Ringo Star
“It’s unfair that ringo has always attracted criticism from people, some of them drummers, who don’t really know.
“ringo is the classic example of someone doing exactly what is required for that specific song. He didn’t show off what he could do, he was quite happy doing what he did
– which was perfect for the music. There are these whizzkids who can float round the drums at 10,000mph, but for me, the things that he did with The Beatles…
“I think you’ll find that things come round. I get Modern Drummer magazine sent to me, and the guys that can play all acknowledge what Charlie Watts and ringo did. Keith Moon was more obviously special, because he made a point of showing it, and John Bonham was more obviously special, but ringo and Charlie are coming up – as they should do – in terms of respect, and musicians now tend to be more aware of the music than the chops. I don’t care whether ringo can do a single-stroke roll or not, the fact is that the music he contributed to is absolutely amazing.
“The Beatles’ A Day In The Life is not one of my favourite songs, but the figure that he does on that, those ‘drags’, is absolutely perfect. He does things that nobody would have thought of.”