Hey you know what? Okay actually can we talk about the circumstances of Paul talking about his dad’s abuse in that Howard Stern interview? Paul’s obviously in a very vulnerable place at the time, and he’s quite self-conscious as he says “he did used to, kind of, hit me.” For one, Stern repeatedly says Paul must’ve had this “perfect childhood,” which Paul tries to put a stop to it with “my mum died when I was fourteen,” which admittedly makes Stern pull up short. But the first thing Stern said after Paul revealed that his father physically abused him was “I’m glad to hear that…[otherwise] it sounds like a fairy tale life.” Which. I don’t know how many of you have had the misfortune of being abused, and I hope it’s a very low number indeed, but even if you haven’t I’m sure you can guess that this isn’t how to respond to someone saying this. Especially if this is the first time you’ve ever publicly told anyone this, which was the case for Paul. This makes someone feel like they have to defend their abuse, which is a shitty position to be put in. And indeed, the next thing Paul says is “It’s not all great.” What Stern should’ve shown him was empathy, or at the very least respect, such as refraining from cutting him off when he’s recounting an emotional and painful moment. When Paul recounts the time he stood up to Jim, Stern interrupts with “he slapped Paul McCartney?” This is another instance of Stern not being able to read the room at all. Sure, you could file this as him trying to relieve tension by making a joke, and Paul certainly spins it that way, but there’s a moment where he sort of fumbles before picking up the humor. Again, he’s making Paul feel unjustified and alienated and, dare I say, made fun of for having the courage to admit this very personal, very painful thing. Stern ends the conversation with “he slapped a Beatle.” This was also around the time when George was sick; it aired about a month from his death. Is it any wonder Paul never brought up his father’s abuse again?