Ringo Starr may have just turned 80, but he can’t be accused of taking it slow. The Beatle drummer kept making music this year, even though it was the first time in years that he couldn’t hit the road with his long-running All-Starr Band. His new single, “Here to the Nights”, is a quintessential Ringo ode to peace and love, just in time to sing the end of a 2020 where everyone had a difficult year. He got a little help from his friends for “Here’s Until Night.” The song features long-distance vocals from friends like Dave Grohl, Lenny Kravitz, Sheryl Crow, Chris Stapleton, Ben Harper, Ringo’s brother-in-law Joe Walsh and many more – including a promising British bassist named Paul McCartney.
Ringo was working in his home studio on a five track EP set for March, with the timely title Zoom in. For one of rock & roll’s most beloved figures – and one of its most sociable legends – it was a challenge to adapt to making music in the age of social detachment. But as he always warned us, it doesn’t come easy. “Here to the Nights” is a wry sing-along with lyrics by Diane Warren. As Ringo says, “New Years Eve, we all hope to sing along with us.”
Sir Ringo celebrated his 80th birthday this summer with a TV special of long-haul jams with friends on board from around the world, including “Helter Skelter” featuring McCartney. He also has two new books in the works. Ringo Rocks: 30 Years of All-Starrs is a retrospective of his ever-changing live supergroup, available through Julien’s Auction, with a foreword by Walsh. He also has a second collection of his paintings, with the beautiful title Painting is my other madness. The world can always use some of that Ringo ghost. But today we need him more than ever.
Ringo spoke through Zoom about “Here to the Nights,” his Beatles days, drumming, painting, how he stayed healthy in quarantine, the revival of the cassette, the new McCartney album, and the wisdom he learned from playing with Levon Helm.
Congratulations on the new song. How did that happen?
Diane Warren wrote it: “These are the nights we will not remember, with the friends we will not forget.” So it has a nice feeling. It’s all about getting together, so it seems appropriate for today. Everyone I know, we’ve all had quite a few nights that we don’t remember. And we’ve all had them with friends we won’t forget.
All these people participated and helped me. We have Paul McCartney, he’s on board. Joe Walsh, Sheryl Crow, Jenny Lewis, Chris Stapleton, Benmont Tench. Dave Grohl and Ben Harper were the first. Lenny Kravitz came in at the last minute. We have Finneas, Yola, Black Pumas. Corinne Bailey Rae sings her heart out. Everyone has a little shout.
Until the pandemic, you had been touring non-stop for all these years.
I love it, that’s why. I would still be there, but I’m afraid no one is there. Everyone moans like me, “We want to go out. I want to hit the road. “The first tour was May, but we didn’t cancel until March. Who knew what this pandemic meant? We’ve got it for next year, but we’ll have to wait and see.
I was disappointed that the pandemic got in the way of my two trips this year. And it gave me a miserable few days because I want to play. So what happened, I made an EP. That helped – I made a plate and painted.
Astonishing. You have more energy than 10 people together.
Nine. [Imitates John Lennon’s voice] “Number nine, number nine …”
The record is called Zoom in, because we are on Zoom. Everything I do is on Zoom. I just thought it was so relevant to the days we live in now. New Years Eve, they all sing with us, we hope. It’s a five track EP, and I know what EPs are. I had a huge collection of EPs.
Everything will come back, I think.
I heard this incredible story that the kids are back in cassettes. I only heard it so you should know more than I do because you work for the music newspaper. It’s unbelievable. Only like 18 months ago I finally got the cassette player out of the system! But now the cassette is back – it’s next to the vinyl player.
It all comes back – music just travels through time.
It does. It’s incredible, and I’m lucky that the band I was in is coming back daily because the kids, every generation, are still discovering the Beatles. It blows me away, in all fairness. Every generation listens to us, you know? Now that we stream, we stream a lot. How great is that? I believe they will plant a little chip in our heads soon. It would be put to music and it would just download instantly.
Surprised by how kids keep discovering the Beatles?
Well, I was always liked by the kids. But I love all the Beatle remasters because now you can hear the drums. When we started, if something had to be lost, it was the bass drum first. It got lower, lower, lower, lower, lower. It was like just playing snare for some songs. And then with Giles [Martin] and the remastering, people can hear the drums and they say, “Is that you?” “Yes that’s me.” So far away. Giles did a great job of that. I love him.
It seems like your music is always about bringing people together, doesn’t it?
That is the job of musicians. That is what we do. That’s why I like to play live. I want to feel that love coming towards me. You know what I mean? Feel that love and give it back – it is spiritual. I think that’s why we’ll continue. I remember when we opened for Helen Shapiro in England [in 1963]. She had a band and we had three songs in the beginning. I was talking to her band and I said, “How old are you? 40? And you are still do it? ”Because at that age you think that is 5 years long. But I’m 80 and I still want to do it.
What is it like to play music over long distances?
Friendship is a very important thing. By doing it on Zoom, we can get together on our own right now. When we played that original “Come Together,” we were all in the same room. Now it’s like, “Okay, here you are, here I am.” “But it’s the only way, so it’s that great musicians use it so much. If this is the only way, okay, then we’ll go with it.
I have always enjoyed dealing with musicians. If you play something, I’ll play with you all night. I have never been able to sit there alone. I just need you to play something and I’ll play with you.
You played with so many friends this summer for your 80th birthday TV special.
Yes, we used to have a few thousand people in Hollywood. We would play bands for my birthday and we would have a cake. This year we couldn’t have any of that. But no one knows what we did – Barbara and I got in the car and drove to Beverly Hills. I bought a “Peace and Love” hand down there. It is seven feet long, a sculpture of my hand. We went there and had a picture taken of it. But don’t tell anyone.
Al have a picture.
That’s all we have. Now go back, Boogaloo. But I get a lot of help from my friends, I’ll tell you!
Your friend Paul McCartney is in your new video. He has his own record coming out, McCartney III.
Yes, he plays everything. This is stage three for him, or series three, and it only took him 50 years. I came up here with him at Dodger Stadium. We are good friends. When he’s in town he comes, and when I make a record I usually keep a track for him. He is still the most brilliant bass player in my life. There are a lot of really good players out there, but I don’t know of any that are as melodic as he is, and he gets it right away. When we were in the band together we had to have a few small conversations like the bassist and the drummer so we wouldn’t step on each other. But if we stepped on each other twice, that was a lot.
You also have a new book on the All-Starr Band. How did that happen?
It’s all about the 30 years of the All-Starr Band. I put the tape together in 1989 – I thought, “You don’t have a tape,” so I opened my phone book and I called people and everyone said “yes”. The first All-Starr Band, I’m on drums, but we had Levon Helm because he plays and sings. And then I was so insecure, I had Jim Keltner on the other side of me. We had three drummers!
We’ve had so many great players in the band. I keep switching bands, but only for the songs. The All-Starrs’ trick was to make the hits, and I was tired of begging Todd Rundgren every night to do “Bang the Drum.” He wanted to do everything except “Bang the Drum.” “Todd, you have to do it. They know ‘Bang the Drum’. But everyone is doing their best. That’s all we can ask for. I mean sometimes I’ve missed a break.
It’s hard to imagine you ever missed it a break.
I think two in 30 years isn’t bad. But Levon was great because some nights you play, you give it your all, just something doesn’t work. He saw me walk away and said, “It’s okay, boss. We’ll get them tomorrow. “So I’ve kept that in mind ever since, really.
I’ve always wanted it to be a band. I can’t go there alone [sings in crooner voice] “I Did It My Way”, with drums only. It’s not going to work. So I always have to play with someone. I love to hang out with musicians and play all night long. I don’t play alone. Never found this exciting.
With this new song, “Here to the Nights”, I called Dave Grohl and Ben Harper – they were the first. I said, “What are you doing Monday? Well, I got this song and I want you to put some vocals on it for me.” “Okay.” The doorbell rings, here they are. So I go to the other room where the drums sound great and we play. I love that.
What about your other new book, of your painting?
It is called Painting is my other madness because I always say, “Drumming is my madness.” Painting is what kept me alive during the pandemic – making that EP and painting.
Two books and a record – you make everyone else look lazy!
[Laughs heartily.] Well, get off and do it!