Richard Starkey celebrated his 70th birthday yesterday in New York's Time Square. Starkey is better known as Ringo Starr, the drummer for The Beatles. He is also currently my favorite of the "Fab Four". I say "currently" because I tend to go through phases. You know, there are times when we all love John Lennon for his forward thinking song writing, and who doesn't think at times "man, Paul McCartney looks cool playing left handed bass!" And of course, George Harrison can easily improve my mood by reminding me that "Here Comes the Sun". But for now, Ringo is the man.
Why? The answer, much like the man himself, is both simple and complicated.
Ringo's drumming abilities have often been criticized, even by himself. He openly admits that he had technical deficiencies playing rolls around the drumset, partially due to the fact that he was playing a right-handed kit as a left-handed drummer. When John Lennon was asked if Ringo was the best drummer in the world, he replied jokingly "He's not even the best drummer in the Beatles!" However, he has also been recognized for his incredible influence in the drumming world by some of the best in the field. Journey's Steve Smith summed it up by saying “ Before Ringo, drum stars were measured by their soloing ability and virtuosity. Ringo’s popularity brought forth a new paradigm in how the public saw drummers. We started to see the drummer as an equal participant in the compositional aspect. One of Ringo’s great qualities was that he composed unique, stylistic drum parts for the Beatles songs." Paul McCartney once sent Ringo a post card saying "You're the greatest drummer in the world. Really."
Personally, Ringo is the one who drew me (and I'm sure many others) in as a Beatles fan at a young age. He is so funny and has a strange charisma that really appealed to me, and still does. I remember watching "The Yellow Submarine" for the first time and being really taken in by his character with lines like "Must be one of those unidentified flying cupcakes." and "I've got a hole in me pocket." Check out this clip which features Ringo to see what I mean:
Ultimately, I think most us are a little like Ringo - We are all under appreciated at times, and we all have our critics. And yet, we each have the ability to make bring a smile to our best friends and to total strangers. This universal human connection is what makes Ringo stand out to me today.
May the Beat go on!
