SIR Ringo Starr had no plans to slow down before the pandemic became infected. His youthful appearance and energy were as strong as 80 years old – and if it weren’t for Covid-19, Richard Starkey’s man born in a working class area of Liverpool would have been on the road by 2020.
But it seems that even the former Beatle cannot escape the aftermath of the global health crisis.
As of right now, his All Starr Band are set to return to the stage in June, although he admits the plans are far from set in stone due to the ongoing unrest caused by the virus.
The break in performance allowed him to look back on three decades with the group, compiling the book Ringo Rocks: 30 Years Of The All Starrs.
Meditation proved to be an emotional experience, drummer Fab Four explains from his Los Angeles home.
“The first band was like everything else – it’s new. And, ‘Oh, wow, it works’. And in fact, people are coming to see it. That’s the good news. And I had a lot of good players. ”
Musicians who have been part of the growing band include Eagle guitarist Joe Walsh, rocker Peter Frampton, New Orleans musician Dr John and R&B star Billy Preston, among others.
Drummer Sir Ringo, who spent 10 years in the Beatles alongside Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison, admits it was a nice change to be against you.
“The only key plan is to have a single,” he says. “You have to have the top five records. And we’re like the 1-800 band – it’s all a success.
“And it allowed me to be down against it, Mr Personality, while I was playing the drums for those other tracks. So, I won both ways. ”
Instead of touring, Starr has kept himself busy making new music – the single Here’s To The Nights, a catch-all hit perfect for the pandemic, features a star-studded guest list. including McCartney ‘s former partner.
It will appear on the aptly named Zoom In EP, and will be released in March.
“I like to make stuff, so I just make stuff,” Starr, who was knighted in 2018, says while talking about the difficulties in registration among the pandemic. “I have a small guest house here and this is my studio now – it’s been my studio for the last 10 years.
“This time it was a bit strange because people were getting a test to come and play. Alternatively, if they had a studio, they could play in their own place. So that took the pressure off the lock down a bit as I was drumming and singing and hanging out with musicians.
“I go to the gym a lot. And I also took half of the gym, now that’s where my paint studio is. So I can make a mess without Barbara being deceived. ”
Barbara is actually Barbara Bach, Starr’s wife for 39 years. The actress is best known for playing Bond Girl Anya Amasova opposite the late Roger Moore in Spy Who Loved Me.
Although a lockout proved to be a real breakdown in a relationship, the couple are as strong as ever and Starr describes being with Bach as a “pleasure”, as they remember their first their meeting.
“I love the woman,” he says. “I’ve loved her since I first saw her at LAX in 1980. She was at the airport with a boyfriend and I was at the airport checking in, and we happened to be going to Mexico to make the same film.
“And that’s how it happened. Not like it was a grand plan. It was just ‘okay, here we are.’ And we get along well together, relax together. Of course, some days, I won’t do it right. My room is not tidy. I mean, a regular s *** that goes down in any couple that has been together for a long time. But I am blessed that she is in my life, that is all I can say. “
The Starrs have had a permanent base in Los Angeles for the best part of a decade. Sir Ringo cites the glorious sun of Southern California as one of his biggest attractions (“This is such a bad place to get through the pandemic, isn’t it?”) But he also likes that his famous friends just as a call away. .
When he put together Here To The Nights, he traveled through his star-studded phone book and Dave Grohl, a Foo Fighters frontman and Ben Harper, the Grammy-winning blues musician, was next Monday.
It can be sad to talk to Starr because he is referring to the other celebrities in nearby orbit. The fall of the name may be the wrong phrase – after all, the former Beatles are the stars that others aspire to – but it brings home its importance not to- not only in the world of music but in the cultural universe in general.
I am aware that the other end of the phone is a superstar. Which takes us to another – Paul McCartney. The two of them were just getting off the phone when I shouted.
The two ‘sirs’ took to the stage together in July 2019 at Dodger Stadium, to the delight of millions of Beatles obsessives around the world. So can Starr promise again when Covid-19 goes out of sight, a little light at the end of the tunnel for us all to look forward to?
It is something that is open to him. He said: “I like that, getting up with it. We did it at the O2 in England [in 2018]. And then he called me and said, ‘I do Dodger Stadium, if you want to do a few numbers’.
“Yes. So he picked three numbers, and I got up and went down there. And it’s magical for the audience as well as us. I love playing with it.
“The audience is like, ‘Oh, there are two of them! Wow ‘. He picks it all up, in a joyful way. So, yes, I had a great time. We are still friends. We don’t hang out on each other much. But if we are in the same country, and if we are in the same city we always have dinner, and we say hi or he will come over here or I will go over to his house. “
Our call is coming to an end, but not too wise words from Ringo Starr. While the pandemic provided an opportunity to look back, the world’s favorite drummer preferred to look ahead.
He said: “You know, life will continue.”
Ringo Rocks: 30 years of all stars are now available from juliensauctions.com