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McCartney & Fela Kuti: Friendship Forged Over Weed
19 Mar
Summary
- McCartney dispelled Fela Kuti's accusations of music theft.
- McCartney shared marijuana with Fela Kuti, leading to paranoia.
- Kuti's music calmed McCartney during a paranoid episode.
In the early 1970s, Paul McCartney developed a friendship with Fela Kuti, beginning with a shared experience of marijuana use. This connection arose after Kuti had accused McCartney's band Wings of intending to appropriate African music for their album.
McCartney proactively addressed the accusations by inviting Kuti to his studio to demonstrate his music. This meeting cleared up the misunderstanding, fostering a strong friendship between the two artists. They later shared a memorable experience involving marijuana, which led to McCartney feeling paranoid.
During this heightened state, Kuti and his band's music provided comfort, bringing McCartney to tears. This period also saw the creation of the 1973 album "Band on the Run." McCartney discussed these memories in an Audible series, reflecting on this formative time in Wings' career.
