Ringo Starr, the legendary former Beatles drummer, sat down with the BBC at the Sunset Marquis hotel in West Hollywood to discuss his new country album, Long Long Road, and reflect on a career built on live performance. "I made all my mistakes on stage," Starr said, emphasizing the importance of playing with others rather than practicing alone.
At 85, Starr remains energetic and defies his age, often greeting people with his signature "Peace and love." He credits Los Angeles with giving him a positive outlook, having lived there since the 1970s. "I love the heat and the light," he said. "It's just been a good place for me."
Long Long Road features collaborations with Sheryl Crow, Billy Strings, and St. Vincent, and was co-written and produced by T Bone Burnett. Starr praised Burnett's Nashville connections, noting that top musicians often drop in to play. "Country music is very cool now," Starr remarked, referencing Beyoncé's Grammy-winning Cowboy Carter.
Starr's love for country music dates back to his childhood in Liverpool, which he calls "the capital of country music in England." Merchant navy workers brought records from around the world, including Texas country. After school, Starr planned to move to Texas to be near blues legend Lightnin' Hopkins, but the paperwork deterred him.
Though he only wrote two songs for The Beatles—"Don't Pass Me By" and "Octopus's Garden"—Starr recalled that his bandmates initially laughed at his early attempts. "All I'd done is rewritten another song," he said. Now, his songwriting earns respect from Paul McCartney, with whom he recently collaborated on McCartney's upcoming album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane.
Starr will tour the western US in May and June, performing with two drum sets on stage—one for himself and one for Gregg Bissonette, who takes over when Starr sings. Asked if it's hard to be Ringo Starr's drummer, he laughed: "No, we have a lot of fun."
Addressing myths, Starr confirmed he coined "A Hard Day's Night" and was the first Beatle to smoke pot. He also revealed he has never eaten pizza or curry. Regarding Barry Keoghan, who plays him in Sam Mendes's upcoming Beatles films, Starr said they simply "hung out" rather than doing deep research. He visited the set and had to remind himself these are fictional films, not documentaries. Asked if he's worried about box office performance, Starr replied simply, "No."