4 January

The Beatles were superb musicians. But Beatlemania and the enormous phenomenon The Beatles became were a sickness I think. Even The Beatles recognised that, it’s why they split up. Music should not be what changes the world. You can see how Beatlemania began at the same time today’s vast inequalities were beginning. I think music became a false substitute for politics. The scraps from the table of the powerful. One of the things I loved about Freddie Mercury was his response to journalists who asked him about the ‘meaning’ of his songs, and changing the world. He called his songs tampons - use once, and throw away. He was half-joking, but was also amazed at the way people substituted music for politics.