In a cover story in the UK magazine Uncut, Paul McCartney admitted “Sometimes I wish I was a bit more like Bob Dylan…He’s legendary… and doesn’t give a shit!”
McCartney, however, admits, “I’m not like that.”
NME reports that during an interview centered on the making of his new solo album, McCartney III, the Beatles bassist said, “I always like what [Dylan] does. His new album [Rough and Rowdy Ways]? I thought it was really good. He writes really well. I love his singing — he came through the standards albums like a total crooner. But, yeah, I like his new stuff.“
He also cited prolific Canadian-born rocker Neil Young as a longtime favorite.
While the Beatles and Dylan were certainly peers, Dylan’s self-titled debut album came out in March 1962, while the Beatles launched their career in March 1963 with Please Please Me.
In a BBC Radio 2 documentary, McCartney admits the Beatles listened to the folksy Dylan in their early days, saying “We certainly got a lot from Dylan and I know I had one of his first LPs at home before The Beatles. I used to play that quite a lot so I was steeped in him.”
In addition to McCartney III, which will be released on Dec. 11, McCartney offered unseen concert footage for the Teenage Cancer Trust’s annual concert series, which live-streamed last month.
