Ringo Starr Said He Was Angry for 20 Years After The Beatles Broke Up
TL;DR:
- Ringo Starr was a late addition to The Beatles.
- Ringo Starr said that he was angry for a long time after the band broke up.
- Years after The Beatles broke up, Ringo Starr said he has calmed down.
Ringo Starr spent years of his life dedicated to The Beatles and found it difficult to cope after the band broke up. He explained that for two decades, he stewed about the end of the band and tried to cope with it using alcohol. He said that because of this, many of his post-Beatle years are a blur to him. These days, though, Starr says he’s dedicated himself to his health.
Ringo Starr joined The Beatles later than the other members
Starr joined The Beatles in 1962, replacing the original drummer, Pete Best. His bandmates quickly realized that he would be a good fit in the group.
“The first few minutes that Ringo is playing, I look to the left at George and to the right to John, and we didn’t say a word, but I remember thinking, ‘S***, this is amazing,'” Paul McCartney told Rolling Stone in 2015. “Look, I love Led Zeppelin, but you watch them playing and you can see them looking back at John Bonham, like, ‘What the hell are you doing — this is the beat.’ You could turn your back on Ringo and never have to worry. He both gave you security and you knew he was going to nail it.”
Starr spent the next eight years with the band.
Ringo Starr said he was angry for years after The Beatles broke up
In 1970, after several years of rising tensions, The Beatles broke up. For some members, like George Harrison, the split was a relief. Starr, however, was upset.
“I was mad,” he said, per the New York Daily News. “For 20 years. I had breaks in between of not being.”
He explained that he began to rely on alcohol as a way to lessen his anger, which led to blank spots in his memory.
“I was drunk,” he said. “I didn’t notice … some of those years are absolutely gone.”
In 1988, however, Starr and his wife Barbara Bach entered rehab together, and he is now sober.
He said he has relaxed with age
In more recent years, Starr has thrown himself into maintaining a healthy lifestyle. He has allergies, so has always paid attention to his diet, but he converted to a vegetarian diet as well.
“I do live healthily,” Starr explained. “I’m a vegetarian and I eat a lot of kale and broccoli. And a lot of berries. It works for me.”
He explained that he works out frequently and tries to stay as active as possible. Those around him have noticed the way his lifestyle changes have impacted him.
“Every time I see Ringo, he smells of kale,” joked Joe Walsh, The Eagles guitarist, and Starr’s brother-in-law.
How to get help: In the U.S., contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
