Ringo claims Beatles were 'lucky' to get him

[peregrine9]

London Evening Standard
May 24, 2011
Ringo claims Beatles were 'lucky' to get him

Ringo Starr has claimed The Beatles were lucky to have him as their drummer
The 70-year-old musician - who replaced former drummer Pete Best two years after the original line-up was formed - claimed he was better known in Liverpool than The Beatles when he joined, and they were fortunate he chose to work with them.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/showbiz/article-23953009-ringo-claims-beatles-were-lucky-to-get-him.do

[chris]

ordinarily i am not glad to see someone self appoint their own greatness or importance. it never comes off well. but i'm okay with ringo saying this. and i think he's right. there were better drummers out there. but he fit their style to a "t". even if he was told by the chief songwriter how to play. and ringo has always been so humble. he can toot his own horn all he wants (any reference to any 70's activities he may or may not have done are in this case purely accidental).

[Greg]

Yep.
I have no problem with him saying that.  Also, I don't think he said it meaning that if not for him they would have been terrible.  It's also the truth; they were lucky to get him.  They were lucky that the guy was late for that appointment with Brian, causing Brian to walk off, and the guy down the hall told him about George Martin, etc etc.
But yeah...good ol' Ringo.  He's right.

[Borris]

This is the third Beatle article I'm commenting on today and it strikes me that the press just love stories of conflict and they are more than happy to distort the truth to get them.

For me there is no doubt that Ringo was important for the Beatles, he was the best actor, he had the right personality and it came across in the songs he sung. He also offhandly tossed off some great song titles Hard Day's Night and Tomorrow Never Knows. I also think his drumming is spot on.

[DazedOblivion]

Thanks for linking the article. The "lucky to have me" part of the article is not as troubling to me as this controversy over who should be considered the "Last Beatle". I agree with what Borris says about the media - they revel in a controversy and Ringo's comments are possibly being given a deliberate spin. Still, if any of this is true, then it's disappointing that either one, Ringo or Paul, would lay claim to himself as the "Last Beatle". I would imagine John saying that there could be no such thing, and that further it would be pathetic to covet the title of "Last Ex-Beatle". It sounds like Ringo is resentful of Paul's brushoffs regarding the All Starr Band and, as people get older, they are not as good at keeping their emotions in check. Perhaps there is something in the way Paul has acted with respect to the Beatles legacy that has given offense. It's a shame that Paul and Ringo would be at odds this far down the trail.

[Borris]

Thanks for linking the article. The "lucky to have me" part of the article is not as troubling to me as this controversy over who should be considered the "Last Beatle". I agree with what Borris says about the media - they revel in a controversy and Ringo's comments are possibly being given a deliberate spin.

I really wouldn't worry about this. I'd rather trust the following comment from this article:

"Read the original interview. The comments about the last remaining Beatle referred to the Comic Relief sketch (if you haven't seen it, check it out on youtube). Ringo and Paul record together and are friends (or "pals"). The comment that Paul is too busy relates to Paul joining the All Starr band and was clearly tongue in cheek. The original feature was good, it is a shame that the headlines misrepresented and sensationalised what was an insightful interview

- sally, chalfont, 25/05/2011 08:06"

Here's the clip with the last remaining Beatle comment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW12S4-KB1I

[DazedOblivion]

Thanks for the clarification. Wow! The writer certainly did a very poor job at setting the context of Ringo's statements. As someone not up to date on Ringo's present feelings, I honestly did not get from the article any sense of "tongue in cheek" and it was very misleading. Glad to know Paul and Ringo are still pals, then.