Rock Talk (Ringo Interview 1976)

Ringo at Paul's party, June 24, 1976

 

Rock Talk

By Lisa Robinson

Sun Post News

July 2, 1976

    The speculation ran rampant in Los Angeles last week that Wings' final U.S. concert would feature a Beatles reunion, but there never was a chance. As Paul McCartney got on stage for his last LA Forum show, and the four old Beatles LPs were on the charts, John Lennon summered on Long Island. George Harrison finished recording in London, and Ringo Starr prepared to leave his house in the Hollywood Hills and fly the Concorde to Paris. 

    The day before his departure, Ringo talked about that possible reunion. His casual LA costume, Indian cotton shirt over a bathing suit, was livened up by jewelry, one gold and diamond earring, neck chains, and, of course, his assortment of rings. Ringo's eyes are amazingly blue, and even after all these years, that Liverpool accent is unmistakable. 

    Sipping white wine in his playroom filled with Gene Autry and Beatles Memorabilia, Ringo said, "Despite what anyone said, we have talked about doing a show together, and we've been offered more than $50 million. But then we said, 'What are we bothered for?' People have told me, 'You've got to do it for the money.' Well, if I wanted to do it, I wouldn't do it for the money, I'd do it for a laugh, I'd probably do it for free. 

    "But if we did do something, the audience might still want us to be the mop tops." Ringo smiled. "They'd probably expect me to nod my head.

     "The only way I could see something happening now would be for all of us to go into a studio where we could sit with each other for a while. But to get the four of us in one room is physically very hard. Paul might visit me, or I'll visit John, but we're never all in the same place at the same time.  Even when we were the closest band in the world," Ringo continued, "except for the time when we were on tour, or when we were locked into a recording studio, we weren't together all the time. When we'd go back into the studio, it would take us about a week to be able to relax with each other.

     "I'm not the greatest drummer," Ringo added. "John isn't the greatest guitarist, George isn't the greatest lead guitarist. Paul is a fine bass player, but when we were into each other, we were telepathic because we knew each other so well. That's why the music was so good. 

    "We see each other now, but we have the human right to fight and also to love each other. I can say anything I like about any of them, but don't you put them down. They're family, probably the only family I have ever really had.

     "I'm sure I'll be called ex-Beatle until I die," said Ringo. "The guy who reads my urn when it comes out of the ashes will say 'ex-Beatle Richard Starkey'. Sometimes it's a burden, but I'm proud as well." And Ringo smiles, "It gets me a seat at restaurants."

     Does he think there could ever be anything quite as big as the Beatles again? "An Italian tenor", Ringo replied, straight-faced. "In 1974, I was sure that an Italian tenor would do a nationwide TV broadcast and be bigger than we were."