Steve Martin "Best Love"

There are several "alternate History of The Beatles" projects out there in the film world.

One imagines that John Lennon faked his death and is still alive.

And other sends two time traveling Beatles fans back to the Sixties to prevent John from meeting Yoko, who they blame for breaking the band up.

And with altered history/reality movies being all the rage (Inception, The Adjustment Bureau, Source Code), I can see how my brain got a-spinning when I heard this new Steve Martin tune featuring Paul McCartney.

I started to wonder about that fateful day when Paul met John and they hit it off, going on to form the most creative, productive, influential songwriting partnership in music history.

What if they hadn't liked each other?

I mean, it's not impossible. John could be abrasive. Paul had an ego.

What if, on that one day, one of them rubbed the other the wrong way, and instead of playing off each other creatively, spurring each other to greater heights, they just bounced each other in opposite directions?

What would have become of them?

Well Paul, even without John, would still have had his incredible gift for melody. Though he may never have been challenged by an equal or by the pressures of mega-fame, to create a "Sgt. Peppers," he certainly would have seen success writing ballads like "Yesterday" and crowd-pleasers like the Wings track "Jet" (he didn't need John, George or Ringo for those).

Okay, so alternate-Paul has some mid-level success. He's not a Legend, but he's a moderate star through the 60s and into the 70s. The 80s and early 90s are a fallow period (they kinda were for the real Paul, too). But alternate-Paul doesn't have to carry the torch for The Beatles (who don't exist in this reality) and he doesn't have to trot out the hits on stadium tours.

So alternate Paul returns to his roots. As a young lad he loved the music of Buddy Holly and Gene Vincent and Carl Perkins and Eddie Cochran. It's a style he has a knack for. And his heritage, combined with his authenticity, leads to a small Paul revival in his mid-60s, as a Brit who can make American roots music.

Delving further, alternate-Paul rekindles a passion for Bill Monroe*, and proves to be a credible mandolin player. His surprising bluegrass release turns heads and garners new fans.

And if all this fiction were fact, the alternate-Paul's record might sound a bit like this Real-Paul guest spot on the new Steve Martin record** on the song "Best Love."

Real Paul sounds pretty in the pocket here, like he'd been doing this all along.

Maybe Paul wasn't dead. Maybe the Real Paul was in an alternate reality all along.



* Real-Paul does cover Monroe's "Blue Moon Of Kentucky" on his "Unplugged" album


** Stand-up-comedian-turned-actor-director-writer-turned-author-turned-40-years-into-his-career-credible-Bluegrass-success seems like a few alternate reality stories of its own.