The Gross Place Where Paul McCartney Finds Inspiration

Internationally famous songwriter Paul McCartney has revealed some very private truths about himself, including why he never writes about sex and where he finds inspiration when he’s having difficulty finishing a song.

In an interview with Q magazine, Paul McCartney said he gets inspired while he’s sitting on the toilet. But according to the Mirror, it’s not the process of going to the toilet itself that inspires McCartney, it’s the separation from the outside world.

The 72-year-old Beatles star admitted that he is often embarrassed to perform a song for someone when it’s not finished, so he’s discovered that the trick is isolating himself somewhere to write the rest of the song. And one of the best places Paul McCartney has found to be alone is in the bathroom.

“The trick is to go off on your own and finish it. Go into the toilet – toilets are good. Separate yourself.”

There’s no question that McCartney’s process works. Paul has become one of the most celebrated songwriters of all time and is still producing music. In fact, Paul McCartney wrote his first song at the age of 14.

However, there are some topics that are typically off limits when Paul McCartney is writing a song. He claims that he prefers not to write about sex. Paul and his ex-wife Linda wrote a song together in 1972 called “Hi Hi Hi” that was banned from the BBC for sexual references.

“Sex is something I prefer to do, rather than sing about,” McCartney said. “Hi Hi Hi was from a period when everybody was getting stoned and having sex… I suppose singing about sex is not really in my genre. I can be angry but I can’t find a natural way to put it into a song. It’s the same with sex.”

But Paul’s current wife is not quite as comfortable with edgy content in his songs. According to Liverpool Echo, Paul McCartney’s wife Nancy Shevell was not pleased with a recent songwriting collaboration with Kanye West. McCartney explained that she was upset by the song “All Day” because of its abundant use of the “n-word.”

“I think he mentions the ‘n’ word about 40 times. It’s controversial, I know, especially with the climate in modern-day America,” Paul said. “It really shocked Nancy, because she’d been to school with a lot of black kids and been immersed in that experience.”

For more on Paul McCartney, read about how the Beatles 1 album is still selling very well across the globe.

[Image courtesy of Getty Images]