Paul McCartney is on the cover of GQ and inside he addresses the story that will outlive us all: not Beatles lore, but Vulture’s instant-classic Quincy Jones interview. In it, Jones bad-mouthed the Beatles with no hesitation, calling them “no-playing motherfuckers” who were “the worst musicians in the world,” and McCartney “the worst bass player I ever heard.” According to McCartney, Jones claims he never said any of it. (Jones has also previously publicly apologized for his unfiltered quotes.) After the interview set the internet aflame, McCartney remembers thinking, he’s totally out of his tree, then says Jones called him to clear the air and issue his denial:
So he rang me, and I’m at home on my own. And I’d finished work, so I had a drink, and now I’m grooving at home, I’m cooking, I’ve got a little bit of wine going, I’m in a good mood, and I don’t give a shit. So I get a phone call: ‘Is this Mr. McCartney?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Quincy would like to speak with you.’ Because he’s always worked through security guys. I said, ‘Hey, Quince!’ ‘Paul, how you doing, man?’ ‘I’m doing great—how are you, you motherfucker!’ I’m just jiving with him. ‘Paul, I didn’t really say that thing—I don’t know what happened, man. I never said that. You know I love you guys!’ I said, ‘If you had said that, you know what I would have said? Fuck you, Quincy Jones!’ And he laughed. I said, ‘You know I would say to that: Fuck you, Quincy Jones, you fucking crazy motherfucker!’ So actually we just had a laugh. And he was like, ‘Oh, Paul, you know I love you so much.’ ‘Yeah, I know you do, Quince.’”
Regardless of Quincy’s thoughts, McCartney harbors no hard feelings: “The joke is, I love Quincy, even after this. He’s a crazy motherfucker. But I respect him, he’s done a lot of very good things.” He also adds that, given Quincy’s age (85), it’s probably best to take his memory and opinions with a fat grain of salt. “He’s an old guy. I don’t know what it was,” he says. “But I don’t think I’m the worst bass player he’s ever heard. Or maybe he’s never heard bad bass players.”
