Sean Ono Lennon has defended Paul McCartney’s “robotic” public response to reporters in the hours following the murder of John Lennon.
Lennon’s son has reflected on McCartney’s widely scrutinised remarks in 1980, when the former Beatle was approached by journalists shortly after his bandmate and longtime friend was shot dead.
Speaking to the press at the time, McCartney famously described the tragedy as “(It’s a) drag, isn’t it?”, a comment that drew criticism from some fans who perceived it as detached.
Now, in the new documentary Man on the Run, which explores McCartney’s life after The Beatles, Sean addressed the clip and offered his perspective.
“I always notice the look in his eyes and the tone of his voice,” the British American musician said. “Really felt like someone who was unable to process what was going on.”
He continued, “He just seemed almost robotic, which I think some people took possibly as coldness, but I never took it as that, ’cause I understood even then what it was like when something that terrible happens.”
Lennon was shot and killed outside his New York City apartment on 8 December 1980. He was 40 years old.
In his exchange with reporters that day, McCartney also said he was “shocked” by the “terrible news”, explaining that he had learned of it in a phone call earlier. He concluded the brief conversation by saying, “Okay, cheers.”
McCartney’s daughter, Stella McCartney, also appears in the documentary and recalled her father’s reaction to the news.
“I remember that moment. I remember the phone ringing,” she said. “I remember some, the biggest reaction I’d ever seen and him leaving the kitchen and going outside.”
The fashion designer added, “That was heartbreaking, like truly heartbreaking.”
