I’m not a fan of Paul McCartney as he is today: old, past it, purveyor of crap songs. But that doesn’t matter because he’s a Beatle and always will be. Which means he’s a living legend who can pretty much get anything he wants - even one-legged former models.

Surely his time in The Beatles, arguably the best pop group that has ever been, is why he’s still popular. I refuse to believe it’s because everyone loves that God awful Frog Chorus song or the absolute dirge that is Mull Of Kintyre. Instead, we remember McCartney for what he used to be and what he’s done in the past, even though he’s now way past 64.

It’s this remembrance of his past which has surely helped McCartney nab the honor of being the first artist to perform at Citi Field, the new home of The New York Mets baseball team. Who can forget that The Beatles were the first band to play at the Mets’ old home of Shea Stadium. That was in 1965 and constituted the first time a rock concert had ever been held at a sports stadium.

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Anyone who plays video games on a regular basis will be aware of the Guitar Hero/Rock Band phenomenon. Who would have thought that picking up little plastic instruments and pretending you’re a real musician could be so fun? But it is, immensely so, which is why the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises are so huge.

But as cool as Rock Band is, there is a way to make it better - make a special edition featuring The Beatles and only The Beatles. Which is exactly what is happening. The new video game, ingeniously titled The Beatles: Rock Band, features 45 Beatles tracks and is coming out for the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii later this year.

Today saw the start of E3 2009, the biggest video games show in the world. The Beatles were the star attraction on day one, with the surviving members, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, unveiling the game, showing off an exclusive new demo, and revealing more details as to the track listing for the game.

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Paul McCartney may now be 66 but he can still rock out with the best of them. Which is why he was booked to close the first night of the 2009 Coachella Festival. He played a set in excess of two hours and remembered all those people in his life who have passed away.

McCartney’s set on Friday night spanned the whole of his career, with song from his days in The Beatles and Wings sitting comfortably alongside those from his later solo career and his alter-ego The Fireman.

McCartney played alongside his four-piece band for the duration although did sing alone with an acoustic guitar for part of the set. He played both the guitar and the piano, and gave the crowd all the songs they wanted to hear.

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In the 18 months or so that I’ve been writing Brit Music Scene, I’ve done nothing but support British bands, with the possible exception of Boyzone and the Spice Girls for obvious reasons. But I cannot bring myself to back U2 in their current state.

I’ve already reviewed their new album, No Line On The Horizon, and it’s safe to say I’m not a fan of it, giving it just three out of 10. And now I’m about to call them out for being publicity-seeking copycats. U2 fans may want to look away now.

U2 staged a surprise gig on the roof of BBC Broadcasting House in London on Friday night. 5,000 fans turned up to watch them perform a medley of tunes after news of the gig was leaked (intentionally) to various message boards on the Web.

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The UK has produced an inordinate number of talented songwriters over the past 50 years, especially when you consider the small size of the population. But who are the best of the best? Who are the people whose songs have shaped and defined Britain through music?

Artists come and go all the time, one bad album and that can be it. But the ones that endure, either staying together for years (Oasis, Rolling Stones) or whose music lives on for generations (The Beatles) are the ones who are capable of pumping out magical song after magical song.

Songwriting is a special talent that generally cannot be taught. Which is why those manufactured stars from reality shows such as The X Factor have to rely on dedicated word smiths and musicians to write their songs for them.

According to Digital Spy, OnePoll recently carried out a survey to find people’s opinion as to Britain’s greatest songwriter. The results stand up as a testament to the incredible range of talented songwriters the UK possesses, but the winner may be a surprise to some.

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40 years ago today, the four members of The Beatles, plus guest keyboardist Billy Preston, played a concert on the roof of the Apple building in Saville Row, London. Although it was cut short, it’s still regarded as a momentous moment in music history.

By this time in their career, The Beatles weren’t getting on, with tensions producing some of the band’s best music in the studio, but putting paid to the notion of performing in public. This therefore ended up being the last gig the four played in public together.

The gig on the roof is now an iconic moment, but it wasn’t popular with the authorities at the time. The Metropolitan police stopped the show, first by pulling out the leads from George Harrison’s amps and then finally cutting power to the building altogether.

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2009 has arrived so I’m actually overdue in rounding up my best of Brit Music Scene from 2008. Here we finally make it to the end of 2008 with the biggest stories and talking points between the months of October and December

October

The month began with Rick Astley unbelievably being named Best Act Ever by MTV. Meanwhile, Led Zeppelin were threatening to tour with a new lead singer in place of Robert Plant, and Pete Kay beat Leon Jackson in the charts.

There were rumors that The long-awaited Smiths reunion could finally be happening, but it still hasn’t yet. The Ting Tings called for Top Of The Pops to be brought back, and it looked as though Simon Cowell was the man to save the show.

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2009 is approaching fast and so it’s time to look back at 2008. Here we’ll see the high and lowlights of the first three months of the year, with a selection of stories we covered between January and March.

January

The month began with Queen being named as the best British band of all time, beating The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Take That, and Oasis. Sad news in the middle of the month when Lily Allen suffered a miscarriage. She later split with boyfriend Ed Simons.

Geri Halliwell claimed that the Spice Girls wouldn’t make a penny from their huge world tour despite it selling out everywhere. She was later proved a liar when it was revealed the girls had made $20 million apiece. Then the once-great girl group canceled the tour and split up again.

The Cribs took Johnny Marr, formerly of The Smiths, on as a fourth member, while Amy Winehouse finally entered rehab.

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Over forty years ago, at the height of The Beatles’ powers, John Lennon claimed the band were “more popular than Jesus” and all hell (excuse the pun) broke loose. Christians everywhere decided this was the ultimate blasphemy and burned The Beatles records.

It was an overreaction by religious zealots who could see the way the world was going, with The Beatles summing up the new cult of celebrity that was about to arrive. And it did harm the way The Beatles were perceived, especially in the United States.

Lennon made the controversial remarks in an interview with the London Evening Standard. Not only did he compare The Beatles to Jesus, he also ranted about religion. But his comments were very tongue in cheek, and really should have been taken with a pinch of salt.

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After the disappointing tally of award wins at the recent 2008 MTV Video Music Awards in Liverpool, where only Leona Lewis, Paul McCartney, and Rick Astley won, it’s nice to be able to report how British artists fared better at the World Music Awards in Monaco over the weekend.

Coldplay were named as ‘Bestselling Act of 2008′ thanks to their new album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, hit the top of the charts in countries around the world, including the UK, the US, Japan, France, and Germany. Chris Martin and chums were also named ‘Best Rock Act’ although I’m not sure I’d really class their brand of indie pop as rock necessarily.

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