Paul McCartney once sent baby poo to a lying journalist to get back at him for writing a scathing review of Wings‘ live show.
The anecdote was shared in the new book, Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run – an oral history of the band McCartney went on to form with his then-wife Linda, following The Beatles splitting up.
Published yesterday (November 4), the book contains around 150 photographs, as well as diary entries and handwritten lyrics, and anecdotes from the likes of Stella McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, George Martin, Sean Ono Lennon, Chrissie Hynde, Dustin Hoffman, Twiggy, and all the members of Wings.
In one of the anecdotes, drummer Denny Seiwell revealed how the band got their fair share of negative reviews over the years, including from a journalist who lied about watching one of their shows.
Seiwell recalled how Wings were briefly joined on tour by a writer in the early ‘70s who claimed he wouldn’t be reviewing their show, but rather writing a story about how the members brought their families on tour.
At that time, Paul and Linda had three children together: Heather, Mary and Stella. They would later go on to welcome a son called James and, after Linda died in 1998, Paul would have another daughter, Beatrice, in 2003 with second wife Heather Mills.
Discussing the time with the journalist, Seiwell said: “We take him along to the sound check. We let him backstage. We let him on the bus. We let him see how we live and all that. He didn’t stay for the concert. He flew home.”
A week later, however, the members were surprised to see that the writer shared a “full-on review” of the show that he didn’t attend.
“And he slagged it. Everything about it! The way we lived. The way we travelled. The way we sounded,” the drummer said, adding that Paul and Linda came up with an unconventional way to get back at him.
“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,” he claimed.
“You heard that from me. I don’t care if they want it to be known or not. I thought it was the perfect response to a crude British pressman.”
News of the new book first arrived in February, and Macca would later go on to reveal the cover – showing members on tour in Spain in 1972 – and a foreword. On Monday (November 3), he also shared an exclusive photo that would be included in the book – showing him and Jimmy McCulloch, photographed by Linda, on a yacht in the Virgin Islands – along with an excerpt.
Stella McCartney has since gone on to become a fashion designer and, as well as having her own namesake brand, also worked as creative director for Chloé between 1997 and 2001.
In Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, she explained how her passion for design stemmed from her parents, and how she would “literally always look at images of them from the archives”.
“All of my degree shows at Central Saint Martins, my work with Chloé and my work today is still influenced by their style,” she said (via US Weekly). “I’m lucky enough to have some of those pieces, and I feel like I’m safeguarding them for the future generations.”
Visit here to order the book.
There have been a number of releases celebrating Wings over the past two years. These have included the theatrical release of the film One Hand Clapping and its accompanying 1974 live-in-studio album, as well as a 50th anniversary edition of their 1973 third album, ‘Band On The Run’.
Earlier in 2025, the band also released a 50th anniversary reissue of their fourth studio album, 1975’s ‘Venus And Mars’.
Later this month, Wings are sharing a definitive self-titled anthology collection, personally overseen by Paul McCartney. It will feature the band’s hits ‘Band On The Run’, ‘Live And Let Die’, ‘Jet’ and ‘Let ‘Em In’, and include an expanded 32-page booklet featuring photographs, artwork, paintings, trivia and information about the group. Visit here to pre-order.
