Ringo Starr promises Peter Jackson's Get Back will show the peace and love of The Beatles' last days
Aux Features The Beatles
Looking spry and brimming with stories, rock and roll survivor and forever Beatle Ringo Starr (sorry, that’s Sir Ringo Starr to us) returned to the Ed Sullivan Theater for Monday’s Late Show. Oh, all right, because of the ongoing unpleasantness, Ringo was Zoom-ing in to talk to host Stephen Colbert from his own, suitably groovy house, while Colbert noted that his pandemic Ed Sullivan digs are essentially a “storage closet.” But it was still momentous enough for the 80-year-old legend to wax nostalgic about The Beatles era-defining Ed Sullivan Show appearance, an impossible 57 years ago. “It was like, ‘What?!,’” recalled Starr, as he explained how the the then just Europe-famous band were uncertain how well their burgeoning British stardom would translate in the land of Starr’s musical idols. (Spoiler: they did fine.)
Starr, who’s preparing the release of both a new, lockdown-recorded EP and a book about his 30-year tenure as leader of the ever-evolving supergroup Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band, shared with Beatles fanatic Colbert that, even for him, all these anniversaries are bewilderingly historic. Citing the sad milestones of George Harrison and John Lennon’s deaths (a sobering 20 and 40 years ago, respectively), Starr yet noted that his own hard-won optimism remains intact, his signature “peace and love” greeting still buoying his enthusiasm after all these years.
That’s part of why Starr told Colbert he’s so excited at the prospect of Peter Jackson finally getting to release his COVID-delayed documentary Get Back, culled meticulously (and with some trademark Jackson restoration magic) from the same 56 hours of recording studio footage that formed Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s seminal—and seriously disillusioning—1970 Beatles documentary Let It Be. Starr—who only referred to the long out of print Let It Be as “the original documentary” throughout—said that those sessions weren’t all the tense and fractious bummer that Lindsay-Hogg’s editing chose to present. Saying of Let It Be, “it was very narrow and it was built around a moment of [pantomimes defensive ‘Grrr’ pose],” Starr says that the in-progress footage director Jackson has been showing him will present a fuller—and much more joyous—portrait of the band’s final days.
Agreeing with Colbert’s assessment of the undeniable prickliness present in the Beatles’ career-ending sessions, “brothers fight,” Starr assured Colbert that Get Back will let fans see that the Beatles finale wasn’t the stiff and splintered affair Let It Be has portrayed it as all these years. “I’m an only child and suddenly I had three brothers,” noted Ringo of his bandmates, with Jackson pal Colbert adding that, in the top secret clips he’s seen of the new film, “You clearly just love each other so much.” And, indeed, the sneak peek Jackson’s given us shows that while, sure, Paul could be a control freak at the time, the four friends were still just a bunch of goofs having fun making music.
Ringo Starr’s Zoom In comes out on March 19, and the book Ringo Rocks: 30 Years Of The All Starrs is out now. Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back is looking at an August release date.
47 Comments
Can’t wait for this.
Ringo is such a good dude. Who doesn’t like Ringo?! He only wrote two songs for the Beatles and they’re both delightful. His drumming style is unique and legendary. As a singer he’s 100% sympatico. Gotta love Ringo. Go Ringo! One Ringo to rule them all!
“Don’t ask me to sign any more autographs, okay? Peace and love but I can’t be fucked to write my name on something for someone who thinks I’m great. Peace and love. No more autographs!”
Uh… no worries?
He’s a fully-functioning human being who was signing piles and piles and piles of stuff for fifty fucking years- a period of time that can also be referred to as “half a century.” People were shipping guitars and drum heads to his house to the point that his garage was piled high with it. He’s so selfish and ungrateful.
But he replied to Marge’s letter.
Not only that, but I would imagine a very, very high percentage of autographs get turned over for a ridiculous amount of money he never sees. Big Autograph is the bad guy here, not Ringo Starr!
Glad we agree! What a jerk hole!
I’ve met quite a few celebrities in the last 40 years and never once felt compelled to ask for an autograph. Eye contact and a “Hey, how ya doin?” is all I’ve ever needed. A few months ago I met Bruce Dern at JFK and we had a nice chat. He talked about his infamy because of the time he killed John Wayne. It was a pure, off-the-cuff chat and would have been ruined if I had asked him to sign something.
You’re a hero
Same. I never say anything more than, “I’m a big fan,” like I did to Mel Brooks at JFK when he was waiting for his luggage to come around on the carousel. But he’s Mel fucking Brooks! He shouldn’t have to hang around the carousel with the rest of the hoi polloi! Of course, right after I said that, some people bothered him and were way more intrusive and demanding (and this was 20+ years ago, so before the age of “can I get a selfie?”), exactly what I would never want to be with a celebrity, even one whose work had meant to much to me for years.
transcribed, because I’m, that guy:
“This is a SERIOUS message to everybody watching my update right now—Peace and love, peace and LOVE!I want to tell you…please, after the 20th of October do not send fan mail to ANY address that you have! Nothing will be signed after the 20th of October. If that has a date on the envelope it’s gonna be TOSSED!
I’m warning you with peace and love, but I have too much to do, so no more fan mail!
Thank you, thank you. And no objects to be signed. NOTHING.
Anyway, peaceandlovepeaceandlove.”
Ever since 2008, his reputation in his hometown has been somewhat mixed. Coinciding with him showing up in Liverpool to headline the opening event of the city’s year as European Capital of Culture, he released an album called Liverpool 8. The title refers to the postcode of the area where he grew up. The title track includes the line “Liverpool I left you, but I never let you down” and he leant heavily into that narrative over the weekend of the gig.Sadly, a week later, he appeared on Jonathan Ross’s chat show and told him he didn’t miss anything about the city. He later said he’d been being flippant, but his timing was pretty shocking (which is not a great trait in a drummer).
All of that is okay with me. I still like Ringo the same!
I’m from Liverpool and I still like him, but others are less forgiving.
He’s always the Beatle who, in interviews, talks about just how much fun it all was. That, and the fondness with which he speaks of his former bandmates, really made me appreciate him.
“The Beatles had it made in an octopus’s garden in the shade, but there was a tax man lurking in the shadows who couldn’t let it be, and that meant their future looked rocky . . . raccoon.”- the narrator of Get Back, presumably
“I said I’ll need the first name of the head of the PLO.”“Yassir.”“Jim, it’s nice of you to be polite…”
Wait! The Beatles broke up?! How is this not the headline? What am I going to do with these tickets I bought of Craigslist for their show next week?
I’m excited but only concerned that Jackson won’t show any of the fractious stuff and you’ll walk out expecting that it was all fake and they never broke up
He looks really good for being 80 years old. Next to him, Paul McCartney looks like the Crypt Keeper.
The real Paul probably would have looked good, but he’s been dead lo these 55 years.
We all miss him, miss him, miss him…
That’s harsh. Paul McCartney is just gradually revealing he was Angela Lansbury all along.
Hair dye does wonders, is the lesson here.
Is there a filter on him here? He looks way younger than Colbert.
JHB, PhD: “You mean you’d take a Nowhere Man?”
Ringo: “Yeah, cmon we’ll take you somewhere”
I like the idea of releasing happier edits of old, downer documentaries. Maybe a new edit of GIMME SHELTER focusing on all the people who had a good time at the concert, or SALESMAN where they all sell some high quality bibles and go out for a nice relaxing beer at the end of a busy, rewarding day.
The Hell’s Angels had a lot of fun at the concert and it’s about time somebody shows them on a better light after the bad wrap they got for all the beatings and kniving
And who HASN’T wanted to punch Marty Balin in the face at least once?
…and STOP being taller than me!
Not to be picking nits, but they recorded the entirety of Abbey Road *after* the January 1970 Let it Be sessions that turned into the film. It’s still fair to call it “final days” I suppose since we’re talking only months more of the group, but they managed to flipping record a whole other masterpiece after this footage!
As an inveterate nitpicker, I feel obliged to point out that Abbey Road was made after the January 1969 Let it Be sessions, but before Let it Be was finalised in early 1970.
DANGIT. I meant January 1969 Let it Be sessions. Now my whole picking of nits has collapsed under its own weight. You win this round, PF77.
Ultimately, I still find the “final days” wording a bit suspect. Not wrong, just feels less than ideal.
I still really want to see Let It Be but Ringo, Paul, and Yoko haven’t allowed it to be rereleased. It’s probably somewhere on the black market, but if I’m going to go down that rabbit hole, I’d rather watch the Star Wars Holiday Special, which is at least unintentionally hilarious.
I think the first time I watched it was on youtube in 15 minute clips, which is fine given the content. I don’t know if it’s still there, but you can definitely find a torrent, if that’s your thing.
It’s really not worth it unless you like watching two hours of people snipe at each other. It’s like the Marriage Story of music docs.
I saw it as a kid and my brother recently gave me a burned copy that he somehow had. It’s very bittersweet. Other than seeing rooftop concert, it’s very cold and almost clinical at times. Not missing a whole lot, I concur. But it’s good to see as a completist I suppose.
Hey, I didn’t find the arguments between Malla and Itchy *that* bad.
Worth it for seeing passive aggressive George tear Paul a new one nicely.
I saw it in the theatres as a double header with Help! Such a bummer comedown after that. The rooftop concert saves it of course.
A restored “Let It Be” is supposed to be in the Blu-ray release of Get Back.
Kinda hate when famous bands refute all the mythology around something when they get older. Like how Mick Jagger says Exile was just some album they did in LA after a jaunt in the South of France or Eric Clapton says he wasn’t really hung up on Patti Harrison. Damnit. I want my rock and roll mythology and if the mythology says the Beatles broke up because they all hated each other that’s how I want it.
Will they show how they bagged all the underaged groupies and the wank fests between George, Paul and John when they got high as a kite? Sorry Ringo, no one wants you in the threesome.