Paul and Linda McCartney’s Unusual Revenge on a Dishonest Critic
In the early 1970s, Paul McCartney and his late wife Linda reportedly responded to a dishonest music critic in a rather unforgettable way. After a journalist wrote a harsh review of their band Wings despite not attending their concert, the couple decided to send him an unusual package.
The Incident According to Denny Seiwell
Former Wings drummer Denny Seiwell recounted the story in the book Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run. He explained that the band had invited a music journalist to join them on tour to observe their life on the road, including how they traveled with their children Heather, Mary, and baby Stella.
“We take him along to the sound check. We let him see how we live and all that. He didn’t stay for the concert. He flew home.”
Seiwell added that the critic later published a scathing review of the performance he hadn’t even watched.
The McCartneys’ Response
“Stella was a baby at the time. So Paul and Linda took one of those little plastic soap dishes from the hotel we were in and they got one of Stella’s turds, put it in the soap dish, wrapped it up and sent it to him,”
Seiwell said the act was meant as lighthearted revenge for the journalist’s dishonesty, commenting that it was a “perfect response to a crude British pressman.”
Author’s Summary
In response to a fabricated review, Paul and Linda McCartney turned personal humor into a memorable act of protest against media unfairness.