Ringo Starr

Ringo Starr

	Oh, it always seemed '..and then there's Ringo' when it came to speaking about the Beatles, at least to me. But I saw him perform with Frampton, Brooker and Bruce on his bill at Pine Knob in Michigan in the summer of 1997 -- and suddenly, there seemed a lot to say.
I was impressed, especially with the quality of his playing and singing, and his grinning but important comment on 'The No-No Song', which was 'This song is why I am here with you today.' Laugh -- as we all did, but I felt deep gratitude to him for not only saying this, but reflecting this older, wiser philosophy in his music. Memories from the past include Ringo smiling charmingly at the Ed Sullivan cameras, and his poignant and brilliant solo performance -- his debut as an actor -- in 'A Hard Day's Night.' It was hard not to think that perhaps in this scenario where Ringo was the most ignored of the Beatles, that some of his inspiration as an actor arose from his own experience. He has cited unhappy times in his life as a Beatle, including substance abuse and depression. But to see him in his glory as a central figure at Pine Knob, I wonder if life hasn't brought, along with maturity as a performer, a kind of settledness or contentment for Ringo. Sure hope so. A fine musician, actor and showman, this one.