2 of The Monkees Agreed Who Was the Best Beatle
The Monkees didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but two of them agreed on the identity of their favorite Beatle. The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork both referred to the same Beatle as their favorite. They both explained why one member of the band connected to them the most. Notably, the Beatle in question has a reputation for being charismatic.
1 of The Monkees was drinking buddies with 2 Beatles
The Monkees and The Beatles are often compared to one another and they followed similar career trajectories. Both groups started out making bubblegum pop before going psychedelic and breaking up in the early 1970s. Beyond that, the bands crossed paths interpersonally.
During a 2017 interview with Cleveland Scene, Dolenz discussed interacting with three of The Beatles. “I would say by far the person I spent the most time with probably would have been Ringo,” Dolenz shares. “He moved out to LA and spent a lot of time there in the ’70s and we had a lot of mutual friends like Harry Nilsson, the singer/songwriter. I also spent time with John and Paul.” Dolenz, Ringo, John, Nilsson, Alice Cooper, and The Who’s Keith Moon were all part of a group of drinking buddies called the Hollywood Vampires.
The Monkees’ Peter Tork said Ringo Starr was ‘open and human’
Tork made some similar observations about the “Back Off Boogaloo” singer. “He is my favorite Beatle,” he recalled. “It truly was Ringo that I found to be the most open and human.”
Tork also expressed some interest in Ringo’s post-Beatles career. “He does his ‘Ringo All-Star’ show every so often and whenever it’s in the neighborhood I catch it and go backstage and say ‘Hi,'” Tork said. “We have a number of interests in common and we catch up. He’s a sweetie. He’s just a total sweetheart.”
John Lennon revealed what he thought of The Beatles after the fact
The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono features an interview from 1980. In it, John had a lot to say about Ringo’s talent. He revealed that being an artist came easy to the “It Don’t Come Easy” singer. John noted that Ringo was well-known as a drummer in Liverpool before joining the Fab Four. On top of that, John opined that Ringo would have become famous as a drummer, a singer, or an actor regardless of what group he joined. By the time John made those comments, Ringo had released several hits as a solo artist and he had appeared in many films, often in comedy parts.
While the “Imagine” singer had plenty of positive things to say about Ringo, he didn’t play favorites. He did, however, reveal he had issues with George Harrison’s autobiography I, Me, Mine. “You see, I am slightly resentful of George’s book, but don’t get me wrong — I still love those guys,” he said. “The Beatles are over, but John, Paul, George, and Ringo go on.” Just because John had moved on from the Fab Four and become a family man didn’t mean he lost his love for his fellow Beatles.
All you need is love — and Dolenz, Tork, and John all showed some love for Ringo.
