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Ringo Starr, Beatles drummer, still on the move
By Aidin Vaziri
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
50 Years Since The First Beatles Single Released: A Look Back At The Beatles Portrait of British pop group The Beatles (L-R) Paul McCartney, George Harrison (1943 - 2001), Ringo Starr and John Lennon (1940 - 1980) at the BBC Television Studios in London before the start of their world tour, June 17, 1966. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)
Ringo Starr wasn’t happy when he had to postpone his All-Starr Band’s San Francisco date earlier this year. “I picked up a bug in South America,” he says. “You know how it is. It starts out very small and then it wants to eat your whole body.”
The former Beatles drummer is feeling much better now, thank you. This week Starr, 75, will wrap up a tour in support of his 18th studio record, “Postcards From Paradise,” with a makeup date at the Masonic on Thursday, Oct. 1 and headlining set at the Sonoma Music Festival on Saturday, Oct. 3.
Pop icon and former Beatle Ringo Starr poses for the media in front of some of his photographs during a photocall as he launches a book called 'Photograph' in London, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015. The book contains photographs by Starr from his childhood, the Beatles and beyond. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
In April, Starr became the fourth and final member of the Beatles inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist. He also just published the open edition of his book “Photograph,” which features some 250 candid images of him and his bandmates -- John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison - taken behind the scenes, out of the spotlight at the height of Beatle-mania.
They are shots no one else could have taken.
“Everybody's guard was down,” says Starr, during a rare interview from his Los Angeles home. “We were just hanging out.”
FILE - In this Jan. 27, 2014 file photo, Paul McCartney, left, and Ringo Starr perform at The Night that Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles in Los Angeles. McCartney will induct his former Beatle mate, Ringo Starr, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next month. The 30th annual induction ceremony is scheduled for Cleveland's Public Hall on April 18. (Photo by Zach Cordner/Invision/AP, File)
Putting the book together was an unexpected detour for Starr, who is famously averse to looking back. He discovered the old negatives, which sat untouched for three decades, while clearing out one of his many storage units.
“Over the years, moving countries and moving homes I had no idea I had this stuff,” he says. “When I opened this box and found these thousands of negatives, it was like, ‘Oh my God, how great is this?’ I thought that I had lost them. So it was a great emotional moment.”
Maybe less so was his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, behind all the other members of the group, as well as Beatles manager Brian Epstein. McCartney made it a personal mission to get Starr in, launching a campaign with a little help from his friends -- in this case, Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl.
Ringo Starr. Ringo Star performs at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Sunday, April 19, 2015, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
Starr, born Richard Starkey, was less concerned about the oversight.
“It didn't stop me from doing what I'm doing,” he says. “To be inducted, I don't care. But it was a great night -- I got to play with Green Day.”
Or, more accurately, Green Day got to play with Ringo f’n Starr.
“Well, I’m so humble,” the Beatles drummer demurs.
Ringo Starr of the Beatles backstage before their performance at Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966. Jim Marshall was the only photographer allowed to take pictures of the band at what would be their last public performance ever. The photograph is part of a limited edition series of prints available at the San Francisco Art Exchange. The Beatles © Jim Marshall Photography LLC
Starr started touring with the All-Starr band in 1989, shortly after he and his second wife, Barbara Bach (whom he'd met on the set of the 1981 film “Caveman”), successfully entered rehab together.
The original lineup - featuring the Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons and guitarist Nils Lofgren, keyboardist Billy Preston, former Band bassist Rick Danko and drummer Levon Helm, piano great Dr. John and drummer Jim Keltner -- was significantly more impressive than the ones that have followed over the years but the format remains the same.
Starr, flashing his signature peace-and-love signs, performs a handful of Beatles classics, songs from his recent albums and a selection of his solo hits from his unexpectedly fruitful chart run between 1971 and 1975. He then backs his band members on three of their groups’ respective hits.
“I get to be an entertainer and a musician,” Starr says.
At age 10, Naomi Marcus met Ringo Starr and the rest of the Beatles when family friend and neighbor Joan Baez (right) brought her to the Fab Four's 1966 show at Candlestick Park.
Photo: Courtesy Naomi Marcus
He’s currently touring with his longest running incarnation of the All-Starr Band, which includes Todd Rundgren, Journey’s Gregg Rolie, Toto’s Steve Lukather and Mr. Mister’s Richard Page. They’ve been together for three years, which is roughly two years longer than usual.
“I fire them every year,” Starr says. “And they browbeat me and I take them back.”
Starr keeps touring -- regularly playing casinos, resorts, county fairs, anywhere -- because it’s what he does.
“I love to play,” he says. And he means it.
In December, Starr and Bach will auction off 800 of their personal items, including rare Beatles memorabilia like his first 1963 Ludwig Oyster black pearl three-piece drum kit and a Rickenbacker guitar that Lennon gave him, with proceeds going to the couple's Lotus Children Foundation.
This undated photo provided by Julien's Auctions shows Beatle Ringo Starr’s first 1963 Ludwig Oyster Black Pearl three-piece drum kit, used by Starr in more than 200 performances in 1963 and 1964. The set was used to record some of the Beatles' biggest hits, including “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “She Loves You,” “All My Loving,” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand." More than 800 items owned by Starr and his wife, Barbara Bach, are going to auction. The unprecedented number of Beatles-owned objects will be offered Dec. 4-5, 2015, at Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Julien's Auctions via AP)
They also recently sold their country house in England and closed down their apartment in Monte Carlo. Like going through the storage units that yielded the negatives, it’s all part of a larger effort to pare down his life.
So what gets Ringo Starr out of the bed in the morning these days?
“Nothing I'm auctioning off,” he says. “I get up at 7:30 every morning because I love to be in the light. We're in LA so there's a lot of light. I have a trainer. We’re in LA. I am a vegetarian. We’re in LA. I keep myself together. I eat well. I stay fit. I go for walks. Any advice I can give is, keep moving.”
Aidin Vaziri is The San Francisco Chronicle’s pop music critic. E-mail: avaziri@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @MusicSF
Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band: 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1. The Masonic, 1111 California St., SF. www.sfmasonic.com.
Sonoma Music Festival: 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2 and Saturday, Oct. 3. 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 4. Sonoma Valley Field of Dreams, Sonoma. www.sonomamusicfestival.com.
www.examiner.com
Ringo Starr and Conan O'Brien trade one-liners at live 'Photograph' book event
Trina Yannicos
Celebrity Events Examiner
September 28, 2015
Trina Yannicos
Conan O'Brien, a self-professed Beatles fan, was the perfect choice to interview Ringo Starr for a discussion about Starr's new book, Photograph. From the very beginning of the live conversation at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles on September 25, the jokes started flying.
Trina Yannicos
Ringo seemed extremely relaxed with Conan, an obvious result of the friendly rapport they have built over the years from the many times Starr has appeared on O'Brien's late night talk show. The conversation centered around a slideshow of photos from Ringo's personal collection featured in his new book. Conan and Ringo sat on the corner of the stage facing each other with a huge screen in the background.
Laughter set the tone of the evening. Conan started off by saying: "I think I'm here to book you an airline flight, Ringo. Would you like an aisle seat?"
As the slideshow began, the audience reacted fondly to early photos of Ringo with his mother, including one when he was 7 years old in the hospital with tuberculosis. Ringo shared stories of what his early childhood was like as pictures of him with one of his first drum kits was shown.
Trina Yannicos
When Conan pointed out the streak of gray on the right side of Ringo's hair noticeable in some early pictures, Ringo revealed that he had alopecia at age 18. He said the doctors told him it would either eventually cover his whole head or it would go away altogether. Luckily for Ringo, the gray went away by the time he was a Beatle.
In one photo on page 62 of the book, Ringo, pictured with his mother, Elsie, and stepdad, Harry, is showing off his shoes which happen to be Birkenstocks.
"I was ahead of my time," Ringo responded.
Trina Yannicos
Ringo described how The Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein, called him on a Wednesday in 1962 asking him to join the Beatles and play a gig with them that night. However, Ringo had already committed to a gig with Rory Storm at Butlins Camp so Ringo explained that he'd join the band on Saturday.
"I'll join the Beatles, but on my schedule," Conan joked.
On page 82 is a photo of Ringo with George Harrison and Paul McCartney before he had joined The Beatles. A girl on the right side is staring at Paul. "The best part of this photo for me," Ringo observed, "is the chick looking at Paul... She's like, 'I'm ready.'"
Pointing out his picture of John Lennon sitting in a hotel room, Ringo said, "What the hell is he doing... nobody can do this!" Ringo and Conan both remarked how Lennon's leg was extremely flexible to sit up so high on his lap. "Cirque du Soleil was calling," Ringo quipped.
Trina Yannicos
Moving through The Beatles' years, there was a shot of Ringo and Peter Sellers, who The Beatles were big fans of. In 1969, Ringo starred with Sellers in the film, The Magic Christian. Ringo revealed that in addition to money, Sellers gave him his house as payment for being in the film.
"What?" Conan exclaimed. "That's fantastic, you had a great agent," he continued. "I'm calling my agent tomorrow and firing him."
During the hour-long conversation, Ringo stated his hopes for a future project. Since all four of The Beatles had their own cameras during Beatlemania, Ringo hopes that a second photo book can be done in collaboration with the photos of John, Paul and George. "Then I'll be in more of the photos," Ringo concluded.
Trina Yannicos
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