#paul mccartney fraser

[solmelo]

❝ The thing I remember is his smell, after coming out of jail. He smelled like he’d been in jail. Scrubbed with carbolic soap or something — his clothes smelled. It put me off going to jail in a big way, that you’d smell jail. It was only for a couple of days. ❞

—Paul McCartney on Robert Fraser

[strwbryfeels]

[franklyimissparis]

endless love for his gay little moustache

[undying-love]

"With Robert [Fraser]’s thing of course there would be gayness. But there was no open gayness. If there was to be gayness it would be a quiet phone call that Robert would go and take in the bedroom or something. That was one of the good things, actually, because I knew he was gay and he knew I wasn’t gay so we were quite safe in our own sexuality. We could talk to each other. " -Paul (1997)

[bambi-kinos]

I'm going to ask some meaningless questions. Do you think Paul has had sexual relationship with other men? Do you think John was his first male sexual partner? Sometimes I think it could be, because they are best friends. Sometimes I don't think so, because John's control over Paul is too strong, leading Paul to have a strong defensive mindset towards him.

Tl;dr - I do think Paul has hooked up with other men and maybe even dated but I don't think it's anyone that he was publicly friends with.

When it comes to Paul and sex with other men, that's still a black hole making us go "wtf." Technically Paul's first sexual experiences with other men were the group circlejerks and that's actually a very common initiation experience for guys. (All men are spiritually gay. Joking...or am I?) That being said it's pretty safe to say that John was Paul's first one on one experience with another guy. John is the only person Paul trusted enough for that, Paul otherwise does rapid risk assessments and usually (though not always) decides that it's not worth it. Paul does like physical risk and adrenaline but that's more like stuntman stuff. I don't think Paul has sex with other men unless he trusts them absolutely or otherwise has reason to think he won't be harmed by it. That narrows Paul's candidate pool considerably.

I think Paul is really too canny to hook up with anyone he had public ties with. He has a quote floating around where he makes fun of the press because he knew they were looking for a secret flat and a secret mistress hidden away in it and that he was proud of strategizing around that by living with the Ashers for as long as he did. He said that all of his hook ups (with women) were done by going back to the lady's home and doing it there. So he dodged media scandal by simply not having a secret flat with a mistress and a love child hidden away.

I think that Paul would handle his male hook ups the same way. I think that he would be similarly cold and calculating like he is with his female hook ups. He makes sure there is no smoking gun. I find it telling that we only have two real examples of potential datemates for Paul that aren't John: Robert Fraser and Denny Laine. And I believe they're both disqualified based off of what we know about Paul's preferences and his canniness, at least in the context of this specific question.

I don't think that Paul had sex with Robert Fraser because 1) they were friends and 2) Bob was gay. That meant he was the obvious choice for public speculation about Paul having a gay fling. Which meant he was no choice at all in real world terms. That's not to say Paul didn't enjoy manipulating Fraser or that he wasn't willing to dangle the chance at sex in front of him as a carrot to make Fraser do what Paul wanted, but something I've noticed about Groovy Bob is that he was extremely sycophantic and a wet noodle. Paul doesn't respect a suck up. Paul respects people who are good at getting what they want and that wasn't Fraser. He didn't have much in terms of what I would call a backbone, though that doesn't mean he wasn't strong in other ways.

Paul "liked" Robert Fraser the same way Paul "loves" Nancy. Not because he is swept up in some sort of powerful emotion but because Fraser::Nancy are conduits to something Paul needs (that "need" being high society and influence.) And they happily allow Paul to dictate all the terms of their relationship with him. No matter how much of a control freak Paul is, he does not respect people who knuckle under like that. Fraser never stood up to Paul, he allowed Paul to belittle and humiliate him sexually when Paul interrogated him about his sexual experiences at school. Paul took Fraser to Paris with him explicitly to piss John off, a remarkable demonstration of how far Paul was willing to go to use another human being as a game piece in his sex games with John. And Fraser went along with it, demonstrating that he was happy and eager to be controlled and used. And look there's nothing wrong with that if that's your thing but it does indicate to me that he was not trustworthy enough for Paul to have sex with. And Paul is smart enough to know that. Paul likes people with a backbone which is why he put up with Heather Mills for so long. That's not to say that their friendship wasn't genuine or that the quote about "Robert meant freedom" wasn't based in genuine emotion, but Paul always talks about Fraser in materialistic terms. Who Fraser introduced him to, what paintings Fraser got Paul, how useful Fraser was to the Beatles business. Which says a lot about what exactly Paul meant by "freedom."

The other credible candidate that we know of is Denny Laine. It's common speculation that Denny was in a threesome with Paul and Linda which I guess would qualify him as a sexual partner to Paul? But I'm actually hesitant to award that because I don't think a threesome counts as a gay experience due to the presence of Linda. I also think that Paul would not have fucked Denny due to the same reasons he wouldn't have fucked Fraser. If Paul and Denny had sexual contact than Linda was the mitigator and Paul wouldn't have done it one on one. I respect Denny as an artist but he's not someone capable of standing up to Paul, he was permanently on the backfoot because he owed Paul his career. They both knew that and since Denny wasn't willing to give Paul attitude well... Nothing in Paul's character or behavior makes me think he would deign to fuck a sycophant. Which a Denny was, despite his talent and work ethic.

And again there's a big disqualifier that includes both of them: they were men with public ties to Paul, therefore he can't fuck them because that's a liability. Paul has sex with men who take him back to his flat and that he doesn't otherwise know and who don't necessarily care about him.

I don't think there will ever be a satisfactory answer. It's not just John's hold on Paul to consider (though I agree that matters) it's the question of "is Paul willing to fuck or be fucked by a man that isn't John?" And looking at what a control freak Paul is, how wary he is of scandal, it doesn't seem very likely that he'd hook up with other men often if at all. If Paul does have sex with other men then it's in the form of hiring male sex workers and then giving them NDAs that are longer than The Lord of the Rings. And why would he go to all that trouble when he can just have sex with a nice lady, which keeps his reputation intact?

And then there's the question of sexual fidelity and loyalty. I wonder if John was so special to Paul that he doesn't have sex with other men because he feels it would betray John and what they meant to each other. Paul was jealous of John's relationships and I feel safe assuming he hated it when John had sex with other people. So I wonder if Paul would avoid sexual encounters with other men out of loyalty to John and the tattered remains of what they once were.

Personally, I think that Paul does have sex with other men. There's one candidate in particular that I think he was enamored with and would have had a relationship with if things had gone right for once in Paul's life. But the identities of these men will never be known because Paul knows better than to leave evidence behind for anyone to find. And I think it would be infrequent because Paul would feel like he was betraying John and the exclusivity they never had.

I do wonder if Paul and Ringo started having sex in the 1990s but it's not based in anything except that they would be two injured animals comforting each other.

As you can see my answers are all over the place, I've tried to make this come together (lel!!!) into a cohesive whole but it just kind of...refuses. And that's because Paul has done such a good job of keeping this shit locked up tight.

[ljblueteak]

Robert Fraser’s interview with Peter Brown and Steven Gaines, All You Need is Love

Some highlights:

Robert Fraser: Peter Asher was Jane’s brother. I think he brought Paul over to my place. He made me sorry because he saw a sculpture in my apartment and said, “I want that.” It was quite a lot of money for those days, it was like 2,500 quid. Paul never asked the price until he decided to buy something. If he liked it, he wanted it.

Steven Gaines: I guess they didn’t have to think about the price

Robert Fraser: No, but most people, even if they don’t have to think about it, they want to know the price. Paul was very, very open-minded, but he was also more…Well, John was too, but I mean John was sort of very difficult to…He was more difficult to…He was very shy in a way, and it comes out in an aggressive way.

Steven Gaines: It’s an odd decision Paul made to live at his girlfriend’s home with her parents.

Robert Fraser: Paul was a very domestic sort of personality. He liked the idea.

Peter Brown: I didn’t think twice about it, but looking back on it now, it was pretty ahead of its time to move in with your girlfriend’s family.

Robert Fraser: Even now, he’s done exactly what he wants. He’s not really like…He never really lived a rock star’s life.

[paulmccartneyexplodingonstage]

classic rock rpf but it’s who is allowed to hit my vape

(i have a crippling addiction and it’s not cool don’t vape kids ❤️)

#1. Paul McCartney - No

as a fellow oral fixation girly this hurts me a bit to do but he’d take a hit and then i’d “mysteriously lose it” five minutes later. also once he learns he can do tricks w it he’s gonna get better at it than i am and i need to have something in this world.

#2. John Lennon - Yes

ok. now listen. he’s also a stealing risk and i trust him maybe even less than paul but i want to see the light enter his eyes when he hits the cool mint geek bar for the first time. after that tho he’s gonna be an incessant rip stealer. so maybe not such a good idea after all

#3. George Harrison - Yes

he’s a POLITE YOUNG MAN. he would even use his words to ask instead of just making grabby hands. he gets a hit whenever he wants.

#4. Ringo Starr - Yes

he gets whatever he wants forever. i honestly don’t think he’d like it very much tho, which is why he can have a hit whenever. he’s not fiending for it like the blowjob brothers over there.

#5. Brian - yes

yes. but he doesn’t even need to ask cuz he has his own 😌✨

#6. George Martin - yes

if anything I’M asking HIM to rip it. puh leez put your mouth on it sir

#7. Robert Fraser - no

he has 6 pod systems but he’s still gonna ask to hit mine. fuck outta here

#8. Bob Dylan - yes

im risking life and limb w him putting his germs on there but whatever he needs some momentary joy. im gonna buy him three of his own

#9. Mike Nesmith - no

if he asks i’m ramming it down his throat (affectionately)

#10. Micky Dolenz - yes

if i say no he’s gonna find a way to hit it anyway so i might as well cut out the middle man. plus he’s a homie and he can do whatever he wants forever

#11. Peter Tork - yes

he’s gonna cough a lot and i’m gonna feel bad but i’m still gonna say yes whenever he asks.

#12. Davy Jones - yes

whatever you say, beautiful. (he’s gonna try to ghost and fail hard)

#13. Joan Baez - yes

im handing all of them over in an instant.

[paulandjohn]

Similar Vibes

On the left is John Lennon with Andy Warhol in New York, 1971

On the right is Paul McCartney with Robert Fraser in London, 1981

[solmelo]

As an older sibling, I need a Robert Fraser in my life.

Based on this quote by Paul McCartney on Robert Fraser

Imagine your whole life, you've had to play the role of the boss or the older brother. Then, for the first time, you meet someone who's older and more mature, someone with whom you can finally drop the act of being the tough one. For once, you're not the big brother or the leader—you can just let your guard down. You're not always the strong one, and he understands that, like a big brother.

Paul said this is only "one" of their most "touching conversations" btw. He didn't tell us what the others are.

He's always said that Robert was a very close friend to him yet he didn't reveal lots of their moments which is fair because Robert wasn't a public figure, and he was his emotional support so there mustve been lots of sensitive topics but who knows.

[beatlesficrecs]

Fic rec: Mermaid

by bookofapril

Link to fic

Summary:

Paul McCartney/Robert Fraser. November 1967. Robert Fraser returns to London after a four month prison term; Paul gives him a bath to help him get rid of the smell of jail.

Why I like this fic:

Anything Paul/Robert by this writer is a masterpiece. This story is short and sweet ( bathtub sex with feelings)—and a fantastic portrait of Paul at this point in time. Both Paul and Robert feel like real people, and the love is there.

.

[strwbryfeels]

[franklyimissparis]

paul mccartney have a normal relationship with an older man challenge (impossible)

[big-barn-bed]

I WOULD HAVE DONE TONS OF COCAINE WITH YOU, AND KEPT YOU ALIVE FOREVER.

[therobertfrasergang]

Goldman, Fraser, McCartney, and Pepper credits

The final battle was waged over the credits. First Paul said, "No credits!" Then Robert Fraser persuaded Paul to acknowledge the work of Peter Blake and Michael Cooper. But no one else save George Martin was mentioned, though scores of musicians, technicians, and other ancillaries had made contributions to the project. "Paul is very stingy about credits," Fraser explained, "because he wants to give the impression that he's done it all himself." The day was not far distant when that would be the correct impression.

From The Lives of John Lennon, by Albert Goldman, 1988

This section of the book discusses the difficulties around the cover for Sgt. Pepper. The quote from Fraser is not sourced, which implies it came from direct interviews with him for the book. Goldman was working on the book for several years before publication, so he must have interviewed Fraser while he was still relatively well.

Still, it's a rare unkind quote from Fraser about Paul McCartney. The context for the quote might give better insight into the comment.

Or he might just have been having a laugh.

[mydaroga]

Re his growing interest in art:

The most formative influence for me was Robert Fraser. Obviously the other Beatles were very important but the most formative art influence was Robert. I expect people to die so I don't feel a loss but there's a vacuum where he used to be.

Paul McCartney, Many Years From Now