Bad news for Beatles fans hoping to track down Paul McCartney and take home a particular souvenir: in a new interview with Reader’s Digest, the former Beatle revealed that his days of signing autographs for fans are over.
“It always struck me as a bit strange,” McCartney said of the practice of being asked to scribble his name onto whatever loose scraps of paper fans happen to have handy when they run into him. “‘Here, can I write your name down on the back of this till receipt, please?’ Why? We both know who I am.”
While he no longer plans on signing autographs, McCartney did clarify that he’s still happy to interact with his fans. He also mentioned no longer having any interest in taking selfies to document his fan encounters, but he said he prefers to talk to them and get a sense of their lives. “What you’ve usually got is a ropey photo with a poor backdrop and me looking a bit miserable,” he said. “Let’s chat, let’s exchange stories.”
McCartney’s not the only former Beatle to stop signing autographs, either. Back in 2008, Ringo Starr announced in a video message that he would no longer sign autographs or respond to fan mail.
“I’m warning you with peace and love,” he said at the time. “I have too much to do, so no more fan mail! And no objects to be signed. Nothing! Anyway, peace and love, peace and love.”
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