MIKE McCARTNEY
					interview date Jul 2nd 2007
						mike's official website
	Born at the end of World War Two on 7th January 1944 and brought up in Liverpool, Mike McCartney was educated at the Liverpool Institute High School, tried to get into Art School, but ended up a ladies hairdresser. From here he entered ‘showbiz’ in the ‘One Fat Lady All Electric Show’ which eventually became SCAFFOLD. Because of Beatlemania, Mike had to change his name to ‘McGear’, and was an integral part of the 60’s Merseybeat era, but on the more theatrical, poetic side. DOOOO Scaffold were mainly a university, satirical comedy act, but in 1967 Mike got them into the pop world by writing their first top 5 single ,and Prime Minister Harold Wilson’s favourite record!… ‘Thank U Very Much’. In 1968 their big popular hit ‘Lily The Pink’ reached the top of the National charts (here and abroad) and stayed number 1 for FIVE weeks. Mike’s songs were responsible for introducing decimalisation to Britain!, and Scaffold’s last top five single, produced by Paul McCartney with Wings, was ‘Liverpool Lou’. The eighties saw the release of his autobiography ‘Thank U Very Much’ (a personal favourite of Andy Warhol’s) and his photographic book and exhibition ‘Mike Mac’s White and Black’s’, was staged at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool and the prestigious Photographers Gallery, London, before touring Britain, Japan and America, plus guest appearance in New York on the notorious Howard Stern’s ‘K-Rock’ show, extended to one and a half hours!