Ringo Starr: 'I’m a good drummer, that’s just a fact of life' — AP interview

[0:00] i saw this new guy on saturday i went to see him at the theater it was full for him so he's doing [0:10] pretty good all right rock and roll man it's good to see you brother thank you how are you all right [0:17] i'm good good you know i'm good i'm in l.a and you know it's the promotion time so you've got to do [0:23] that you're in that that period of time it's more fun making the record right you don't like talking [0:29] about it as much uh yeah i do it's part of the gig yep yeah you know well we're going to dive [0:35] right in we've got a lot to get to you i'd love to but first you and i were at the same concert [0:39] the other night we were both at paul mccartney rocks of fonda you enjoy it i did yeah i loved [0:45] it i loved him being in a space that small too yes and the sound for me was great because it's [0:53] like the band were together then was rocking because it was reflecting off the the walls say [0:59] you know the speakers were going this way bouncing back and it was like it made it feel like it's a [1:05] saturday night yes you know that's what i love that was a great rock concert yeah i mean i saw [1:10] him uh what was that record shop down sunset oh amoeba amoeba yeah he played there once you were [1:17] there too and yeah and it was great because he he had more time to be him there because you know [1:24] someone had shout something to him and he'd shout something back because that's what we do that's [1:30] we come from and you know it's great at the big arenas but I just love it in [1:37] that size it was nice yeah and it was funny I had heard murmurs that you were [1:43] there and then I see everybody in the crowd I was on the floor turn around and [1:46] go like this up at the balcony I was like I wonder who that's to so that was [1:51] cool I'm glad you were there yeah what was it like to hear those songs that you [1:55] worked on being played for you well I've heard them so many times yeah I mean [1:59] especially by him I mean you know I've been to many of his gigs and it's how it [2:06] is get in my way yeah Abe does a fine job he's great you know you could watch [2:16] yourself glad you were there man talking live shows we'll get into the all-stars [2:22] very soon you're going back on the road we'll get into that after we talk long [2:26] long road okay I think people who enjoyed lookup [2:31] were very happy with it I think they were very happy with it I think people [2:31] will dig this follow-up yeah I think this will be right up their alley well [2:36] also what is good is that yeah look up was more in a way country and this is [2:43] still country but it's got a few kicks in it yes yes you know yes so we've just [2:49] sort of stepped a different step it's not like like all the same as the look [2:54] up one so yeah I enjoyed it and T-bone anyway you know he's brilliant he's [3:01] moody but he's brilliant but you know not including the fight I can't wait till [3:07] you play this back everyone you mentioned but you know not including the [3:14] five EPs you've done this is your 22nd studio album yeah and you know when I [3:20] first saw the album cover obviously wearing the famous purple shirt on there [3:24] yeah and also in the photo shoot you're wearing the iconic red polka dot oh yeah [3:31] you just had these in your closet all that time yeah or you have an archive [3:35] what's your situation we have a do of an archive okay and I just sent our guy [3:41] down to get a few shirts out yes and they were two of them yes I'm shocked I [3:50] have so much you know I saved so much because one of our house moves in [3:57] England I thought I felt I'd left so much stuff there [4:05] and then we found this suitcase we had an open pick and it had the pepper suit [4:12] the magical mystery tour thing and I I thought oh it's gone you know because I [4:19] wasn't really in control of anything in those days anyway we've got a lot of [4:26] stuff yeah you know yeah and I thought it was fitting um because this album [4:30] long long road obviously about reflection it is reflection well done yeah and one of my favorite [4:37] parts on the record was choose love a revised version of your 2005 track and obviously the [4:44] lyrics in that are a reflection you know you've got to pay your dues if you want to sing the blues [4:49] yeah it sounds like a a remake of you know you've got to play the yeah if you want to sing the blues [4:57] but then you go on and say the long and winding road is more than a song tomorrow never knows [5:01] what goes on um I like that because a if you ever sing it live it'll make it easy to remember the [5:07] lyrics um but also you know I loved how these pieces of your musical past can tell a completely [5:17] new story now yeah well you know I was reflecting and you know that song sort of fitted in it wasn't [5:27] like that's what I was doing it's what turned up and uh and I you know I went back to Liverpool [5:35] and you know the move from there and they're just looking at the moves in my life and you [5:44] know though I made several left turns I've made some really great right turns yes you know and uh [5:53] you know it's how I feel about it I mean and you know to end up in we're doing the video tomorrow [6:00] and all it is is me driving through my life cool you know cool um that's what she's loved or long [6:10] long right no no long long long road nice and uh because I feel I'd like to put that out as [6:17] a single uh you know and I talk on it about letting your thoughts come in but you know I [6:23] was taught about 30 years ago somebody said something about you know let them come in but [6:29] let them go out because you know I don't know about you but you know I've spent days on the [6:36] thought this is gonna happen that'll happen I'll do this he'll do that I'll go there and [6:42] that'll happen here and the door will be closed yeah oh God so I like [6:49] to say in those days there was me and 25 other people in here and after 35 years we're down to [6:57] four nice okay you've gotten rid of a few so they have a little chance and your drumming sounds good [7:02] on this record too well I'm a good drummer I mean that's just a fact of life I'm not bragging or [7:07] anything and it was a God-given gift that uh you know I had no lessons and I was lucky in the early [7:15] 60s um late 50s [7:20] yeah Liverpool just came the band center of the world and those are like 100 bands there and we [7:30] all just started playing I had a snare drum and the guy next door Eddie Miles the guitar is in [7:36] the the Eddie Miles group and we uh he was like a really great player and we all worked in the same [7:45] factory with Roy and Roy made a tea chest space because it was skiffle he could play guitar and [7:52] brushes on the drum and uh that's how it started yeah you know yeah well it's interesting that you [8:00] bring that up because I wanted to talk about that because the ensemble of musicians on this record [8:04] has been dubbed by t-bone Ringo Starr and the Texans the Texans uh is a reference to the name [8:10] of the skiffle group you joined in 59 which then obviously turned into Rory storm in the hurricanes [8:15] oh that may be true I never knew that's what the internet said oh well the internet must be right [8:20] but I never heard about them as the Texans he said [8:24] he read he said he read it somewhere maybe he read it from maybe read it from there so you've [8:29] cleaned it cleaned it cleaned it up yes there we go it was always Rory and the hurricanes for me [8:34] really yeah I've auditioned with Rory well isn't it isn't it weird though that like there are people [8:40] out there that think they know their history or do know history of your life and your bands [8:47] possibly even more than you do yeah yeah is that weird no it's been like this for years for years [8:55] yes um but yeah maybe he was called the Texans I don't know and I may have known but I don't know [9:05] now yes there we go we'll have to you know what there's going to be someone watching this that'll [9:09] be doing a complete deep dive to get to the bottom of this yes get to the bottom of it yes and we'll [9:14] let you know you have his permission yes mine um you know talking t-bone I mean he says he hears [9:25] it comes deep with t-bone at this point you must really trust the guy yeah you put a lot of trust in [9:29] him oh yeah well you know it was the right move I made you know years ago two years was it three [9:36] years that we went to you know you never know where your life's going to turn yeah and we went [9:43] to the Sunset Marquee Hotel because Elizabeth Olivia Harrison was uh reading poems she'd written [9:54] to George I was like 50 [9:56] of us something like that came to listen to her and it was great and oh I've bumped into him many [10:03] times I've never had dinner with him I have now but then but we've bumped into each other and uh [10:10] you know what are you doing I'm doing this what are you doing I said well I'm doing Eps because [10:16] of the pandemic and if you've got a track just think be good for me send it over and he did send [10:24] me a track and it was a Country track [10:28] wasn't doing country, and I thought, I didn't even think that it would be a country track, [10:34] you know what I mean, I thought it would be this rock pop that I'm doing, but it was so [10:38] beautiful that I thought I'm going to do a country EP, and, which I did, which never [10:45] came out, but we've got the tracks, because we only put, well, one of my tracks on the [10:56] last on Look Up, and we are two on this one, but anyway, just saying that to him, and him [11:03] sending this country thing, you know, two days before that, I had no thought of doing [11:10] a country album, and then I made the right move, and then he came to the house, still [11:15] hadn't done anything, and we were just talking away, and I'm sort of backtracking now, and [11:22] so, out of the, you know, he's talking about songs, and lots of songs, well, [11:28] how many songs have you got, and he goes, nine, he had nine on a trip, you know, and [11:37] that's how it started, like we sat and planned it, and did this, and did that, and it really [11:44] worked out, you know. [11:47] It did, now you had two albums deep. [11:49] Now we're up to two albums, yeah. [11:51] You reckon there'll be a third? [11:52] I don't know. [11:54] Because last time when we were talking about Look Up, you were already planning this one, [11:57] so now you're like, okay, I'm going to breathe for a second. [11:59] Well, yeah, well, I've got... [12:01] You know, this is out, we're having, you're talking about all those CDs I made, we're having [12:09] like the best of all of them, and so I'm working a bit on that, not as much as Universal, and [12:18] you know, and I'm going on tour for 12 gigs, and I'm going on holiday, so I've got enough [12:27] going on for this year, but you never can tell. [12:30] No, I think you should enjoy a nice little break. [12:33] But, you know... [12:34] You mentioned the tour, I am so excited to see you at the Greek. [12:37] Yeah. [12:38] I think it rocks every time you play that joint. [12:39] No, I love the Greek. [12:41] You should own shares in that place, the amount of times you play it. [12:42] Yeah, yeah. [12:43] Well, that and San Diego, Home Freeze, which is like just the best atmosphere. [12:50] You know, I keep calling it, it's like a car park with seats, but the audience, they put [12:55] a stage up, and they have all those guys in the big yachts that can look for free, and [13:00] I always shout at them. [13:02] So I'm opening there, and I'm closing at the Greek. [13:07] Great. [13:09] I can't wait to see that show. [13:10] Yeah. [13:11] Still the same guys? [13:12] Got the same guys? [13:13] Same band, yeah. [13:14] Some new guys? [13:15] Nice. [13:16] Yeah. [13:17] Colin, Luke, Hamish. [13:18] Nice. [13:19] And Greg Bissonette, you know, the other drummer for when I go down and perform. [13:26] Yes. [13:27] And we got a new guy, Buck, piano player. [13:29] A new guy, nice. [13:30] That was his first album. [13:31] Yeah. [13:33] It was his first tour last year, and we're keeping him. [13:37] And this combination just works. [13:42] It does. [13:43] It's so far out, you know. [13:46] And it's so much better for me, because when I started the All Stars, you know, I phoned [13:52] people and made this decision, and then we changed the whole band. [13:58] Then we'd get another band set up, go out, and then we'd change the whole band. [14:03] You know, that's a lot of work. [14:05] Yes. [14:06] There were several bands I decided just to change two people. [14:10] Okay. [14:11] Just change it up a bit so you'd hear a different song. [14:14] New energies. [14:15] In the audience. [14:16] Yes. [14:17] And this one, you know, Luke's been with me, what, 11 years or something like that. [14:23] Yeah. [14:24] You know, and Greg's been with me. [14:28] I don't think I'd be able to ever fire Luke, because he's my last best friend. [14:35] Oh. [14:36] Yeah. [14:37] I'm only kidding, baby. [14:38] You know, you mentioned the band. [14:39] You mentioned the part of the show, and when you go down the front, you know, you're having [14:42] your moment, you're interacting with the fans. [14:43] Yeah. [14:44] It's always a great moment of the show. [14:45] The fans love it. [14:46] You banter with everyone. [14:49] Do you feel safer behind a kit, or when you're up front? [14:53] I feel safe. [14:55] On stage in general? [14:56] If I'm on, I'm on. [14:58] Yeah. [14:59] And, you know, I always believe that they know I love them, which I do, the whole audience. [15:06] And I believe they love me, you know. [15:11] I'm just there to have a good time. [15:13] I mean, a lot of the time, I think a lot of them come just to see me still standing. [15:17] They don't care about the songs, just, oh, he's still standing. [15:23] I saw him. [15:24] You're not just standing, man. [15:25] You're doing jumping jacks. [15:26] You're running around. [15:27] I do. [15:28] Well, I'm a show-off. [15:29] I'm a musician. [15:30] You're a showman, man. [15:31] I'm an artist. [15:32] You're an artist. [15:33] I love that. [15:34] Yeah. [15:35] Oh, man. [15:36] Well, I can't wait for that show at the Greek. [15:37] I will be there. [15:38] Yeah. [15:39] No, thank you, man, for your time, your energy. [15:40] Yeah. [15:41] Thank you. [15:42] See, you've got your kicks on the table. [15:43] I want to put mine up for a second because I've got a little custom number going here. [15:47] Oh, let's see. [15:48] The stars on the side. [15:49] Oh, great. [15:50] Look at the back. [15:51] Who made them? [15:52] They're custom. [15:53] Look at the back. [15:54] We've got a little peace and love. [15:55] Oh, great. [15:56] I thought you'd get a kick out of that. [15:57] Oh, it's good to see you, man. [15:59] And you, brother. [16:00] I love this record. [16:01] Peace and love. [16:02] And what should we say to you and everyone else? [16:04] Peace and love. [16:05] Peace and love. [16:06] That was good Saturday night. [16:07] Peace and loving. [16:08] Peace and love. [16:09] Yeah. [16:10] Oh, it was so funny, man. [16:11] The gig. [16:11] Yeah, yeah. [16:11] I thought that was hilarious. [16:12] Well, thank you. [16:13] Hey. [16:14] That was lovely. [16:15] Short and sweet. [16:16] Short and sweet.