McCartney later described the tone of Starr's message as "the party line", to which he reacted badly: "I told to get out. I had to do something like that in order to assert myself because I was just sinking ... I was getting pummelled about the head, in my mind anyway." According to Starr, McCartney "went crazy", threatening: "I'll finish you now. You'll pay!" Although the other Beatles backed down over the release of "McCartney", the confrontation initiated what Rodriguez terms "a three-against-one war" within the band.