Ringo Starr Tried on His Old ‘Sgt. Pepper’ Outfit & Here’s What Happened
Even decades after his heyday, Ringo Starr remains one of the most well-known drummers on the planet. Perhaps the most famous image of him from his time with the Beatles is the cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Something surprising happened when he put on his suit again.
The most famous suits in music history?
Part of the reason why the Beatles are so beloved is because they were masters of psychedelia and whimsy. Their greatness came through both in their music and in the visual side of their career. In addition to some great movies, the Fab Four produced some iconic album covers.
Among the most iconic is the cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The strange, vibrantly colored suits John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr wear on the cover encapsulate the avant-garde fashion of the era. Like much of the Beatles work from this period, the album cover could be seen as both Lewis Carroll-style family-friendly weirdness and a reflection of 1960s LSD culture.
The image of the Beatles in those suits is remembered by many, including Beatles fans and those who are only familiar with the band’s work through cultural osmosis. Some fans like the suits so much they’ve cosplayed wearing them or worn them as Halloween costumes. Apparently, they also matter to Ringo quite a bit.
Ringo Starr surprises us all
According to iHeartRadio, Ringo sat down for an interview with Extra. During the interview, he discussed numerous photographs from his 50-plus years as a musician. Discussing a photo of himself in his famous Sgt. Pepper suit, Ringo said “the suit still fits!”
For those who aren’t keeping track, AllMusic reports Sgt. Pepper was released in 1967. It’s very surprising Ringo would still be able to fit in that suit after five decades have passed. Many Beatles fans feel Ringo stopped visibly aging after a certain point. This anecdote only validates their view. It’s also interesting to hear Ringo occasionally reminisces about the past by wearing his old clothes.
Harrison Ford finds himself in a similar situation
Ringo isn’t the only major celebrity to find himself in this situation. In 2007, the world was treated to the most recent Indiana Jones film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. According to The Spokesman-Review, the film was released 18 years after the previous entry in the series, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. To the surprise of many fans, Harrison Ford reprised the role after such a long time.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull features the title character wearing the trademark outfit he wore in the first three films of the series. Ford was initially worried he wouldn’t be able to fit into his old pants, but he did. Kathleen Kennedy, one of the executive producers of the film, commented “I have to say, he looks amazing. He looks fantastic in the outfit.” Who would have thought that Ringo and Ford would be birds of a feather?
