b'Cover StoryPaul channels has passed away, you dont have to dealkind of energy and power emanatingabout the movie, and he wants to do this.Chevy [Chase] and Danny [Aykroyd] willand interesting score. And thena young Mr. with Michael, you just deal with hisfrom the stage. And it was even moreOf course, it was exciting, because it isbe there. I said, What do you mean, toB.B. recorded three songs forMonopoly in greatness. Its a strange phenomenon,extraordinary because in real life, MichaelTHE Paul McCartney, but I really didntshoot the video? What video? For Paulsthe movie. In fact, my favoritethe Spies Like but its true in everything. I mean, Ronaldwas, you know, this skinny little guyknow where the fuck Id put a song.song! What?!?! What happened was,version of In The MidnightUs videoReagan! A great part of our presentwho had no personality. You could putHe said, Let me do a demo, and IllI think, that Paul had just worked withHour is in there, which we world situation is because of Reagan andyour arm through him. But as soon as hesend you a DAT tape, and you tell me ifMichael, and I think Michael was tellingdid. It was great. Anyway, two deregulation, but hes a saint. Its the waystarted to perform, it was like a neutronyou like it. So he did this song, Spies things work. When you die, you becomebomb. He blazed. He was amazing. Talk toLike Us, which I thought was a ridiculoushim about me, and I think Paul wantedoriginal songs, and I made literally untouchable. The tragedy withanyone who ever saw him live, and theyllsong. It had a rocking chorus, I love thethe Thriller phenomenon, he wanteda little documentary about Michael is that it was such a wasted life.tell you. chorus, but the song was really what?some kind of extraordinary video. ThereB.B.s life, and then I shot these This man was a genius. Did you ever seeYou had a few other forays into musicI was prepared to tell him no, Im reallywas no time, and it was weird, and itvideos that were very silly. I him live? videos, ones for songs associated withsorry. So he calls, and its Paul and Lindaturned out that Paul himself was payingmean, the whole thing was No, just live on television. your films. Didnt you shoot the video foron the phone. And, you know, its Paulfor everything, and he gave it to Warnerdone in two days.Thats the thing about Mike that wasPaul McCartneys song Spies Like Us? McCartney! And I say, Paul, Im reallyBrothers. Then he just wanted the video,How did you pull in Steve so special. Talk to people who saw himYes I did, but whats finished is verynot sure about the song. And he said,which no one had told me about.Martin and Eddie Murphy to play Madison Square Garden or Wembleydifferent from what I did. Thats a funnyIsnt it great?! Isnt it fantastic?! YouSo we shot stuff, and there wasappear in one of the videos?or somewhere like that. There could bestory. Basically, Spies Like Us the film wasknow, I think its one of the best things 35,000 people and 400 people onstage,finished, and I mean finished, answerIve written since John died. At whichsome funny stuff at Abbey Road, withI asked them! (laugh) Steve but you only looked at him. As a liveprint, done, when I get a call from Markpoint I went (in a very high voice) I loveDanny and Chevy playing instrumentswas trying to get me to do performer, and I dont think this comesCanton at Warner Brothers saying Paulthe song! Its a wonderful song! I totallyand stuff. Then it turns out that theresThree Amigos at the time, so he across on film, heyou know the MotownMcCartney wants to write the title songfolded. And then I had to figure out wherea British union rule that you cannot playcame. And Eddie and I were anniversary concert? for Spies Like Us. I said, what are youI was going to put this fucking song. Andan instrument on film unless youre afriends, so I just asked them to The part thats in The Making oftalking about? There is no title song.if you see the movie, youll see what I did.member of the musicians union and cancome be in this video. You want Thriller? Yes, I remember seeing itTheres a main title, but its got the ElmerIts the end credit music, but I startedreally play it, which is crazy. So I couldntto hear something interesting? originally on TV, when Michael doesBernstein score. And he said, John! Paulit with the chorus! (laugh) The chorususe any of that, which was most of whatMTV refused them.Billie Jean and moonwalks. McCartney wants to write the song foris very rocking, so I started it with theI shot. And then I said to Paul and Linda,Did they give you a reason?You can see a piece of what I meanSpies Like Us. Listen, can he talk to you? Hechorus, figuring everyone would be out there. But live onstage, he was explosive.wants to call you. You have to rememberof the theater by the time the song goeswho owned it, you finish it, and they did.Basically because B.B. was He had power like no other performerthat I saw the Beatles at the Hollywoodback to the verse. So that was that.I dont think the video is very interesting. too black and too old.Ive ever seen, and Ive seen everybody,Bowl when I was fifteen. So he calls, andAnd then I get a call from MarkYou did get the walking-across- Who told you that?from Sinatra to the Beatles! Ive seenmy secretary is screaming, Its Paulsaying, Okay! Youre going to LondonAbbey-Road moment, though, with Paul,They didnt give me a reason, butheyday of rock videos, but what would every great act that was around to see,McCartney! EEEEK! I pick up the phone,tomorrow! I said, Why am I going toDan and Chevy. thats the reason. I have something withhappen is the act or the label would send and Ive never seen anyone with thatand its Paul, and hes going on and onLondon? Well, to shoot the video!Yes I did, and also theres a momentSteve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Dannytwenty-five different people the record, with a guy in a Prince Charles mask whoAykroyd, Michelle Pfeiffer, and theyall these production companies. They takes it off and its Paul. As for the video,wouldnt play it. And so it turned out thatsay, Heres the song, we want you and I was tricked into that. I mean, I like Paul.Black Entertainment Television was justthe director to come up with a concept Hes very nice. But it was kind of a weirdstarting. It turned out to be a half-hourwhich meant very elaborate storyboards situation. I mean obviously Paul is aprogram, once you cut together theand basically, the videoand we want you brilliant songwriter and singer and just sodocumentary and the videos and stuff.to pitch it to us with a price. Theyd get important in rock history. So for me it wasUniversal gave it to Black Entertainmentfifteen or twenty presentations, and they kind of a bungled opportunity. Television for free to promote the movie,would pick and choose, and I thought, Can we talk about your B.B. Kingand they basically played it for threefuck that. If you want me to do that, hire music videos? years. (laugh) me. Im certainly not going to audition, and Im certainly not going to write it for Oh, well, thats interesting. I made aAny thoughts on that period of Paul himselfmovie called Into the Night. If youve nevertime when music video evolved andfree. (laugh) So I never got into the rock was payingseen the movie, its sort of documentaryflourished, when you directed thesevideos because thats what directors on eighties hair. (laugh) No, but all thevideos, sometimes called The Goldenhad to do. For quite a while there, it was for everything,women with these eighties haircuts Age of Music Video? big business. But it did give many gifted filmmakers their entre into features. and he gaveanyway, Im a big B.B. King fan, and heMy favorite thing about the rockDo you recall any of the acts that came in and sat with us. This was the firstvideo phenomenon, honestly, is the it to Warnertime anyone had done this, but its beenopportunities it gave to animators,approached you?done several times since, with Ry Cooderbecause Im a big animation fan, and soLots of groups through their Brothers. Thenand Eric Clapton, and I think Stephenmuch extraordinary animation was donemanagement, but they wanted to go he just wantedStills too, but this was the first timein that period. That wouldnt necessarilythrough that process. Aerosmith, Duran anyone did it. I had B.B. just sit and watchhave happened if there hadnt been theseDuran, all those guys had management the video,the movie with a pair of headphones, andvideos, because thats where the moneywho approached me. That was in the which no onehe watched it three times through andcame from. eighties. Many many groups approached sat and played [his guitar] Lucille alongI got asked a lot, but I never really gotme. But theyd want me to do the work up had told meto the picture. Then, Ira Newborn tookinto [directing] the rock videos because offront, and I said, Id be thrilled to do it if about. B.B.s guitar playing and built a scorethe way the business formed. I dont knowyou hire me, but Im not going to audition around it. Very interesting. Very strangeif you know how it worked, even in thefor you. (laugh)Scenes from the Spies Like Us video12MVTMISSUE #1ISSUE #1MVTM13'