It’s been a big week for Paul McCartney. Most notably, the former Beatle (and richest singer in the world) and his wife, Nancy Shevall, were within two feet from crashing in a chartered helicopter in the East Sussex estate.
As News Ltd reports, the couple were having a casual cruise in a $AU 5,000 per hour Air Harrods helicopter, back in May, following attending the launch of a vegetarian cookbook penned by McCartney’s daughter Mary.
Departing the West End launch and travelling in the nine-seater helicopter, chartered by the “leading London-based business aviation service provider, when their pilot became disoriented amidst bad weather conditions.
“While manoeuvring, the commander became disorientated and the helicopter descended towards tops of trees in the forested area to the south and west of the landing site,” reads the crash report, before the pilot “executed a go-around” or aborted landing.
Dropping the helicopter towards trees, the pilot just managed to avert potential crisis, pulling the aircraft away from the treeline with only two feet separating the 70-year-old music icon and his wife from serious danger.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch of the Department of Transport (AAIB) report reveals that flying conditions on the night of May 3 included “low cloudbase, poor visibility and raid.” It was also reported that McCartney and Shevall were unaware of just how close they came to real danger.
However, in the wake of the near-miss, it seems that McCartney has been spurred on to bury one of rock and roll’s longest surviving hatchets.
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Reported by UK newspaper The Guardian, in an upcoming interview with acclaimed British television host David Frost, McCartney finally puts to rest the long-standing notion that Yoko Ono was to blame for The Beatles’ demise.
“She certainly didn’t break the group up, the group was breaking up. When Yoko came along, part of her attraction was her avant-garde side, her view of things, so she showed him another way to be, which was very attractive to [John]. So it was time for John to leave, he was definitely going to leave one way or another.”
While there are many who thought blaming Yoko for the Fab Four’s break-up was absurd, it’s something which has never truly been put to rest. That is, until now.
McCartney’s admission prompted a public response from John Lennon’s widow. In a subsequent interview with The Guardian, Ono explains, “I thought people knew that I was not responsible, but surprisingly, many people still felt that.”
Adding that McCartney “was very brave. So I’d like to say ‘Thank you, Paul. I love you’.”
Not only that, but in this theme of reconciliation, the pair has agreed to contribute songs to the upcoming Judd Apatow movie, This Is 40.
McCartney has offered up his 1980 B-side ‘Lunch Box Odd Sox’, while Ono contributes her song ‘I’m Your Angel’.
The sequel to Apatow’s box office hit Knocked Up stars Paul Rudd, Megan Fox and Jason Segal; and boasts a star-studded soundtrack to boot. Joining McCartney and Ono are Wilco, Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsay Buckingham, Ryan Adams, Norah Jones, Fiona Apple and Paul Simon.
Perhaps it’s only a matter of time before we get to hear the ‘Ballad of Paul and Yoko’. Perhaps…
