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Paul McCartney Remembers Late Rob Reiner at London Event as Crowd Erupts in Applause
Paul McCartney led thousands in applause as he remembered the work of late Hollywood icon Rob Reiner at a fan event on Wednesday, June 10, in London.
Appearing on stage in London to promote his No. 1 new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, the Beatles legend, 83, was asked if his song “Mountain Top” was inspired by the parody heavy metal band Spinal Tap and his cameo appearance in the film Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, directed by Rob.
“No,” McCartney said. “But it was great being in that film cause I love Spinal Tap. The way they make the films, it’s very improvised.”
“And actually, what made it really important to me was that Rob Reiner directed it,” the English musician said of the late filmmaker, 78, who was murdered alongside wife Michele Singer Reiner, 70, at his home in December.
“Let’s hear it for Rob,” McCartney said.
As the applause died down, he added, “You know, that is sort of sad and added a bit of bittersweet edge to it.”
The song “Mountain Top,” McCartney explained, is actually inspired by his recent trips to Glastonbury Festival with his wife, Nancy Shevell.
“I’ve been going to Glastonbury,” he said of the performing arts and music festival. “My wife, Nancy, is a live music fan. She’s actually turned me on to a lot of stuff.”
“Maybe I’m not that interested in going to it, [and] she’ll say, ‘Let’s go,'” McCartney continued. “So we go, and I love it. Anyway, we ended up at Glastonbury for a few years in a row, and I liked seeing all the tents and seeing all the kids that were dancing and stuff, you know. So I just wrote this song from the point of view of one of the hippy girls.”
The Reiners were tragically murdered on December 14, when they were found in their California home with fatal stab wounds. Their 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, has been charged in connection to their deaths.
Nick has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder.
