B-sides: Paul McCartney on winning prizes and supporting the president

McCartney accepting one of his many awards, this one from President Obama. (Yuri Gripas/AFP/Getty Images)

Our friend and colleague J. Freedom du Lac interviewed Kennedy Center Honoree Paul McCartney -- and a slew of others who witnessed the Beatles first U.S. performance at the Washington Coliseum in 1964 -- for this Sunday's Washington Post. Here are a few of McCartney's thoughts that didn't make it into the piece.

On receiving awards: The thing is, it’s a prize. So it’s like school, if you happen to kind of do well and you’ve got a prize. It sort of really wasn’t why you were at school. You were there to get educated and meet loads of mates and socialize. If you won a prize, yeah, that’s nice. It doesn’t really define your experience. But it is nice to get. It’s great, really.

I must admit, someone had to tell me what an honor the Kennedy Center Honors were. Obviously, I would know it’s connected with President Kennedy. That’s an era and a president that we were fans of. You knew something was attached to it. But I had to be educated that this is the one, the big American honor.

It's a huge honor, it’s nice to get. I don’t think just 'cause I've had a few now -- I don’t think you get too blase. You still end up showing off to people. 'Oh yeah, I’m getting a Kennedy award. I just got a Gershwin.' I do show off about it. Obviously it means something.

(And then, unprompted...)

The other great thing is the White House. Cause it is a huge political, social center on this planet. And I happen to be a very big fan of Obama’s and his whole family, his whole scene, his demeanor, his smartness, his savvy.

I just think the guy walked into the worst poker hand ever. It’s like, 'Now, get out of THAT.' What, he walked into the economy, the oil spill, everything that could’ve possibly happened. And if you don’t overnight fix the economy and squash BP, then you’re supposed to not be a good president? I sympathize with his plight. But I think he’s great and to go there and see him and Michelle and maybe even the kids, that would be a great personal pleasure to me.