Imagine being on the cusp of global domination, only to have it all derailed by a single bag of marijuana. That's the story of Wings in 1980, and it's a far more complex tale than you might think. We're about to dive into the inside story of how Paul McCartney's pot bust in Japan and the tragic death of John Lennon ultimately changed the course of music history, according to Laurence Juber, former guitarist of Wings.
Before Laurence Juber became a celebrated writer, producer, and one of the world's leading fingerstyle guitarists, he spent three transformative years, from 1978 to 1981, as a key member of Wings. Even before joining McCartney's band, Juber had already established himself as a highly sought-after session guitarist in London. His path took an unexpected turn when an invitation to casually jam with Wings' guitarist-bassist, Denny Laine, quickly evolved into a life-altering opportunity. Paul and Linda McCartney joined the impromptu session, and everything changed.
As Juber recalls, after they played through a few blues and reggae tunes, Paul turned to him and casually asked, "What are you doing for the next few years?"
"It was in that nanosecond that everything flashes in front of you," Juber reflects. "I had spent my entire teenage years and beyond dedicating myself to becoming a top studio musician, and then there's Paul McCartney offering me a gig. It was surreal!"
"On the one hand, you immediately start thinking, 'What am I giving up? What opportunities might I miss?' But on the other hand, I was at a point in my life where, if there was ever going to be a big change, it felt like the universe was practically pushing me toward it. How could I possibly say no to Paul McCartney?"
Juber's guitar work is prominently featured on Wings' 1979 album, Back to the Egg. His fiery, unforgettable solo on the high-energy punk-rockabilly track "Spin It On" is a definite highlight. He also toured with Wings for their 19-date U.K. tour that same year.
The band had ambitious plans for even more touring in 1980. But here's where it gets controversial...Paul McCartney's infamous marijuana arrest on January 16, 1980, at the very beginning of their highly anticipated Japan tour, turned out to be the decisive factor that led to the cancellation of all future tour dates. Was it just the bust, or were there other forces at play? We'll get to that later.
Interestingly, out of the 32 tracks included on the upcoming "best of" compilation, aptly titled WINGS, Juber's guitar work is featured on the infectious pop-rock hit "Getting Closer."
"That's me, Denny, and Paul all playing guitar on that song," he explains. "It's always a fascinating experience when you're playing alongside other guitarists and you need to come up with something unique and complementary. You have to approach it within the larger context of the song, carefully reading and responding to what everyone else is doing."
Regarding his Ennio Morricone-esque end solo on the track, Juber reveals, "I spent an entire weekend meticulously crafting different approaches to that solo, exploring all kinds of angles. It eventually coalesced into that riff. Paul isn't generally a fan of overly extended solos, but that particular spot felt like an opportunity for me to step into the spotlight and create something that sounded really good."
The interviewer then asked Juber about the transition from being a studio musician to playing arenas with Wings: "You went from being Mr. Studio Guy to playing arenas with Wings. Did it take you a while to adjust to big stages?"
Juber responded, "It was definitely a little scary at first, not because I hadn't performed in front of fairly large audiences before, but because being in the spotlight, as opposed to being somewhat in the background, was something I had to get used to. From a playing perspective, I had a lot on my plate, technically speaking."
He elaborated, "For 'Getting Closer,' I was running my guitar through a Mesa/Boogie amp and a Roland rack, which allowed me to double my guitar lines with a synth sound and an octave lower. I also used a vocoder for 'Goodnight Tonight.' I don't think I played any acoustic guitar during that show. It was strictly electric guitar and a little bit of keyboards. I had a lot to do, and my primary focus was on getting the job done right."
The conversation then shifted to the possibility of Wings touring the United States.
"Was there any talk of going to the States?" the interviewer asked.
"Yeah, absolutely. If Paul hadn't been busted, it was definitely a possibility," Juber confirmed. "'Coming Up' was a number one hit in July of 1980, so we could have potentially been touring the States with a number one single. The timing was perfect!"
The interviewer pressed further, wanting to know more about the infamous bust.
"Where were you when Paul was busted? Did you actually see what happened?"
Juber recounted the experience vividly: "I was standing right next to him. I flew with Paul and his family from London to New York. We spent the weekend there and then flew on to Tokyo. That's how I ended up standing next to him going through customs at Narita Airport. The customs officer opened the very last suitcase, patted a jacket inside, felt something underneath it, then lifted the jacket up, and there it was – a bag of weed."
He continued, "Even after that initial discovery, we had to go deep into the bowels of Narita Airport to be thoroughly searched. While I was in New York, I had acquired a beautiful 1957 Les Paul goldtop on 48th Street. I was hand-carrying it as we went through customs. They came into the room with a screwdriver and pointed directly at my Les Paul. I had to unscrew the truss-rod cover and the back plate just to prove that there was nothing stashed inside."
Juber then revealed a surprising detail: "We were all genuinely hopeful that they would still allow the tour to proceed. It wasn't uncommon for reggae bands touring Japan to get busted at the airport. The customs officials would simply confiscate the weed, and the tour would be allowed to continue."
"Which, of course, didn't happen in Paul's case. He was put in jail," the interviewer stated.
"Yeah, for 10 long days," Juber confirmed.
"What did you do during that time?"
"We were basically in a holding pattern, anxiously waiting to see what was going to happen. Once Paul was released, he immediately went back to England and got in the studio with Geoff Emerick and Chris Thomas to work on mixing the recordings from the last Glasgow concert. The work ethic didn't get waylaid by the experience. It wasn't like Paul came out of jail and said, 'Okay, we're going to go spend a week in the Caribbean and forget about everything.'"
Juber continued, "There were periods during that year when there were rehearsals of his new material. He even asked me to go with him and Linda to France to work with Ringo Starr on what eventually became Ringo's Stop and Smell the Roses album. I was in London realizing that there wasn't a lot of studio work around. I was getting into record production, and I started to compose my own music."
"So the bust certainly screwed up the Japan tour, but—" the interviewer began.
"It wasn't the end of Wings," Juber interjected.
"By the end of 1980, John Lennon was tragically murdered. Do you think the two things had a cumulative impact on Paul, ultimately leading him to end Wings?" the interviewer asked.
"I'm quite sure that they did," Juber responded, "but there were other things going on as well. Paul and Linda and the kids had moved out of London to Peasmarch. They would drive into London for work and then drive back home. One of the locations for recording the Back to the Egg album, Lympne Castle, was only about 20 minutes from where they had moved. It was very convenient for them, but less convenient for assembling a recording studio castle. But we made it work."
And this is the part most people miss...Juber points out that Linda's role as a mother of four children also played a significant part in the band's eventual dissolution. "Fact is, Linda had four kids to handle. They’d done the big world tour, and I think that my feeling was that she was just kind of getting tired of the touring lifestyle. Paul had also made a new deal with Columbia Records, so there were a number of factors that were playing into the fact that Wings was running its course. I think the Japanese bust was a significant factor, and once John was killed, I think the idea of touring really was off the table for almost a decade."
The conversation then shifted to Juber's post-Wings career.
"As you said, you got into composing and production," the interviewer noted.
"I did the music for an animated commercial for Paxo chicken stuffing, the 'Rooster Booster.' I did a faux 'Little Red Rooster' kind of groove for that. I was exploring, really – exploring what I’d learned from that intense period of working with Wings. I started to write some fingerstyle acoustic guitar pieces, which then eventually became my niche. Generally, I worked on self-improvement stuff while trying to become a better guitar player, which I'm always trying to do."
The interviewer then inquired about one of Juber's recent projects.
"I wanted to ask you about one of your recent projects. You scored an upcoming documentary about Peter Asher."
"Yes, it’s called Everywhere Man: The Lives and Times of Peter Asher. It’s currently making the rounds at film festivals. The reviews have been fantastic. I really enjoyed scoring the picture – there are parts where I played reverb-and-delay laden electric guitar, and there are other places where I play acoustic guitar with a string quartet. On another section, I play in DADGAD tuning to Lee Sklar’s bass, so I knew the bottom end was well represented. That freed me up to create free-form fingerstyle parts."
The interviewer then asked if Juber felt any pressure scoring a film about a legendary record producer.
"Being that Peter Asher is a legendary record producer, were you nervous at what he might think of your score?"
"We would have sessions where he would sit and listen and approve or make suggestions. Fortunately, he was quite pleased with everything. It’s a great film, and for me, it was nice to get back to scoring. I haven’t done a lot of it over the years, and I’m hoping to do more. With today’s technology, it’s a lot easier than it used to be. Back in the day, I had to sync my 24-track console to a video machine. When I started production, I was using a PortaStudio. Things have changed considerably."
So, what do you think? Was Paul McCartney's pot bust the nail in the coffin for Wings, or were other factors, like Linda's desire to be with her family and Paul's new record deal, more significant? And what about the impact of John Lennon's death? Could Wings have continued if that tragedy hadn't occurred? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
