This story was written by Wayne Falconer and appeared in the January 1986 issue of "With a little help from my friends."
Ringo Starr Back in New Zealand
By Wayne Falconer
Part one—First Sighting
Out here in New Zealand, our weather is the opposite to what
I imagine it’s like for the majority of people reading this. That is, our Christmas takes place during
summer, so that’s when we tend to take our annual holidays (which make it a
long hot festive season).
This year I’d just returned from 3 weeks away, to the
prospect of another thrilling year at work.
I’d spent the morning in culture-shock, trying to adjust to being cooped
up inside again, when, just before lunch, I received a phone call from my
friend Mike. He was calling to ask if I’d
seen the clipping in that morning’s paper, saying that Ringo was flying in to
Auckland today to shoot an advertisement for a Japanese soft drink firm.
As you can imagine, the news totally stunned me, as Beatles don’t
make a point of dropping by here very often (once about every 20 years on
average!). My mind was working overtime
trying to figure out a way to get to Auckland as I’d spent all my available
cash and payday was 2 weeks away. I
spent that lunchtime in a dream as I wandered about when by pure luck I bumped
into Mike in a record shop. He’d
obviously been thinking too as he came up with a kind and extremely generous
answer. He could not go due to work
commitments so he would lend me the money to cover the journey and
expenses. I couldn’t believe how kind he
could be as this meant there was now a good chance of seeing Ringo. To cut
a long story short, the only available transport was on the overnight bus so
that evening I turned up at the bus depot and I was away. My head was still reeling at the suddenness
of it all – that very morning I had turned up at work bleary-eye and now I was
off to try and meet Ringo in the same evening.
As Ringo once said, “Time and tide wait for no man, but at least you can
move your deck chair up the shore!”
After an uncomfortable sleepless night, the bus finally
pulled into Auckland. I staggered off to
the hotel that the paper said Ringo would be staying at and sat down on a bus
stop seat across the road from the hotel.
It was 6:30 in the morning and people were starting to file to work.
I stared across the road.
The hotel had a large courtyard with two doormen on duty, who, I thought
to myself, would be there to try and keep people like me away. As it happens, I ended up making good friends
with them and they were two of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. In fact one of
them, James, happened to be a drummer himself, and although in his early 20’s,was
a big admirer of our old pal Ringo!
So by lunchtime I had approached James and Mark (the
doormen) and had established a friendly relationship with them. They told me Ringo had gone out that morning
at 6:00 to do some filming but had come back and was spending the whole day
inside at the hotel pool. Apparently the
day before, he walked into the reception area and asked, “Have you got a room
for me?” Obviously they did, and James
got to carry his bags up to the room with them.
When they got up there Ringo tried the bell which wasn’t working
properly, so he called to James to ask if that was how it should have
sounded. “No,” said James, “It should
go bzzzz…bzzzz, Mr. Starkey.” Ringo was
in good humor and looked good according to James, so my excitement at the
prospect of seeing him was high. It was
invaluable knowing from the doormen if Ringo was in or out, so now that I knew
he would be in all day, I tried to arrange a place to stay with the local
Beatle “collectors,” a couple of whose phone numbers I had. Luckily a chap called Ross very kindly had a
spare room in his flat so he met up with me after work and we went to his
place. Ross was keen to meet Ringo too
so after sharing all my information we decided to be at the hotel at 5:30 the
next morning.
We turned up in the cold light of day and stood at street
level in case the car should come out of the basement car park. I had a word with James and Mark and they
said Ringo hadn’t left as yet, so at least we were in time. The minutes slowly passed, and each time
there was a movement at the doors, our hearts would leap, only to be let down a
second or two later. Ross said he would only
stay until about 8 as he had to go to work.
I suggested that the work would still be there tomorrow and Ringo isn’t
here in New Zealand every day, but he still felt he had to go.
About 20 minutes later, a professional photographer turned
up on the footpath as well. I said hellos
and asked if he was waiting to get a picture of Ringo. He said he was, then about five minutes later
a black limo pulled into the courtyard.
We asked if it was for Ringo but the driver said he couldn’t say, “Is it
worth waiting around to see?” the photographer asked. “It could be,” the driver smiled.
Great—I thought, but at that, the photographer
left!?!?! Then there was a movement of
people behind the big glass hotel doors and there, without a doubt, I saw
Ringo! In that instant I felt and knew
all the waiting was worthwhile. “It’s
him!” I said to myself, and started walking up from the footpath.
Ringo came out with Barbara, and their secretary, and walked
the short distance across the courtyard to their waiting car. He looked excellent and wore a white pattern
shirt, black trousers and those ever-present sunglasses. He looked a little sleepy, and continually
fluffed up the back of his hair as he walked.
He still has that casual walk, with his back slanting backwards, and
slow measured steps. I took a couple of
distant photos as I walked up, but he had reached the car before I got up to him,
so I didn’t push the point by calling out or knocking on the door. His beard was fully dark black again
(obviously tinted and better for it I say, although I still prefer his recent
clean-shaven look). It was so great to
see him, and even as he drove away to the filming. I was hoping that I would see him again. James told me that he was expected back
around five that evening, so I went for a walk and saw “The Goonies”. I rang Ross and told him about my good
fortune, and made sure he came down after work.
I spent the rest of the day in a joyful and contented state at having
just seen Ringo after nearly 22 years of waiting.
Part Two – Second meeting
I arrived back at the hotel at 3 that afternoon, just to be
sure. The guys at the door told me that
I could wait outside the actual hotel foyer if I could keep it relatively “cool’
and not attract the attention of their superiors. Boy was I pleased. All that standing around outside is more
tiring than I could have imagined, and I tip my hat to those who have lasted
for days. I sat down in the gust chairs
and settled in for the duration. By
chance, a couple I knew from Wellington had booked in the hotel for a short
holiday, so when an “official” eventually came and asked me what I was doing
there, I could say I knew someone in the hotel and was waiting for them. This actually saved the situation for me, and
I was allowed to say, although with occasional wary glances from the
officials. Being inside was
essential. I had decided, as Ringo moved
so quickly from the car to the hotel that any chance to stop him outside would
be lost.
A couple of hours passed, till Ross eventually showed up
after work with a young Beatles “collector” (this is what they now want to call
themselves – I still think of myself as a “fan.” I am more interested in the Beatles as people
and their careers than in things for the 60’s or spinoffs; still I’ve collected
a lot of stuff as well. What’s in a
name?) Having 3 of us there was making
things a bit more difficult, especially as the younger guy was attracting a bit
of attention through being a bit loud.
By 6:30 we were starting to think that perhaps Ringo had gone straight
on to dinner, and we decided that if he wasn’t here by 7, we would have to call
it a day and leave. Then, at around
6:45, a black limo pulled up right outside the doors, and with my heart in my
mouth, there again was Ringo getting out.
The other two had albums to be autographed, whilst I decided to
concentrate on getting photos of the occasion.
He came through the doors and I took a picture. He was wearing the same gear as in the morning,
with the addition of a magnificent Japanese rising sun hat (this must have been
given to him by the firm during the day).
The other two presently their albums which he signed nicely,
without comment. As no one was saying
anything, I asked him, “How did the filming go today Ringo, all right?” He replied in a really heavy drawl, “It went
just great.” I managed to get a couple
more photos and then he sauntered off to the lifts. He had a handkerchief in his hand was snuffling
into it as he walked away. I was ecstatic
at getting to talk to him and seeing him up close again! His walk was so familiar, yet I was seeing it
for the first time in real life. He is
just so laid back.
Overnight his cold worsened, and James at the door said a
doctor had been called. Apparently Ringo
had a high fever and was ordered to stay in bed for at least a day and a
half. I was due to go home the next day,
so I was really lucky at seeing him twice the day before. I went downtown to get my photos developed,
and as I looked at them, I looked up and there right before me was
Barbara! What a shock to see her! I asked if I could take a photo. She was extremely nice, and didn’t’ mind a
quick one. I waited for the flash to
charge, I said that I heard Ringo wasn’t too well today. She said, “No, he isn’t.” Then she gave a little wave said “Hi” for the
picture, so I thanked her and let her go on her way. She’s really a nice person, and seems very
friendly.
I had to leave the next day with Ringo still in bed sick but
here are some more bits of information I was able to get about his visit. He arrived here at Auckland on Monday,
January 13, 1986 and left Tuesday the 21st. his breakfast habits are still reassuringly
down to earth – from James I found out that for the first 2 days he had bacon
and eggs, tea and toast one morning, and scrambled eggs, 6 croissants and tea
the other. You couldn’t get much more
homey, really. One day at 4:00 he
ordered 3 gins, sandwiches, smoked salmon, vegetable salad, lamb, mineral water
and soup. Apparently he did most of the filming for the ad on a yacht. The sun was scorching during his stay, so
perhaps the rapid change in temperature from England to NZ accounted for his
illness, especially being exposed to the heat for most the day on a boat. James also had an excellent bit of luck, as
set out in this extract from a letter he sent me, “Did you know I actually to
meet Ringo on the day he left? The
chauffeurs were waiting to leave at 9:25a.m., yet Ringo didn’t ever get out of
bed until 9:45a.m.! I met him while he
was eating breakfast, but it was ridiculous to ask to get a photo, he’d just about
crawled out of bed. Anyway, I gave them
a carnation and showed him a photo of my drums. He said, “Ahh.. the old Loooodwigs!” When he came down, a freelance photographer was taking
photos. I managed to get in one. An even better coup was this. The other porters, for a surprise, got my
drum autographed. It said, ‘To James B.
drumming is my madness, yours, Ringo Starr.”
I was totally shocked! I heard through
the grapevine that he’s planning a new solo album, and he’s still friendly with
Paul and George. The morning after he
had signed my drum, as they got in the car, his secretary pointed out that I was
the drummer. Ringo looked out the
window, pointed at me, and waved thumbs up!
God, I don’t know when I came back down to earth!”
In finishing, I’d just add that Ringo may be a granddad now,
but he looks like he hasn’t aged in ten years.
He looked like he does in his photos, and despite a bit more grey in his
“grey streak”, he still has a full dark head of hair and looks terrific! So look out for that soft drink advertisement
on TV, particularly in Japan!
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