Ringo Starr recently talked about his approach to playing music and why he stopped with the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, and thanked Paul McCartney via Ultimate Guitar.
As the drummer of The Beatles, Ringo Starr went through most of his life as an embodiment of rock ‘n’ roll, with fans going crazy at the very sight of him. At 85, Starr is living his best life and remains engaged in his art. However, the days of living the life of an archetypal rock star are long gone by.
Speaking to AP’s Liam McEwan in a recent interview, the legendary drummer noted how he’s had enough of that in his thirties. He said that he lived the wild rock ’n’ roll lifestyle until around age 40, but even now, he and his band remain disciplined, no one ever complains or skips out; they always show up and get the job done.
“I think when I was 30. Well… rock ‘n’ roll all night, playing… I was probably 40-ish when I stopped that lifestyle. But you know, we’ve still got to get up. We got to get in the truck, get to the gig, and we got to go and do it. Nobody’s gonna [say], ‘Oh, I don’t feel like it.’ Nobody ever says that in my band.”
He said the band gives their best every night, supporting each other and keeping the show going even if mistakes happen. He loves performing—whether playing drums or singing up front—and feels this setup is the perfect way for him to keep doing what he loves.
“And we rock, we do our best, and I say that’s the only thing when we’re putting it together. I will do my best for you. I want you to be best for me, we all just get up there and do it. And, you know, the bands, like they all saw, ‘Well, let’s just keep it with this one.’ Sometimes somebody plays the wrong note, but we get on with it. It doesn’t all stop. I just love it. And it’s the best way I can go out, because I can play drums to your songs. I can play drums to my songs, i can be down there in the front, peace and loving, singing the ballads. I just love the format.”
Starr also thanked Paul McCartney for writing “Yellow Submarine” and “With a Little Help from My Friends”, which the drummer famously sang on:
“I thank Paul. I mean, I can go on tour because he wrote that song for me, and, you know, ‘Yellow Submarine.’ They’re the two major songs for my audience. But I’m shocked and surprised because I put ‘Octopus’s Garden’ in and they love it. I never put it in itself. We don’t want to be under the sea for two songs… Well, anyway, I love it now.”
