See the Beatles' first tour through the lens of Paul McCartney

They are now a collector's item: the photographs of Paul McCartney himself, taken 60 years ago, when the Beatles were taking Europe and America by storm: images of screaming fans (one carrying a live monkey); a girl in a yellow bikini; airport staff played air guitar and unguarded moments from trains, planes and cars.

McCartney, now 81, doesn't like to sit around and reminisce about the past, so he chatted as he drove home from his recording studio in Sussex, England. “My American friends call these little one-way streets 'gun barrels,'” he said, warning his interviewer that the signal could drop at any moment (it did). In the end, it took two days to have a coherent conversation about the breakthrough period that saw the Beatles go viral, captured in the traveling exhibition ''Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-1964: Eyes of the Storm'', featuring 250 of his photographs. . It is currently over the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia.and comes to the Brooklyn Museum May 3 – August 18. (Don't be surprised if the artist shows up for the opening.)

It was McCartney's archivist, Sarah Brown, who found in the artist's library a thousand photographs taken by the musician over twelve weeks – from December 7, 1963 to February 21, 1964.

“I thought the photos were lost,” he said. ''In the 1960s it was quite simple. The doors were often left open. We would invite fans.” Even the recording studio was not a safe space. “I took my daughter Mary to the British Library to show her where to do research for her exams, and in a display case I saw the lyric sheet for 'Yesterday',” he said. A sticky-fingered biographer had stolen the original from their studio.

Rosie Broadley, senior curator at the National Portrait Gallery in London, where the exhibition was inaugurated, said: 'His photographs show us what it was like to look through his eyes as the Beatles conquered the world.'

McCartney won an art prize at school and practiced photography with his brother Mike (who later became a professional photographer). He switched to a Pentax 35mm SLR when the Beatles hit the big time.

''It was the most advanced handheld camera of that time. It would be like having the latest iPhone today,” said Darius Himes, international head of photography at Christie, adding: “We were all quite surprised by Paul's refined eye and his awareness of trends in the visual arts. The yellow bikini shot is like a striking mix of Stephen Shore, William Eggleston and William Klein.”

The Beatles traveled with a swarm of cameramen and were not shy about collecting tips. McCartney admitted that some of his first shots in the exhibition were a bit blurry in focus. ''I console myself with the fact that one of my favorite photographers, Julia Margaret Cameronalso liked soft focus,” he said.

''His shots get better as he practices,'' Broadley noted. The exhibition and accompanying book take visitors on a whirlwind journey through six cities, starting in Liverpool and London, and ending in Miami. The images of the British leg are displayed in small walnut austere frames, to reflect that Britain was still in the grip of a post-war recession. The Fab Four may look nervous in these photos, but they had already achieved stardom in their own country, having won three No. 1 singles and meeting the Queen.

After a brief performance at the Olympia in Paris with Sylvie Vartan, they heard that “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was No. 1 on the US charts and rushed to New York. The highlight in America was their live television debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on February 9, 1964, where they sang five propulsive pop hits – an event watched by 73 million people.

In Miami, McCartney's photos burst into Kodachrome colors and the newly minted celebrities appear to blossom in glamorous new surroundings: lounging poolside, drinking whiskey and driving around in motorboats. In April, The Beatles' songs were in the top five of the US Billboard charts.

Reflecting on the images, he said: “They have an innocence,” adding: “I think it was a lot more fun than it was. We probably worked 360 days a year.” It was far too short a halcyon period. Two and a half years later, the Beatles stopped touring. The logistics, the shouting, the armored cars had become a nightmare.

Like most successful artists past retirement age, McCartney suffers from projectitis. He is working with the producer on a new album Andreas Watt (“Hackney Diamonds”), and has just released the Remaster in honor of the 50th anniversary from the Paul McCartney & Wings classic 'Band on the Run'. “His live shows are still of such high tension that you almost expect him to go up in flames,” says the Irish poet Paul Muldoon wrote in McCartney's recent book: “The Texts: 1956 to the Present.”

His next project is to organize a gallery sale of some of his photographs. “It's a process I enjoy,” he said, describing the joy of curating. “I've done it a few times with Linda's work” [a reference to his first wife, the photographer, Linda Eastman]. His current homes, shared with his wife Nancy Shevel, are decorated with images of Linda and Mary, although, curiously, none of himself. But that can change. “The sales,” he said, “will probably encourage me to buy some for myself.”

Here are edited excerpts from our conversation, in which he reflected on popular images in the exhibition.

John Lennon. London, January 1964

My favorite photos are of John and George. There is a huge sentimental aspect to them. No one else could have taken this photo. John was a great character. A very different kind of boy than the other boys I knew. We met at the village festival. He played with his band. He was a year and a half older than me [and] my first friend who wore glasses. He always took them out and cleaned them. I found it fascinating. He took them off in public, leaving him half blind. On stage he just stood there and stared out into the darkness. Maybe it helped him concentrate on playing.

John, George and Ringo backstage in their dressing room. London, 1963.

We started playing in really dirty little clubs and bars in Liverpool and Hamburg. In Germany we slept in a small room, with a Union Jack flag as a blanket. Back in England things started to get a little better. We played ballrooms, got radio work and then TV work. It was like climbing a flight of stairs for us. What no one realized was by then [seven months after the Beatles’ first No. 1 hit on the U.K. charts], we really were fully formed beasts. We had emerged from the post-war years into a Britain that was now experiencing joy for the first time in decades, and we were eating it up.

Our Pentax cameras were probably a gift. There was a lot of artistic black and white photography emerging at that time. We admired David Bailey [who had a Pentax camera], Don McCullina stunning war photographer, and Norman Parkinson. When he took our picture he said 'give me big eyes' and we all played along. I like to photograph through the mirror because things look good in a mirror. We all smoked. Smoking made us feel soft, grown up. We were quite young. I was only 21.

Ringo Starr. Paris, 1964.

Our goal was always to have fun. I think that communicates itself and became part of the reason why we were so popular. It's just a trait of Liverpool people to laugh. [Paul snapped this shot of Ringo during a staged photo shoot with Dezo Hoffmann, one of their court photographers.] Dezo was a very nice guy. He gave us tips on aperture and all the different things needed to take a good photo.

Fans welcome the Beatles in Central Park. New York, February 1964.

Here's a photo of Beatles fans behaving as they should. … Being driven crazy! We didn't know what we would get in America; if anyone were to meet us. On the plane ahead, the pilot called on the radio and was told that there were gangs of fans waiting. [Over 4,000 screaming girls held back by 200 policemen]. Manhattan was big, tall, loud and brash. There were stories of fans breaking into our room at the Plaza Hotel. Those were more stories than reality. We probably wished it would happen.

Ringo Starr sets up his drum kit during rehearsals for “The Ed Sullivan Show.” New York, February 1964

We had done television in England so we were used to it; the cameras and the lights and all that. What we didn't really know was how important Ed Sullivan was. He was the BIG one. There were two stagehands waiting to open the curtains so we could go on and one said, “'Are you nervous?' I said, 'I don't know. Not really.' He says, “You should be.” There are 73 million people watching.'” Then I got nervous. But when you look at that performance, I can't believe how confident we look. The strange thing about the setting is that of Ringo [precarious] drum stage. I don't understand how he got there.

Photographers in Central Park. New York, February 1964.

New York journalists thought they were pretty smart and I'm sure they were used to dealing with dumb pop stars. We had a lot of fun with them, especially at the press conference at JFK [Airport]. We gave as good as we got. It became a game to see who could come up with the smartest answer. Often it was the truth. Someone asked George, “Do you ever get your hair cut?” He said. “Yes, yesterday.” And he had gone to the hairdresser the day before.

Unknown man. Taken from the window of the train from New York to Washington, DC, February 1964

We loved music and performing. It was better than working in a factory. A few years before these photos we were all fully immersed in working-class life in Liverpool. I have a fascination with working class people like this man [a railroad worker caught from a train en route to Washington, D.C.]. Working class people are the smartest people I have ever met. My cousin Bert [Danher] was an insurance agent, but he also put together crossword puzzles for The Guardian and The Times. The photography I admire is spontaneous, just like the work of the greats [Henri] Cartier-Bresson. It was good to just take pictures along the way. We didn't have time to think.

Unknown girl. Washington, February 1964

Some of my favorite photos are of fans. I really like this one of a young girl wearing a headscarf looking into my camera in a zen-like way. I took it and never looked at it again until I made a print [for the National Portrait Gallery exhibition]. When we started blowing up the images, we got to see all the individual characters. In one photo, at Miami airport, there is a woman holding a monkey. Nowadays you can't get beyond health and safety.

George Harrison. Miami Beach, February 1964

This is George living the Miami life. [McCartney switched to Kodachrome to record the group’s antics in Florida]. Miami felt like a wonderland. These photos were taken at a time when we were all young and beautiful. I mean, these are hot guys, you know! From this perspective, I feel very blessed to not only have known these guys, but to have worked with them and done such great things with them. I feel very blessed.