Paul McCartney and John Lennon Could Be ‘Quite Rude’ to Ringo Starr When He Made Mistakes
Ringo Starr was an accomplished drummer, which kept his bandmates, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, happy. They held a great deal of creative control in the band and wanted to ensure that Starr’s drumming lived up to their expectations. They would tell him how they wanted a certain drum part to sound. When Starr made mistakes, they could be very rude to him.
The drummer was the last person to join the band
Originally, The Beatles had Pete Best as their drummer. In 1962, they replaced him with Starr.
“[Beatles manager Brian Epstein] said, ‘Pete, I don’t know how to tell you this. The boys want you out’ — those were the words — ‘and it’s already been arranged,'” Best told the Telegraph in 2018. “That was another key word. Arranged. Ringo joined the band on Saturday. It was a closed shop. I asked why and he said, ‘Because they think he’s a better drummer.’ The bomb was dropped.”
McCartney knew Starr would be a good fit for the band when he filled in for a sick Best. He nailed a difficult part as McCartney, Lennon, and George Harrison watched in awe. They invited him to join the band, and not long after, The Beatles’ popularity skyrocketed.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon could be rude to Ringo Starr
Though Lennon and McCartney were impressed by Starr’s drumming, they had little patience for his mistakes. They told him exactly how they wanted the songs to sound.
“That was one of the earliest heavy-metal records made,” Lennon said of the song “Ticket to Ride,” per the book Ringo: With a Little Help by Michael Seth Starr. “Paul’s contribution was the way Ringo played the drums.”
When Starr couldn’t immediately master what they were telling him to do, they lashed out at him. Still, their frustration rarely lasted long.
“John and Paul could be quite rude to Ringo when he was having trouble with his fills, but once the song was recorded and done with, they would be fine with him again,” Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick said.
Ringo Starr learned that Paul McCartney and John Lennon both felt left out
Starr eventually grew so fed up with this kind of treatment that he decided to quit the band.
“On the White Album, I left the band,” Starr said in an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “And I left the band because I didn’t think I was being part of it and I wasn’t playing great, and you know, I always was that guy… I went and knocked at John [Lennon] ‘s door, and I said, ‘man, I feel you three are so close, and I’m out of it,’ and he goes, ‘I thought it was you three.'”
He soon found that McCartney also felt the same way.
“Then I went to Paul [McCartney’s door],” he said, “and I said ‘hi man, yeah, you know, I’ve got to tell you I feel like I’m not part of the band and I’m not playing good,’ and I said ‘it’s you three are really close’ and he says, ‘I thought it was you three.'”
Starr remained with the band until they permanently split in 1970.
