Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger may have buried their decades-long rivalry a while back, but they’re still ferociously competitive with one another behind the scenes.
“They’d never admit it, but Mick gets a huge sense of satisfaction — no pun intended — by outdoing Paul and vice versa,” an insider exclusively tells Closer.
The drama between the Beatles musician, 82, and the Rolling Stones frontman, 81, goes way back. Several years ago, Paul said that The Beatles were a better band than The Rolling Stones and called The Stones a “blues cover band.”
Last year, Mick set the record straight on his relationship with Paul during an appearance on the “Q With Tom Power” podcast. “I’ve always been friends with him,” Mick said of Paul. “We don’t see each other that much, but we do text each other. We sort of keep in touch. I’ve always got on well with him.”
However, according to Closer‘s source, things are still tense between the pair.
“Mick thinks he gets the best reviews and can put on these spectacular performances, and Paul still thinks he’s a better singer and songwriter,” the source reveals. “The edge of their long-standing rivalry may have softened over time, but it’s still there. It spurs them to keep performing and putting out music, so it’s good in some ways, but it’s petty to other people.”
While Paul and Mick seem to always trade barbs with one another, the source says they agree over one thing: they both seem to be better than everyone else.
“They like to brag they’re in better shape than any of their peers,” says the source. “Paul’s a vegetarian and very clean in his approach to living, and Mick’s hyper vigilant about diet, too, but there’s a feeling they each think they’re superior.”
Adds the insider, “At the end of day, it’s who Paul and Mick are. They just like to push each other’s buttons.”
Despite some friendly competition between the musicians of the iconic bands, Mick just wants the best for the future of rock music.
A separate source told Closer earlier this month that the Rolling Stones singer is cheering on the upcoming Oasis reunion and hoping it’s a huge success.
“This is great news for every legacy act in England, including the Stones and the surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr,” the source explained. “In the streaming age, huge-scale live shows and merch sales are everything to these guys, and Oasis back on the scene raises all boats.”
The tour — which will mark brothers Liam Gallagher and Noel Gallagher‘s first live performances together since Oasis came to an end in 2009 — will kick off in the U.K. in the summer of 2025 before heading to North America.
As the show dates draw near, “You’re going to see Mick come out and publicly cheer these guys on, and it’s not out of politeness!” said the source. “Mick sees very clearly how this is going to help an entire class of retro rockers continue to sell tickets at record levels.”
Mick “is smart enough to see the economic big picture,” added the insider, “and it’s wonderful news for the U.K. music scene that a mega-act is returning and easily selling out stadiums.”
