Paul McCartney fears grief over his wife's death may prevent him from performing live ever again, a tabloid reported Friday. ``I might not be able to get up on stage again,´´ he told The Sun. ``I don´t know whether I can go up there and sing, thinking about Linda.´´ McCartney said Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders invited him to participate in a series of concerts next year to highlight his late wife's crusade for animal rights. The ex-Beatle said he will ``play it by ear. If I can manage it, then I will. But I´ve said that if I can´t do it, she´ll just have to forgive me.´´ McCartney said he carries his wife's wedding ring in his pocket. She died in April after a long battle with breast cancer.

Yoko: Truth about Linda and me ECHO world exclusive by Debbie Johnson

JOHN Lennon's widow Yoko Ono spoke for the first time today of her sorrow at Linda McCartney's death. In an exclusive interview with the ECHO she dismissed rumours they were enemies. Yoko said: "People always portrayed us as enemies, like two boxers on opposite sides of the ring, but of course it was never really like that." Instead, a friendship had "blossomed" in recent years, particularly as Linda fought her brave battle against cancer. Many Beatles fans had blamed the break-up of the band on a rift between Yoko and Linda, wife of Sir Paul. Suggestions of a distance between the two Beatles' wives were further fuelled when Yoko did not attend Linda's funeral. But Yoko added: "In later life especially, we became friends. We had an understanding of each other. We had both married Beatles and we knew what that was like. "It was a great loss - she was a very passionate woman about the things she believed in." "I was shocked by the news` heard the news of Linda´s death. Yoko spoke to the Echo on the same week that the new John Lennon Anthology was released. As his widow, she selected and helped produce the material on the boxed set. It includes chats between John and Phil Spector in the studio; never-before-heard tracks, and home recordings made by John in New York. There is also a poignant version of With A Little Help From My Friends by John and his young son, Sean. Yoko added: "Whatever John did and wherever he lived, he was still always a guy from Liverpool. Because of that, I will always have a very special place in my heart for the city." Why I still love to talk about John YOKO Ono lost her husband 17 years ago - yet he is still the dominating force in her life. Despite cruel jibes that she is making the most of her status as a "professional widow", she clearly loves talking about John Lennon - the myth and the man. "I am a woman who lost my husband. I think about John every day, and talking about him is one of my last links with him. "It's funny, when I first married him, I resented the fact that everything was about John. I was an established artist myself, I had my own career. I fought so hard to keep my own identity, not just to become part of John Lennon. "But then John died and that changed everything. He was taken away from me and that was a terrible shock. Of course it still hurts. "Talking about him is all I have left. His memory is the last link. And it's the way I stay close to him and keep that memory alive." Yoko has suffered relentlessly at the hands of the media since she first emerged on the scene. Lambasted as the woman who broke up the Beatles, she has endured criticism of her talent, her own projects and, more hurtfully, her motives in marrying John. In the same way that Linda McCartney was never acknowledged in her own right, Yoko has put up with decades of abuse about what was, at heart, a private relationship. Now, with the release of the boxed set Lennon Anthology, she has opened her heart in a way she has never done before. Extensive sleeve notes accompanying the release reveal a whole different side to her relationship with Lennon who, like most husbands, was not always easy to live with. She explains: "I just wanted to be honest - I thought it was the best policy. It was a very hard task deciding what to put on this Anthology. There was a wealth of material. It was a case of "which version of Mother shall we use?", there was so much fabulous stuff. "And, of course, it was very emotional. There is a lot of John talking, personal things, that was very hard to deal with." When asked how she felt to be constantly portrayed as the villain of the peace, she replies quickly and honestly: "If someone jabs you, it hurts. It hurt then and it still hurts now. But my relationship with John was what it was all about. It endured all of that. We rose above it." Linda McCartney experienced similar unpopularity during her early days with Paul. Her death earlier this year left Yoko shellshocked and she reveals that, in later years, they did become friends - despite their image as enemies. "It was an awful shock when she died," she says. According to Yoko, two things continued to drive John: his abiding feeling for Liverpool and the father he felt so strongly about. "John told me so much about Liverpool. I felt I knew it inside out. He was a true Liverpudlian. He never lost his accent or, more importantly, that attitude. "He always used to say that people from Liverpool were a race all of their own. In one of the songs, Serve Yourself, he is so Scouse, it's really funny. "In a lot of ways, he never really left. He always had that Liverpool attitude. Most of the time he was a sweet, kind man but sometimes he was angry and it was not a nice thing to be on the wrong side of. "But even when he was angry, he never lost his sense of humour. It was wicked. "It was the same with the way he felt about his father. If you asked him, he would be all tough and say "Oh, I don't give a damn" but inside, he always did. "I remember one time we were walking through Central Park and he stopped and said he knew his father was a sailor and he had stopped off in New York. He said: "I wonder if he walked on the same ground we're walking on here?"' She pauses to reflect. "There are so many memories," she says, "and so much music. I feel it is my responsibility to keep that going." The John Lennon Anthology is out on Parlophone/Capitol now, priced at around £50. I'm so proud of my Beautiful Boy JOHN Lennon may have left a strong musical heritage to the world, but he left an even stronger one to his two sons. Both Julian - his child to first wife Cynthia - and Sean bear a strong physical resemblance to their father. And both have followed in his footsteps and entered the world of music - a brave move when your dad was the best known pop star in the world. For Yoko, Sean is an eternal reminder of John. Her "Beautiful Boy" is now a man, and making his own music. She says: "Sean is wonderful. I am very proud of him. I came to London to see him in concert and it was great, he was great. "Musically, he is very complex, very aware, nowhere near as naive as John and I were. "In some ways, he is a lot like his father. When John died, he was a very young boy, and he tried to block it all out, that was his way of coping. Then as he got older, he tried to be all tough and stick up for his independence, make things on his own. "Then, when I was in the middle of doing the Anthology, there was a home recording of him and John singing together. "I played it to him, and all of a sudden he was crying; he was this little boy all over again. He said to me: "Mum, he was so good". "I think John would have been incredibly proud of how he turned out."

Yoko Ono has told of her continuing sorrow at the death of Linda McCartney - the woman who was portrayed as her enemy during the last days of The Beatles. She said they had become great friends before her death from breast cancer in April and described the death as a "great loss". John Lennon's widow dismissed the view that she and Sir Paul McCartney's late wife had disliked each other. Yoko Ono: "Talking about Lennon is all I have left"She said: "People always portrayed us as enemies, like two boxers on opposite sides of the ring, but it was never really like that. "In later life, especially, we became friends. We had an understanding of each other. We both married Beatles and we knew what that was like. "It was a great loss. She was a very passionate woman about the things she believed in. I was shocked by the news of Linda's death." She also talked about the pain she still feels about her husband's death in 1980. "I am a woman who has lost my husband. I think about John every day, and talking about him is one of my last links with him," she said. John Lennon: "Talking about him keeps his memory alive""It's funny. When I first married him, I resented the fact that everything was about John. I was an established artist myself, and I had my own career. "I fought so hard to keep my own identity, not just to become part of John Lennon. "But then John died and that changed everything. He was taken away from me and that was a terrible shock. Of course it still hurts. "Talking about him is all I have left. His memory is the last link. And it's the way I stay close to him and keep that memory alive." The interview coincides with the release of the new John Lennon Anthology, a collection of previously unheard tracks compiled by Yoko. She added she felt it was her responsibilty to keep her husband's work in the public eye. 'Would be proud' of Sean Despite her difficult relationship with her stepson Julian, Yoko is sure that Lennon would have been proud of his youngest son Sean's musical career. "He is very complex, very aware, nowhere near as naive as John and I were," she said. "When I was doing the Anthology, there was a home recording of him and John singing together. "I played it to him, and all of a sudden he was crying. He was this little boy all over again. He said to me 'Mum, he was so good.'"

  THE ASSOCIATED PRESS     A gastronomic tour of the globe through the eyes of a vegetarian is what readers will find in Linda McCartney on Tour: Over 200 Meat-Free Dishes From Around the World (Bulfinch, $29.95).     It is the third cookbook written by Linda McCartney before she died last April. The American-born wife of former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney was a passionate vegetarian, founder of a successful line of ready-made meals in Britain, and a highly regarded photographer.     ``Vegetarianism is now the biggest food trend of the century,´´ she wrote in the introduction, ``and I, for one, couldn´t be more thrilled!´´     She wrote that, in researching the book, she learned how ``with a little creative use of herbs, spices, and exotic ingredients, meat-free feasts can be created from the simplest of foods.´´     Even if you find cooking a little daunting, she added, ``my new collection of recipes is guaranteed to bring out the cook in you.´´     The book starts with general information about nutrition, then groups recipes in chapters that go from starters, such as elegant asparagus crepes from France, through desserts, such as chocolate crescent cookies from Mexico.     Minted Couscous with Roasted Vegetables is from Morocco. It is traditional Berber food, a version of one of North Africa's great dishes, mixed with lemon juice and mint to serve with the vegetables for a memorable meal.

also an update...the Webcast is now currently available at any time now..this Webcast is currently still available on demand. check it out (again and again if you love it like me) if you missed it.

BUY "WIDE PRAIRIE" ALBUM ON THIS WEBSITE...GO TO CD NOW....HELP SUPPORT THIS SITE..

GO TO LIVERPOOL ECHO'S WEBSITE..

VOTE FOR "The man on the Flaming Pie" on Liverpool Echo's website!!!!!...."Voting in the tenth annual SCOUSEOLOGY AWARDS is now under way, and for the first time the Internet is being used as part of the vote-gathering exercise. The awards are local "Oscars" in the fields of sport and entertainment and will be presented at the Liverpool Crowne Plaza hotel on November 20 as the climax to the BBC Radio Merseyside Children in Need activities. The main supporter of the event is Royal Liver Assurance, owners of the Liver Building, next to the hotel. A special Internet category, supported by BT, is being introduced for the first time this year. The Scouseology Panel has held a special meeting and come up with the names of a dozen local personalities who have had the most international impact over the past year. Now Net users can place their votes. The 12 names are listed on this VOTING FORM voting closes November 4th 1998. You will be taking part in the first global survey of Scouse talent! Winners will be published on Liverpool Echo's pages on the morning of November 21st. Multiple votes will NOT be accepted"

Paul's interview is now available on line.... click here

If there's a problem, just use http://www.usaweekend.com/ and click on the link. USA Weekend is a supplement in *some* Sunday papers. If you live in New York, the Sunday edition of the Daily News has it...in Chicago the Sun-Times has it...But CHECK to be sure the mag is there before buying the paper because sometimes a supplement may be missing.

The late Linda McCartney's singing talents were subjected to some serious ridicule during her days with husband Paul's band, Wings.   Despite the hard knocks, she wrote and recorded music throughout their nearly 30-year marriage and was planning to release her first solo album before her death last spring.   Her grieving husband has pushed on with the project, delivering the quirky Wide Prairie to record stores this week.   The collection of 16 songs -- 13 original numbers plus three covers -- was recorded over a period dating from late 1972 to three weeks before Linda finally succumbed to breast cancer last April.   Stylistically they cover a range as well, from the reggae-inspired Seaside Woman -- the first song Linda wrote -- to the surreal spoken-word Oriental Nightfish to the exaggerated country twang of Wide Prairie.   While Paul contributed heavily -- he played on all but two cuts, sang backup and produced most of the album -- it is Linda's voice that is featured. On some of the early numbers, Wings members like Denny Laine lend a hand. Son James played electric and acoustic guitar for the last song recorded.   Linda's desire to release an album will likely take some music listeners by surprise. Her contribution to Wings -- she played keyboards and provided backing vocals -- was routinely derided. At one point, someone distributed a recording of her voice, isolated while the band was performing Hey Jude live. It was badly off key.   Popular myth notwithstanding, she can carry a tune. But the slightness of her voice -- and the fact she was a favourite target of the British press -- could cause one to wonder why Linda McCartney wanted to expose her musical talents to yet more scrutiny.   "It was something that Linda was proud of," Geoff Baker, longtime publicist for the couple, said of the project.   "It wasn't like she was ever setting herself up to be a great musician ... because that wasn't Linda's way. She was a photographer. And a vegetarian animal activist. Those were her passions.   "But you know, she had this love of music and she wanted to do it. With an idea that it could possibly effect some change."   Linda was a dedicated animal welfare activist and vegetarian. The author of vegetarian cookbooks and producer of a line of vegetarian and vegan foods, she hoped to convert the meat-eating world.   She used her music to spread the message. The White Coated Man, one of the most powerful cuts on the CD, deals with the issue of medical testing on animals. Cow similarly is about the final hours of a beast heading for the slaughterhouse.   Since her death, Paul has picked up the torch, urging anyone who wanted to pay tribute to her life to "go veggie."   Paul, who was shattered by his wife's death, emerged from his mourning to promote Wide Prairie. In a series of interviews, he described their marriage -- a standout success in the turbulent rock world -- as a true love affair. "I fancied her rotten," he said.   He also spoke of the emotional strain of mixing the album after her death. He worked on it with Geoff Emerick, the Beatles recording engineer, who also lost his wife to cancer.   The task often reduced the two to tears. But in-your-face songs like The Light Comes from Within had the opposite effect. They dubbed their time in the studio "the tears and laughter session."   "We'd be sitting there listening to a poignant ballad and crying, then the next song would be an outrageous tongue-in-cheek track and so we'd be laughing," Paul said.   The album contains two such tracks, surprisingly visceral attacks aimed at Linda's detractors.   I Got Up cautions those who sneered at her activism that she wasn't going to compromise. The Light Comes from Within is a single-finger salute to those who'd savaged her, with a chorus unfit for the kiddies. Or, as Paul put it, "fairly uncompromising lyrics."   Baker, who broke the news to Linda about the Hey Jude recording, said the ridicule hurt her.   "Lin just took that on the chin. But it did hurt her... A lot.   "She used to say: 'Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will break my heart.'"   It also hurt the people who cared for her.   "There's a lot of musicians who wouldn't thank anyone for isolating their voice," Baker said hotly.   She didn't set herself out to be a first-class singer, but wanted to produce an album that reflected her spirit and her beliefs.   "She liked that punk spirit. That was very Linda. Most punks don't sing like Pavarotti," Baker insisted. "It's the spirit which comes over in the album, I think." Track Listing 1. Wide Prairie 2. New Orleans 3. The White Coated Man 4. Love's Full Glory 5. I Got Up 6. The Light Comes From Within 7. Mister Sandman 8. Seaside Woman 9. Oriental Nightfish 10. Endless Days 11. Poison Ivy 12. Cow 13. B-Side To Seaside 14. Sugartime 15. Cook Of The House 16. Appaloosa

The late Linda McCartney's solo album, Wild Prairie, arrived in stores yesterday in a relatively low-key fashion. Husband Paul McCartney has done several interviews geared specifically towards the album, tearful affairs during which he's discussed how hard it is to go on without her. As he recently told BBC Radio, "We fancied each other something rotten. That's all it was. To me, she was always still my girlfriend." George Martin, who produced the Beatles during the '60s and recently released his own farewell album, the all-star affair In My Life, is not surprised. "They were so close," Martin remembers. "They were not just lovers and spouses; they were deep friends. You probably know that they'd never spent a night apart except for the time he was in a Japanese jail. They were so devoted. All I can say is everybody misses her like mad." Linda McCartney was roundly ridiculed for her musical talent—or lack thereof— and Paul McCartney was roundly derided for having her sing and play keyboards for Wings. Martin, however, hastens to remind us, "It was Paul who insisted on her being part of the group. He wanted her to be part of his act. At times she was embarrassed by it. She had a rough deal there, in a way." And then, of course, there was the isolated recording of her off-key vocals during McCartney's 1989-90 world tour. Martin is circumspect as to whether Wide Prairie will prompt a reassessment of her musical acumen, but, he says, that's not really the point. "I think what Paul's doing here is to remind people of her," he says. "I don't think it matters how you rate her as a musician. I think what this album will do will be to remind us she was a great person. That's what he's looking for, I think. She never set out to be a great musician, but she was a super person, and I think that will come through" Undoubtedly, I think it was a good idea, it occupied him, " said famed Beatles producer George Martin. "When I was talking to him I said, 'You know Paul, all one can do to help you is to offer terrible platitudes. I mean because the obvious one is 'time will help.' It's going to hurt like mad now, but time will help.' "He said something very sad. He said, 'You're right, time does help, but time only helps by forgetting.' He said, 'I don't want to forget her.' And I almost wept when he said that." "He misses her terribly -- still does," said Martin. "He's getting over it now. He got his daughter married off the other day and that was a happy time. And Stella, of course, is doing so well as a designer. He's got a good family around him, but Linda was his lynchpin. Linda was not only his wife, lover, she was his friend and mother of his children. She did everything."

It comes as a shock to find scruffy chaos behind the doors of Chloé, that most fragrant and demure of French ready-to-wear houses. In London, just a few days before a show, debris would be normal, but French anarchy never looks much more dishevelled than a well-staged Helmut Newton photograph. This, however, verges on grunge: office girls eating pizza out of boxes, packing cases overflowing. The fittings (matt black) and fixtures (ropey) have more than a stale whiff of the 1980s about them. "This place was gross when we arrived," says McCartney, skilfully bouncing over a leatherette armchair on her way to her atelier. With her large, inquisitive eyes, tousled Brit-girl hair, well-behaved Mockney accent and the twentysomething uniform of black sporty clothes, she looks like someone who can't wait to get back to her own quarters. Her studio overlooks the British Embassy ("My God, those rookie diplomats in the rooms facing the street have seen more than their share of naked breasts in the past year," notes Chloé's PR gleefully). If you wanted to show the divide between French Old Guard and Young British Turk via interior decoration, it's here in this airy white studio with floor-to- ceiling windows and all the paraphernalia of bohemian London: Fat Boy Slim pounding on the stereo, stripped wood floors, flea market chandeliers, overflowing ashtrays, semi-dressed models flitting around in mules and a Crazy Zone where McCartney and her sidekick, Phoebe Philo, pin pictures of people whose style they find arresting. This little corner of Chloé is as British as the embassy. Along with Philo and McCartney, Edward Sexton, the dapper tailor McCartney first met when she was an apprentice on Savile Row and whom she imported to Paris to help her to achieve the English tailoring she loves to use at Chloé, darts around the models, pins in mouth, tape measure around his neck. In the centre stands the head of the atelier shopfloor, a grey-haired Parisian with chignon and severe navy trouser suit, scrutinising the way an air-brushed T-shirt dress hangs on a model. "C'est stretch," offers McCartney helpfully. Not fluent - she insists that she doesn't really live in Paris, despite keeping a flat there - but a token effort. The Parisian nods congenially. If there's any residual resentment about having to take orders from a 27-year-old British ingénue with a limited grasp of French, it's not immediately apparent. "For all I know they may go home at night and moan like mad," says McCartney, "but so far everyone in the atelier's been great." The transition from small-time London designer to big-name Paris house hasn't been entirely easy. On her appointment 18 months ago there were the inevitable cries that she had been hired because her father is Paul McCartney. Karl Lagerfeld made some especially pungent remarks. Then the first collection got rave reviews. The second, last March, with its rock-chic biker jackets, deliberately tarty styling and general larky London approach, didn't survive the journey to the citadel of bourgeois good taste altogether intact. The reviews, distinctly less rapturous, were, you sense, a shock. "The thing is, the models loved that second collection; they wanted to take the outfits home. But some people didn't get it and I didn't realise that two or three journalists have the power to break you." She could have panicked, or retreated. With the death of her mother, Linda, last spring from breast cancer, she had the ultimate get-out clause. But she knuckled down and, though she won't admit it, took some of the criticism to heart. The third collection, which she was still working on during the interview and which showed in Paris two weeks ago, was slick, pretty and universally praised. Like their creator, her finely wrought silk skirts and pretty ruffled tops are pointedly unpretentious. "They're just lovely clothes that I and my friends would want to wear," she says. "The biggest kick is seeing someone in one of my designs." There's an air of cultivated hyper-normality about McCartney, although she has a poise that marks her out. At the comprehensive school that she and her brother James and sister Mary attended in Wiltshire, she would join in general conversations about the previous night's activities, but wisely refrain from mentioning that while her classmates had been at the local pub, she had been having dinner with Stevie Wonder. "Actually, it was a very normal upbringing," she says. "We grew up in the country, went to the local school, had a Mum and a Dad." Having both parents around may not be the most reliable definition of normality any more. Spending months on tour with tutors while your parents take their band, Wings, to the world's bigger rock stadiums isn't the everyday stuff of Little Englander lives either. Nor is having Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss model for your student graduate show. But she knows this. Dealing with other people's resentment is the easy part of being a famous offspring. Coming to terms with the fact that it really does open doors is much harder. "Of course, you sometimes question people's motives for being friendly. You wonder if the reasons you got your A levels was because the examiner liked your Dad's music. You worry that the reason you're designing for a big French house is your name, but in the end you develop a sixth sense about these things." (She might be gratified to know that when he approached her to work for Chloé, its managing director Mounir Moufarrige thought her name was McCarthy and rang his old friend, Patrick McCarthy, a journalist on the powerful Women's Wear Daily, to see if she was a relation.) The sixth sense may be why she seems old for her years. She has never felt the need to rebel. When I say that a child of committed vegetarians might be expected to do something radical such as becoming a butcher she is mystified. "Why? My parents had sound values. Anyway, nobody cool eats animals any more." They do in Paris. They like wearing them, too. "It's disgusting," says McCartney, "but the fur industry pays designers lots of money to use the stuff in their lines." The McCartney values - focus on the family, the work ethic, vegetarianism and all - have clearly stuck. Even her love of fashion was inspired by them. "My Mum was quite ahead of her time in the things she wore. She'd mix big boots with little argyle jumpers and old dresses. She cut her own hair - she even wore Chloé when it was really hip in the 1970s - and she would throw it all together in a really unusual way and always got so much shit for it in the press. "They were the coolest dudes. At the end of a Wings tour in LA they blew the profits, about $1 million, on a white party. Everyone came in white, then these giant air-brushing machines sprayed everyone with colour." (Eat your heart out Alexander McQueen.) At 15 she was slaving for Christian Lacroix in the holidays in Paris. After A levels she went to St Martins. "When I think about how I've worked solidly since school, never even taking a year off, it pisses me off that people imply I'm here only on the family name. Maybe the press would give me an easier time if I was a trust fund smackhead." The press hasn't given her an especially hard time but it's a sensitive issue. The irony - not lost on her - is that having been brought up to shun fame, she finds herself in a business that now requires its successful designers to court celebrity to survive. "I am more jaded than I was a year ago - but that can be positive. I don't fret about things so much since my Mum died." She dedicated her most recent collection to Linda, in a touching note tucked into the programme that read: "To my Mum . . . everything." "She was incredible. Everyone who met her for even ten minutes thought the same. I used to wonder what it was that made people react to her like that. She was strong, motherly, normal, warm. She had all the right values. People thought the animal rights issue was just her sympathising with a cute beagle, but it was much more intelligent than that. I'll never meet anyone else like her - I just hope I have some of her qualities."

Former Beatle Paul McCartney has given police 5,000 pounds ($8,500) to buy night vision equipment to track down deer poachers. "Paul cannot abide any cruelty to animals," said a spokesman for the singer whose wife, animal rights activist Linda, died of breast cancer earlier this year. McCartney, who has taken up many of his wife's campaigns, sent the money after being asked by a wildlife and rural officer in the Avon and Somerset police force in western England. The force can now buy infra-red optical glasses to track the poachers, who have been shooting the deer from moving vehicles. The musician responded to a faxed request from Pc Roger Jolliffe, the wildlife and rural officer with Avon and Somerset Police. The force could not afford the infra-red optical "glasses", which allow officers to see in the dark but cost up to £2,000 each. Sir Paul owns a 100-acre deer sanctuary on Exmoor and is known for his keen interest in animal welfare. Police have been struggling for some time to contain the growing problem of deer poachers, who strike at night. The animals are often shot from moving vehicles and officers have found a number recently who have been left to die. Pc Jolliffe said: "I think Sir Paul's response is absolutely brilliant. It is really generous and it is going to make a big difference to our work." A spokesman for Sir Paul said: "Paul cannot abide any cruelty to animals. Poaching is a horrible crime and he hopes this equipment will help the police." A spokesman for the League Against Cruel Sports said: "We welcome Sir Paul's generosity.

A reminder...As reported here on this site earlier this month, Paul's first North American interview since Linda's death has been conducted by Chrissie Hynde.Excerpts from the interview, conducted by McCartney's close friend Chryssie Hynde, are set to run this Sunday November 1st in "USA Weekend" The interview is available at http://www.usaweekend.com this weekend.

Hiya! Just thought I'd let ya know that BBC Radio 2 are kicking off their new series "Classic Albums" with an "Abbey Road" special tomorrow night (Wednesday, 28 Oct) at 10pm. It features contributions from Paul, George, Ringo & Sir George about the album, seems like it'll be pretty good so tune in :o) Louise (thanks Louise! :O)

Sir Paul McCartney says his wife's cancer was caught too late Sir Paul McCartney has urged women who fear they have breast cancer to insist on getting checked. In his first television interview since his wife Linda died of breast cancer, Sir Paul told Jools Holland that women should not think they were being "too fussy" for insisting on regular checks for the disease. He said: "Even though you think you may be being a bit too fussy, or even though the doctor tells you you're being a bit too fussy, it's worth getting it checked, because the sooner you get to it the more they can do about it." He added that, in Linda's case, the cancer was detected too late. "Although we had two-and-a-half years of treatment, it really turned out there was nothing much we could have done about it." Sir Paul also urged all women eligible for regular breast cancer screening to make sure they received it. He said it could be a life-saver. The interview, which was screened on ITN's lunchtime bulletin, was organised to promote the launch of Wide Prairie, an album of Linda McCartney's solo songs. It also comes at the end of a month dedicated to breast cancer awareness. According to the Cancer Research Campaign, one in 11 British women will develop breast cancer during her lifetime. Breast cancer is the most common cancer for women

Bootleggers are cashing in on Linda McCartney's death by flooding Britain with counterfeit CDs of her last songs. "Wild Prairie", the real CD, is released tomorrow, with all profits going to animal charities. Linda's husband, ex-Beatle Sir Paul, compiled the record as a tribute from songs recorded during her fight against cancer and to support the causes close to her heart. But a Mafia style counterfeiting ring is making a mockery of Sir Paul's plans by conning fans with cheap copies. And none of the money goes to charity. The phoney CD is called "Appaloosa Love" after Linda's favourite breed of horse. Sir Paul has accused the bootleggers of dancing on his wife's grave. But his anger turned to disbelief after discovering that the bootleggers have printed the last words he spoke to Linda on her deathbed on the CD's sleeve. Beneath a photograph of the couple are the words: "You're up on your beautiful Appaloosa stallion. It's a fine spring day, we're riding through the woods. The bluebells are all out, and the sky is clear blue.'' (Paul McCartney, April 17, 1998) A friend said; "Paul took this very personally. He is devastated that someone has sunk so low.'' The phoney CD sells for £15 at record fairs and under-the-counter shops across Britain. But it is manufactured in Holland by a company trading as Yellow Cat Records. The Mr Big behind the shady operation is 35-year-old Dutchman Joss Remmerswall. Remmerswall, who has convictions for counterfeiting in Holland, masterminds the ring from an office in The Hague, aided by two sidekicks called Stan and Andre. He has made millions of pounds from bootlegging mainly Beatles records and selling them all over the world. Appaloosa Love is advertised on the Internet in London, Los Angeles and Tokyo. Yellow Cat moved to the Hague a year ago after the authorities in Amsterdam and Luxembourg forced him out. Remmerswall also trades as Yellow Dog Records and Black Cat Records. The phoney CD lists 22 tracks including master recordings from Wide Prairie and out-takes. The sleeve artwork features photographs of Linda taken while she was undergoing treatment for cancer and riding her Appaloosa stallion. In a further sick twist, one of the main cover images, used without permission, is among the last pictures of Linda taken by her daughter Mary. Sir Paul's publishing company MPL has launched an investigation to discover how the bootleggers got hold of the songs and the artwork. His spokesman Geoff Baker last night said angrily; "I hope whoever is behind this doesn't ever run into me on a dark night. Doing this is definitely a bad health move for them. There is a huge difference between taping a band at a concert for your own pleasure and this type of commercial bootlegging in which people get ripped off. "I hope the scum behind this rip-off get their just deserts. "Anyone who cares about Linda wouldn't have anything to do with this money grabbing sham. "I think it's despicable to use such tender words delivered by Paul at a time of appalling heartbreak as a con to boost sales of this rip off. "They trade as Yellow Cat Records - yellow being the important word - because these people are terrible cowards trading on other people's tragedies." The British Phonographic Institute, the music industry's professional body, has a file on Remmerswall. Security director Dave Martin said; "We are taking this very seriously. "Even other bootleggers think this is below the belt."