I did not grow up when the Beatles were at the height of their popularity.  However, I have witnessed Paul McCartney deal with the death of his wife, Linda.  Now, it seems that fans and other members of the public observe a different Paul persona weekly.  It is almost like a serious soap opera in which the life of a love-torn man is criticized by the press and public alike.  At first, Paul would only be publicly seen with his five children.  However, in recent he will only been seen with his new model girlfriend Heather Mills, who is younger than his stepdaughter Heather McCartney.  In the past few weeks, Paul has been seen from Modern Maturity Magazine to collective confusion dancing on a bar top.
     Paul goes from one extreme to another per interview or appearance.  He is either contributing wholesomely to a Linda-related event or out on the wild side with Ms. Mills.  True, the media digs extremes.  Surely they fail to see the Paul in the middle; the average guy family man image of yesteryear. His success has not dimmed in the past few years.   Paul’s recent album, “Run Devil Run,” was a critical success as opposed to his previous work “Flaming Pie,” enjoyed immensely only by fans.
     Although I agree that Paul’s personal life should remain as such, I also believe that his public relations staff as well as Paul himself could be doing more to preserve the family man image; unless, of course, there is no family man image to preserve.  When is Paul out with his family?  To what recent animal rights events has Paul actively lent his support?  Surely he still contributes mass amounts of funding to various organizations, but when was the last time we saw Paul out there signing petitions or speaking against cruelty?  I do not doubt Paul’s continual devotion to animal rights and to his deceased wife, however I question his manner of stepping out of the scene.  Is the media simply less interested, or is Paul simply doing less than what he used to?
     Paul’s musical production rate has significantly increased.  He has been present at listening parties and major musical events, however where is Paul at other times?  Why don’t we hear anything until Linda’s will is unveiled or he and Heather have some kind of rondezvous somewhere?  One day he is thin, the next heavy.  Hair long, then short.  White, then brown.  Classical, then rock and roll.  I thought Paul’s medium was music, but now I have no way of knowing with so many extremes.