Did you sign with David Frost?
We were with Brian Epstein and his big rock and roll Merseyside stable
but we didn’t fit in. We were a comedy, satirical poetry type act... we
weren’t singers at all. So we left Brian to join David Frosts agency, Noel
Gay because we were big fans of ‘That Was The Week That Was… TW3’
You were originally called The Liverpool One Fat Lady Non Electric
Show before The Scaffold, what happened there?
We were called the Liverpool One Fat Lady None Electric Show, but
nobody could pronounce it! So we changed it to Scaffold.
How quickly did London accept Scousers after the Merseybeat
invasion?
The Merseybeat invasion was a very important part of social history
in the old North and South divide days. Immediately after Merseybeat
there was a sudden change in attitude and perceptions. For such a long
time Liverpool people and northerners were ignored by London as we
didn’t speak the same language and were no use to them. It was also
very much a class thing but the working class now had a voice - it
changed history for ever.
Who were your heroes growing up?
The traditional ones… Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Everly
Brothers and particularly Fats Waller, I love him to this day, I guess
that’s where my love of comedy and satire came from, he was a big
hero. Other hero’s were Marlon Brando and JFK. I wasn’t into Bridget
Bardot, every other child in the world, particularly in Liverpool, were
into her. I was an awkward bugger so I decided on Jeanne Moreau of
Jules et Jim etc.
Your solo project ‘McGear’ is an excellent album, there is a distinct
family vocal similarity and arrangement, do you have any future
plans?
Thank you. I’m actually in discussions with labels in LA and the UK
about releasing a new luxury version of the album next year. That will
include special additions, out-takes and lots of other things tha t I’ve
collated, it will be wonderful.
Was your choice to take the satirical route early on a chance to side-
step Beatlemania?
Yes I suppose it was. Brian Epstein asked me if I’d like to be a pop singer
and offered to manage me. I politely declined. In reality, to try and
compete with the best band in the world would be insane, you don’t
go there. That had been well done in the family, well encapsulated. I
wanted to pursue comedy/satire. I even changed my name so not to
look like I was cashing in on my proud McCartney name. Which at
that time was like Sinatra or Presley etc. and to protect the innocent I
became Mike McGear. However, I was nearly Mike Dangerfield from
J.P. Donleavy’s ‘Ginger Man’ but it was a little too pretentious. The two
‘in words’ in Liverpool at that time were Fab and Gear, so I was nearly
Mike McFab! But McGear sounded Irish so I went with that.
22 wirrallife.com
Was the reason for you and Paul to drop your actual first names -
you being Peter and Paul being James an early attempt at an alter
ego?
Our parents actually dropped our first names, still don’t know why.
The Scaffold’s Lily The Pink hit single, released in November
1968, became No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart for the four weeks
encompassing the Christmas holidays that year, it became a huge
playground classic comedy singalong The lyrics celebrate the
“medicinal compound” invented by Lily the Pink, and chronicle the
“efficacious” cures it has brought about, such as inducing morbid
obesity to cure a weak appetite, and our favourite - a sex change as a
remedy for freckles. Who brought this wacky idea to the table, that
must have been a laugh?
Lily the Pink was originally a bawdy rugby song that everyone joined
in with, they used to sing it in pubs etc. but it was so risqué we would
have never got away with it and it would have never been played. So we
changed all the words to get it into the charts. We only realised we had
a chance of success when Norris Paramor (he produced Ruby Murray,
Cliff Richard and the Shadows… and Lily) suggested we run the first
pressing of Lily over to John Peels house, he played all the new records
on his radio one programme. John passed the demo disk to a curly
haired boy, played it, listened to the intro and said “That is number
one” I made him listen to the whole thing and at the end he said “Yes,
I still think its going to be number one.” The curly haired boy agreed.
The curly haired boy was Marc Bolan (T-Rex).
Everyone of a certain age will remember the Cadbury’s Roses TV
Ad (which is still considered the most famous Cadbury’s ad of all
time) featured one of your singles ‘Thank You Very Much’ (Which
was a huge favourite of then Prime Minister Harold Wilson who
was famously a former pupil at Wirral Grammar), and also THE
favourite of the Queen Mother. That must have been quite an
honour?
Yes I’ve been told that. It was Thank You Very Much for Cadbury
Roses... It was Thank You Very Much for a new kitchen and Thank You
Very Much for a new car… so yes, thank you very very very much to
Cadbury Roses, I wish they’d run it again! Somebody had told me in
the sixties that Prime Minister Harold Wilson was a fan of the song, so
I told people this for years and got away with it. Then Radio 4 called
me one day as they were doing a programme asking all about ‘Thank
You Very Much’ and I told them the same... It was Harold Wilson’s
favourite record. They said they knew, I asked “How?” and they replied
“He told us”! Years later in 2009, I was in Scotland at the Castle of May
doing a book called ‘Mike McCartney’s North Highlands’. According
to the Majors who control the castle, Thank U was a particular
favourite of the Queen Mother. At Christmas time, after dinner the
Royals would play and sing along to the song with their children. The
Queen Mum would insist on taking one particular line - Thank U Very
Much, Thank U Very Much and sing.. ‘For our gracious Queen’. I didn’t
have the heart to tell the Majors that the actual words were Thank U for
our ‘gracious Team’ i.e. for Liverpool FC!