Ringo Starr Said the Press Loved When The Beatles Clapped Back at Them
If history is written by the winners, The Beatles are surely the winners. The historical record, pun intended, of music paints The Beatles as a monumental band in the evolution of rock n’ roll. In the ‘60s, they were just the new young musicians on the scene. Ringo Starr remembers when The Beatles didn’t get such good press, but the media respected them for clapping back.
Starr was a guest on the Broken Record with Rick Rubin podcast on Sept. 21, 2021 to talk about his pandemic EPs. Looking back on the rise of The Beatles, Starr shared how they earned a hostile media’s request.
Ringo Starr and The Beatles came to New York in 1964
The Beatles formed in Liverpool. Early lineups included John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Stuart Sutcliffe or Pete Best. Starr joined the band in 1962. They began releasing hits “Love Me Do” and “Please Please Me.” Please Please Me also became their first album, followed by With The Beatles.
By 1964 they were on their way to the U.S. signaling “The British Invasion.” The Beatles would perform on The Ed Sullivan Show on Feb. 9 and cement their international legacy. It was upon meeting the press on that visit that Starr remembers the pushback.
The U.S. press were ready to hate The Beatles
The Beatles arrived in the States after years of international fanfare already. Starr remembers the cynical reporters gunning for them. It was The Beatles’ no nonsense attitude that endeared them to reporters as much as the music itself.
“The other thing that saved our lives there, we found out from the press,” Starr said on Broken Record. “After Ed Sullivan we all got on a train and went to Washington. We were talking to the press and they said, ‘You know, we’ve all come to sh** on you, to shoot you down. [You’re] from England, who needs it? And you started shouting at us so we love you because we were answering back.’”
Ringo Starr on the Liverpool attitude
These days, it’s not uncommon to see musicians clap back at reporters. Usually, they’re heavy metal or rap artists, but some pop stars do too. Starr said The Beatles brought their attitude from the streets of Liverpool to the American music industry.
“We’re from Liverpool,” Starr continued. “They’re from New York. Oh, what do you think of that? We were giving them what they were giving us and they couldn’t believe it because everyone paid deference to them, ‘Oh, yes it’s very nice, thank you.’”
