Ringo, you are the greatest

Coinciding with the publication of the vinyl box set of their first records in the US edition, Sprea is sending out on newsstands a special issue of “Classic Rock” dedicated to the Beatles, 116 pages edited by Maurizio Becker, Luca Perasi and Luigi Abramo, with lyrics written by last two. From the contents of the magazine, richly illustrated, the publisher has kindly allowed us to extract the two pages signed by Luigi Abramo dedicated to the profile of Ringo Starr, whose album “Look up” is imminently released.

Freddie Mercury. David Bowie. Elton John. Sting. Bob Dylan. Good. Joe Strummer. Iggy Pop…
Better to stop, because the list of stage names on the Rock planet is truly very long.

Yet, if they asked us point-blank to name one, the instinct of many of us would go to find his own, from the archives of our memory, as if he had invented the concept, as if from that race of fantastic musical aliens who he changes identity when he comes into contact with us, he was the first: Ringo Starr. Perhaps for that Ziegfeld Follies atmosphere that it evokes, a mixture of a dusty western hero for kids and a sign made of light bulbs in Times Square, perhaps because this must also be added to the mysterious magic that characterizes many of the Beatles’ history, perhaps for some bizarre mnemonic mechanism to explore further. Or, more probably, because unlike those we have mentioned, his name does not hide the rock star framed by the brightest spotlight, the transgressively made-up face, the look of a leader, the tired expression of a modern-day messiah. But a simple and ironic man, too often branded as a very lucky wingman, who was and is a fundamental and irreplaceable element of the myth.

Biographer Bob Spitz does not exaggerate when he uses Dickens and the harshest atmospheres of his coming-of-age novels to describe the unfortunate childhood of Ritchie, born in Liverpool in 1940. For those who know the dynamics of the city of that time, it is sufficient to hear Dingle, the name of the area where the Starkeys lived, to understand how the environment was already not the best, in fact the opposite. To complete the picture, a father soon to be a wild bird and, above all, numerous important health problems. In a coma for several days at the age of 6, as a result of peritonitis, and a 12-month hospitalization that left him
behind in his studies, Richard struggled for years to catch up, but in 1953 tuberculosis forced him into hospital for two years. To facilitate motor rehabilitation and overcome boredom, Richard joins the hospital band, developing an interest in percussion: it is the birth of a love that will last forever. Thanks to the excellent relationship with his stepfather Harry Graves, who
introduces him to big bands and great performers, Starkey deepens his passion and when Harry gives him his first drum kit, rudimentary as it is, Starkey’s fate is sealed.

The explosion of skiffle creates a “fall out” of new groups everywhere in the United Kingdom and the boy is not immune: after various militancy in different bands, he lands on the drummer’s stool of one of the best in Liverpool, recently renamed Rory Storm & the Hurricanes.

At the suggestion of Rory, who sees his hands full of rings, Richard Starkey becomes Ringo Starr. From here on, without rhetoric, it’s history: the Beatles meeting in Hamburg, George Martin who is not happy with Pete Best, a reluctant Brian Epstein in charge of dumping him, the proposal to join the group and Ringo is a Beatle. Forever.

Today, after years and years of short-sighted criticism (not all of it, obviously) and superficial analyzes regarding his role in the band, I can affirm
that the Beatles’ journey without Ringo would have been much less brilliant is not only possible, but necessary. Humanly, Ringo immediately turns out to be the missing piece: unlike Pete, he is in complete harmony with the communication style of the other three, with their caustic irony and bizarre sense of humor. But even more, his mild character, who seeks the good in everything, allows him to establish balanced individual bonds with each of his bandmates, of whom he manages to manage the dark sides: the passive-aggressive behavior of the more moody Lennon, the McCartney’s sometimes unbearable fussiness, Harrison’s grumpiness. This does not mean that he is willing to bite the bullet or not to assert his opinions: as is known, he leaves without hesitation when the atmosphere becomes unbearable, during the sessions of the “White Album”, and is then welcomed back by his companions who have adorned his drum set with flowers, for example, or refuses to play for the “How Do You Sleep?” of John (unlike Harrison) judging the anti-Paul invective of the text to be exaggerated.

But, above all, Ringo is a drummer of great quality. Equipped with a rocky sense of time, he plays a right-handed kit despite being left-handed, creating unique and elegant fills (“Come Together” docet); fanatic about tunings, he deviates from the standard ones by lowering the tension of his drums, his style of hitting the hi-hat “sweeping” creates different touches in each song and his use of toms within the patterns is innovatively creative (” Ticket To Ride”, “Tomorrow Never Knows”, “Rain”).
What then makes his contribution to the compositions unique is his uncommon sense in capturing the “essence” of the piece, of which he puts himself at its complete service, developing a very rare “taking away” contribution that has inspired generations of drummers.

“When we played in the same band, we talked a little, bass player to drummer, so as not to step on each other’s toes. If it happened twice it was an event,” he will say, recalling the days with Paul. The admiration of instrumentalists such as Stewart Copeland (“His use of cymbals was unique”), Chad Smith (“He had a magical touch”), Dave Grohl (“If you can make people dance just by hitting two drums, you’re number uno”), Abe Laboriel Jr., Max Weinberg and many others, who claim to have become drummers only thanks to his inspiration, is enough to confirm the concept that, with self-irony, he had chosen as the title of one of his albums: Ringo, you are the greatest. .

Louis Abraham