Ringo Starr by no means appeared to have hassle making mates. The drummer as soon as mentioned becoming a member of The Beatles was like going to highschool since he didn’t know the different three. Despite the fact that the Liverpool musicians knew of one another, Ringo had a steep studying curve when he took over the drum equipment. Nonetheless, he shaped tight bonds together with his Fab 4 bandmates. Ringo shaped quick friendships with different musicians, too, but he was by no means secure from just a little good-natured harassment from Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham, and Ringo appeared to deal with it effectively.
Ringo Starr shaped quick friendships with non-Beatles musicians
Ringo unsurprisingly shaped shut bonds together with his Beatles bandmates after becoming a member of the fray. That ability prolonged past the band and got here into sharp focus when the Fab 4 fractured.
The drummer had an intimate relationship with a drummer who as soon as needed to interchange him in The Beatles. When the band broke up, Ringo harnessed considered one of his passions to contribute to a T. Rex album, however not as a drummer. He and Harry Nilsson turned quick mates.
Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham as soon as mentioned his band’s recognition got here from not being like The Beatles. That little bit of criticism didn’t cease Ringo and Bonham from forming a friendship or forestall Ringo from enduring some good-natured harassment from Bonham.
Ringo was by no means secure from Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham’s antics: ‘Day or night he didn’t care’
Ringo solid a sturdy performing profession when The Beatles broke up. (He began performing whereas the band was collectively however devoted extra time to the display screen in the Seventies). One in every of his early post-Beatles tasks was Son of Dracula. The in any other case forgettable movie had plenty of musical firepower.
Ringo and Nilsson had starring roles. Bonham, Peter Frampton, Bobby Keyes, Leon Russell, and longtime Beatles compatriot Klaus Voormann appeared in the film. That was Bonham’s solely brush with Hollywood, however he all the time made some extent to go to Ringo’s home when Led Zeppelin visited Los Angeles. And Bonham by no means missed an opportunity to harass Ringo when he dropped by.
Ringo was by no means secure from Bonham when he was poolside, as Michael Seth Starr writes in With a Little Assist:
“There was a party every night. John Bonham would always get a bee in his bonnet. Whenever he was in LA, he would drive up to my house, grab me and throw me in the pool. Day or night, he didn’t care.”
Ringo Starr describes John Bonham’s visits to his home
Not many individuals would take kindly to being thrown right into a pool, however Ringo was by no means like most different folks. He knew Bonham would pull some sort of prank when he visited, and it looks like Ringo took all of it in stride. That’s simply par for the course with him, although.
The way in which he dealt with Bonzo’s pranks says all of it about Ringo
Becoming a member of The Beatles won’t have been straightforward, however Ringo’s easy-going persona made it simpler to get in with the group. Ringo all the time displayed that perspective, which nearly says all of it about why the drummer all the time made quick mates.
Ringo’s good-natured state of mind was current in the Fab 4. The band’s farting prompted horrible hassle after they had been caught in vans whereas touring England in the early days, however the drummer helped them determine how to not make it a difficulty. Ringo was all the time fast with a joke or self-deprecating quip, which helped The Beatles deal with their fame in a different way from Elvis Presley.
Rocker Todd Rundgren, who performed in three iterations of the All-Starr Band, mentioned Ringo was the extra approachable Beatle over John Lennon or Paul McCartney as a result of he lacked pretense. The drummer was all the time snug in his pores and skin, even when that pores and skin was soaking moist as a result of John Bonham simply threw him in the pool.
The drummer solid friendships lengthy after his Beatles days and solo peak
Ringo and Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh shaped a quick friendship after they met for the first time in the Seventies. Their bond has grown stronger over the years. Walsh turned Ringo’s brother-in-law in 2008. Years earlier than the wedding ceremony ceremony, Walsh was a featured participant in the first two All-Starr Bands and a frequent visitor in the years that adopted.
Ringo and fellow drummer Jim Keltner, one other former All-Starr Band member and contributor, have a decent bond. The previous Beatles timekeeper usually offers shout-outs to his mates on Twitter, together with Voormann, Steve Lukather, Richard Marx, Keith Alison, and Gregg Bissonette.
Ringo Starr was by no means secure from John Bonham’s antics, even at his residence. Nonetheless, The Beatles drummer’s good-natured perspective over the years all however ensures he by no means minded an impromptu dip in the pool from Led Zeppelin’s timekeeper.
For extra on the leisure world and unique interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.