decision to run this piece of film.
Needless to say, the film was broadcast, a lot of young people were turned on to LSD, and the three other Beatles were left to naughtily wag their fingers. They had privately encouraged the use of LSD, but Paul, the late bloomer, stepped in and stole their thunder. He went public, spoke his truth, and left the others to shake their heads at his audacity. They should have been harkened as the courageous trailblazers on this one, they quietly chuckled, not Paul. The key word, here, though, is commitment.
Times changed, and tensions grew. Ringo walked out of the1968 White Album sessions, announcing his resignation to his bandmates. They kept this crisis in the family, however, and Ringo was soon persuaded to come back, where he was greeted with a warm, familial reception. The press, however, was never the wiser.
Later that year, John gave his notice at a band meeting: “I want a divorce, like my divorce from Cynthia.” No announcement made the papers, and sure enough, he soon changed his mind, returning to work in time for their next project.
Next year, it was George’s turn to walk out, a moment that was immortalized in the film Let it Be. He, too, intended never to return, but after some coaxing and negotiation, came back into the fold. This crisis was, too, kept within the family, as few viewers realized that his was intended to be a permanent defection.
When Paul, however, decided that he wanted out… there was no ambivalence, there was no mistaking his intentions, there was no waffling. His announcement came in the no-turning-back form of a press release, distributed with his 1970 solo album, McCartney. He was out, and had no intentions of working with the old team anymore; and he lived up to this statement. Once again, Paul committed publicly, where the others vacillated privately.
A decade later, McCartney made perhaps his most profound statement about commitment. After Lennon’s murder, a grief-stricken Paul uttered the following: I will never let this happen again – have somebody die before I did my best to square things with them.
I believe Paul made good on this promise when he went to visit the deathbed-ridden George in 2001.
It is likely that Paul McCartney is the only living soul who knows what was said in that hospital. But I’m a monkey’s uncle if these are not the truest words ever spoken: Paul McCartney did not see George die without making every effort to square things with his old bandmate.
Let us trust, in our deepest hearts, that these two estranged brothers… parted as friends.

John married Cynthia – divorce. George married Patti – divorce. Ringo married Maureen – divorce. Paul married Linda. He said, I take this woman, until death, and he lived up to it, and God bless him.
The deepest commitment, the best career and the best marriage a man ever had.
Cheers, Paul.

Kevin