Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

Lennon, McCartney, Harper.

by Aaron Wherry on Friday, May 8, 2009 12:44am - 35 Comments

Elsewhere in the spring issue of Hello!, an entirely fascinating interview with the Prime Minister. No really.

Speaking exclusively about “why music matters to him,” the Prime Minister discusses his love of the piano and reveals that his staff tries to make sure there’s one in his room when he travels now. And then he explains how he used one of the Beatles’ old pianos to record a few songs at Abbey Road last month. No really.

That was a great thrill. Laureen let Ben and Rachel come and see London for a few days as a nice mom. I can assure you my mom wouldn’t have taken me in the middle of the school week, but anyway… My son said, “I want us to go to Abbey Road and do the walking shot.” So we went, and then my wife said, “There is Abbey Road Studio, why don’t you see if they’ll let you in?” I said, “I’ve heard they don’t give tours.” She said, “We’ve arranged it all. They’re going to give you a tour for your birthday.” They took me into Studio 2, which is where the Beatles did most of their recordings and they brought out various Beatles pianos. I played a few songs and then found out later they were recording. If I’d known that, I would have tried a little harder. It was really special, one of those fringe benefits of being Prime Minister.

And so it is that Duran Duran and Stephen Harper now have something in common.

Tags: Abbey Road, Abbey Road Studio, Beatles, Duran Duran, laureen harper, Stephen Harper

More by Aaron Wherry

Austin So

Cheese. Pure. Unadulterated. Cheese. Better get a bucket.
cwe

In addition to the Abbey Road connection, Duran Duran acknowledge that they also should have tried harder.
Critical Reasoning

Everything I’ve ever heard or read about Harper suggests that he is an excellent father.

seaandthemountains

like the part where he he put out press releases calling for a unidentified photo-op and then used the kid(s) as an election campaign prop?

http://bcinto.blogspot.com BCer in Toronto

Does the Globe know that Jane Taber is moonlighting for Hello! ?
TdotLib

This is cool but definitely cheesy at the same time. Harper is just a guy, staring at a country that he wants to lead with a majority after all.

“Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.
It’s getting hard to be someone but it all works out.
It doesn’t matter much to me.”
Matthew Fletcher

The PMs staff tries to ensure there is a piano in the hotel room’s when he travels? I’m generally not one to argue that the PM and GG should live and travel on a shoe-string, I think, especially when they travel, they should be accorded the style and comfort befitting their positions. But surely a piano in one’s hotel room is an unnecessary luxury?

Berton Woodward

You’ll find that most major suites in top-class hotels — presidential and less — have pianos. I remember interviewing the foreign minister of Australia in one. Ditto for Larry Ellison of Oracle. These are just random suites I remember from my time as a journalist in Hong Kong. I doubt that many such guests play the pianos, but the hotels clearly believe they add cachet to the room. And they’re a handy place to rest drinks in the many functions that are held there.

http://deleted Sandi

Piano where he goes? How “elitist” of him. And, who the hell cares?

Bob Rae plays to piano too. Apparently, very good.

Mike

Wow, apparently Boob Rae does something well aside from making a complete ass of himself whenever he opens his foul yap.

http://deleted Sandi

Foul yap? I’ve never heard him use foul language. Hever ever heard him swear.

What an idiot statement.

Mike

No the idiot statement was “Bob Rae plays to piano too. Apparently, very good.”
http://gitardood.wordpress.com paul

Apparently Sandi, you have much to learn about comprehension of English – nowhere was it mentioned he used foul language, but rather his yap was designated as foul in the writer’s opinion- to which he’s entitled even in Canada land of the the HRC dominated sheeple. Maybe he meant “fowl” because Rae is “for the birds” as my granny would say.

Mikael C.

maybe it’s a keyboard? I demand visuals of Harper playing a keyboard!

Mike T.

Keeping with his (ever diminishing) right wing credentials, did he belt out a rousing rendition of “Taxman”?

http://www.jackmitchell.ca Jack Mitchell

Anything but “Norwegian Wood” is fine by me.

Wayne

hey! what’s wrong with Norwegian Wood it’s an excellent song (one fo the first I learned on guitat using fingerstyle)

http://www.jackmitchell.ca Jack Mitchell

Love the song, but the cognitive dissonance of Harper singing it would be too much for my brain.

http://gitardood.wordpress.com paul

maybe you should have directed your remarks about “Taxman” to the king of taxes, Dalton McGinty – who’s all set to shaft us with the HST.

SAB

I’m no fan of Harper…but this is more genuine than the damn sweater vest commercials.

What a great thrill to be able to sit at a piano at Abbey Road, and what a great birthday present (props to L.)

I see nothing cheesey about this – if this happened to me I’d be talking about it for months out of pure excitement.

Maureen

I agree – it sounds like he was really excited about this and that his family planned it as a surprise. He acknowledges that its a perks and he knows it. Harper is essentially a middle-class guy with no ‘corporate Canada’ connections so when things like this happen it is a thrill.

cam

yeah, I hear his family really likes the perk of the plane. It can practically fly itself to Calgary.

Mike T.

Harper’s sweater vest commercials make the Fraser Institutes accounting methodology seem “genuine”.

cam

those evil staffers. Don’t they know he has a hockey book to write? Why distract him further?
http://www.jackmitchell.ca Jack Mitchell

But . . . what Beatles songs did he play?

James Connors

‘Can’t Buy Me Love . . . ?’

John.K

No, but he can borrow it from his grandchildren. Cue MadeYouLook.

Wayne

Wow ! and he didn’t use the opportunity to get a photo op – wassa matter – this is almost as bad as when he was near Lebanon went everything went to hell in a handbasket and re-directed his flight bringing home a whack of people and again didn’t use it as a photo op even though it was suggested to do so! sometimes I can’t figure this guy out he keeps doing what he thinks is right and be damned with the media.

cwe

Maybe a photo op was planned, but he was in the loo when the photographer came around.
BCer in mtl

Uhh, wrong . . . . he DID use it as a photo op. All the staff who were to fly back from Europe on the plane were flown separately, while Harper and his press and communications people went to Lebanon. Saw pictures of it myself.

http://Google Estelle

The article sounds like a commercial put out by his publicity department. What a bunch of Cr..p. A piano in his room when he travels?… Music means a lot to me too, and I’m fortunate when I don’t have to use the bathroom down the hall. But of course the taxpayers aren’t paying for my accommodation. HO HUM.
DianeG

Meh! I’m glad he had a little fun. Most of the time he looks annoyed and often he looks like he’d like to lash out at someone.

jay

Like him or not you have to admit being a PM is a stressful job, so I am all for him or her to enjoy some perks like this. This is one of those moments where he can just relax with the family. You know those times are few and far between.

http://Google Estelle

No more stressful than for many of the men and women who head large corporations, that require a lot of travelling for the job. You can always find quality time for your family if you wan’t to. I have never forgotten the image of Mr Harper shaking hands with his son one morning as he went to school. His publicity people have tried to change the image lately, but its too late. , he has shown us that the most important person in his life is himself.

Allan M

"the PM reveals that his staff tries to make sure there’s one in his room when he travels"?
- – - Disclaimer: This is the 1st time I've ever written into defend the PM. I decided to comment after reading a few of the whiner emails because they're nitpicking. I worked in a few of the best Hotels in Canada and stayed in my share of top rated Michelin Hotels in Germany, France, Belgium, Nether6lands, Canada, USA & Mexico. Being an lifetime amateur musician myself. I am familiar with the costs, policies & procedures with these types of requests. Most times there will be no extra charges billed to the guest's room if they request a piano or similar because the hotels want to keep celebrities happy so that they will return to their hotels. If a hotel decides to charge for the piano. the standard flat-rated charge is usually no more than $25.00. Next time you whiners are looking for something to whine about. Make sure you have all the facts or as many as possible before you say something. Otherwise you'll come off like a fool like you did here.