Ringo back on the road with All-Starr Band

06/09/2006 5:48 PM, Reuters
Ray Waddell

Ringo Starr is a band man. And while he is best-known for his time spent in a certain other band from Liverpool, the world's most famous drummer is most interested in talking about his current outfit.

Starr is in rehearsals for his ninth All-Starr Band tour, which begins June 14 in Toronto. This year's version will feature Rod Argent, Mark Hudson, Richard Marx, Billy Squier, Edgar Winter and Sheila E. They'll be out for six weeks this summer, with a setlist ranging from Squier's "The Stroke" to Argent's "Hold Your Head Up" to Starr's own "It Don't Come Easy."

Keyboardist Argent, an original member of '60s British Invasion band the Zombies, says Starr's drumming was an influence on "She's Not There" and other early Zombies hits.

"I've always loved Ringo's drumming," Argent says. "His sense of groove, and the way that he introduced patterns into verses of songs had a big impact on me when the Beatles first came out in England around 1962. So the idea of playing with him after all these years is just fantastic."

Even as Argent and the other All-Starrs gear up, Starr's former band is in the news. Apple Corps., which represents the Beatles' business interests, has cut a deal with Cirque du Soleil and the MGM Mirage for a new $30 million show incorporating Beatles music. "Love" will debut in June at a new 2,000-seat theater at the Mirage in Las Vegas.

Additionally, Starr is recording a new album to be released next year. There are also increased signs that the Beatles catalog will finally make its digital debut. Interviewed by phone from London, Starr was polite in discussing his rock'n'roll past, but it is clear his focus is on the future.

Q: WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR ALL-STARR BAND TOURS?

A: The playing. Onstage time is just the best place for me, I love it.

Q: HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT PUTTING THE BAND TOGETHER?

A: It started in 1989 when I just looked in my phone book. (The 1989 lineup included Nils Lofgren, Joe Walsh, Billy Preston, Jim Keltner, Clarence Clemons, Levon Helm and Rick Danko.) And I'd run out of numbers by 1995. Managers submit people they'd like to be in the All-Starrs; sometimes the artists themselves let us know they'd like to be in one. Then I sit with a load of CDs and just feel this would be a good lineup.

Q: THEN YOU JUST START REHEARSALS AND WORK UP A SETLIST?

A: (The band members) have to have had hits in the '60s, '70s, '80s or '90s, now. I've certainly got the hits from the '60s and the '70s, actually. I always say it's like the best "1-800-Band" in the world. You get a chance to see the artists doing their hits, but with this different combination of musicians. And for me, rather than have six bands onstage doing 20 minutes each, it's great to have all the artists. We've got piano, organs, bass guitar, drums, and we all have to learn everybody's songs. The joy is, I support them 100%, and so far, most of the All-Starrs have supported me 100%.

Q: IS TOURING STILL FUN FOR YOU?

A: I've never heard anyone say touring is fun. The playing is what's fun. You have to get on the plane, get in the van, get in these strange hotels to do what I do. I am a musician, I am a drummer, I started playing a long time ago, and I'm still getting this chance, so it's great.

Q: DID YOU MISS IT WHEN THE BEATLES STOPPED TOURING?

A: I didn't miss it when the Beatles stopped touring because we all realized the reason we did stop in those days -- and we were all like 25 -- was that we did a couple or three years and, in all honesty, nobody listened. And that was part of our gig. So we decided to spend more time in the studio. I felt as a musician at the end of the Beatles' touring I was not playing as good as I could because of the noise. You have to remember, we didn't have all the volume we have now. We had those small amps and the house PA wherever we played, including Shea (Stadium in New York).

Q: AND NO IN-EAR MONITORS.

A: None of that. Maybe there would have been a different attitude if we'd have had that at that time.

Q: HOW INVOLVED HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE CIRQUE DU SOLEIL SHOW?

A: George Harrison met (Cirque founder) Guy Laliberte five years ago and he presented the idea to George. And we met with Guy and we had several meetings on our own and we finally came to the decision. I love the Cirque shows anyway, and we did it with our music, and George Martin is now remixing and actually even going a little further than just remixing. He's using other takes on certain stuff. They are the actual (Beatles) recordings, but it could be "take nine." We've all followed the music from day one -- as soon as George got a couple of tracks done, we went to listen to it. And over the last couple of years we keep going to EMI to make sure we love what we're hearing.

George and Giles, his son, have done a great job. I think everyone will be absolutely amazed when they hear what George and Giles have done with the music. I love the music, so that's all I'm involved with. I'm not involved with hiring the acrobats.

Q: AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DO ANY ACROBATICS YOURSELF, I PRESUME?

A: (Laughs) I will not be doing any acrobatics myself, no.

Q: WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR WORK ON THE NEW ALBUM?

A: Right now I'm just finishing up recording so I can have a break before I start rehearsing myself, of course, in my studio to get to know Rod Argent and Billy Squier's numbers. I'm just finishing the album, it probably won't be out this year because of the tour and then I'll want a break. I'll probably finish it 'round about November. That's the plan. It's a CD in the works.

Q: IT SEEMS YOU ENJOY THE BAND MENTALITY AND WORKING OFF THE OTHER PLAYERS.

A: I do, I love bands. I love when we make the records, I like hanging out with the other members. We write the songs and then we get into the studio and play them and work them out, get them down. I've always said I am a band member, I love being in the band. I've always been in bands. From Rory Storm before the Beatles and the Darktown Skiffle Group. It's just something I really enjoy, hanging out with writers and musicians.

Q: HOW WERE YOU AFFECTED BY BUCK OWENS' RECENT DEATH?

A: Buck was great, he was a huge influence in the late '50s and early '60s in country music. As you know, I loved him and I also covered his version of "Act Naturally," and in the '90s we did a duet on it together and put that out. I didn't have a lot of time hanging out with Buck, but for me he was a huge country influence.

Q: THERE IS A LOT OF SPECULATION ABOUT THE BEATLES' MUSIC BECOMING AVAILABLE SOON FOR DIGITAL DOWNLOADING. ANY COMMENT ON THAT?

A: My big comment is, "Yes, the Beatles' music will one day be downloading."

Q: CAN YOU BE A LITTLE MORE VAGUE ABOUT THAT?

A: I can be really vague if you want me to. This is all very exciting, but what we're doing here is plugging the All-Starr Band.

Q: ANY ADVICE YOU'D LIKE TO GIVE TO UP-AND-COMING MUSICIANS?

A: Keep playing. That's all we can do, we keep playing. For me, if you're a musician you're playing for the music, not to be famous, and that's how it works.

Reuters/Billboard