Please consider registering
Guest
sp_LogInOut Log Insp_Registration Register
Register | Lost password?
Advanced Search
Forum Scope


Match



Forum Options



Minimum search word length is 3 characters - maximum search word length is 84 characters
sp_Feed sp_TopicIcon
Ringo: With a Little Help, by Michael Starr (Ringo Biography)
19 June 2015
6.26am
mstarr
A Beginning
Members
Forum Posts: 6
Member Since:
8 April 2015
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

That should be July 23 in the U.K. for Ringo: With a Little Help .

The book’s pub. date here in the U.S. is July 7th (Ringo’s 75th birthday)…then a little later in the U.K.

I will be on Good Morning America in early July to talk about the book, and have some other TV/radio appearances lined up, including Access Hollywood and Tavis Smiley.

Will keep you all posted.

Best,

Michael

19 June 2015
7.54am
Avatar
Ahhh Girl
sailing on a winedark open sea
Moderator

Moderators

Members

Reviewers
Forum Posts: 22213
Member Since:
20 August 2013
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Thanks for catching my mistake, @mstarr. I edited my post.

Out of sheer curiosity, did your surname spur your interest in Ringo?

19 June 2015
11.19am
mstarr
A Beginning
Members
Forum Posts: 6
Member Since:
8 April 2015
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

It’s a happy coincidence…..

The following people thank mstarr for this post:

Ahhh Girl
19 June 2015
11.47am
Avatar
Ahhh Girl
sailing on a winedark open sea
Moderator

Moderators

Members

Reviewers
Forum Posts: 22213
Member Since:
20 August 2013
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Cool. 🙂

I wonder if I am sick or have a headache or something. a-hard-days-night-george-10 I need to leave work because my Amazon app just popped up with the message that my copy has been delivered.

19 June 2015
11.53am
Avatar
Beatlebug
Find me where ye echo lays
Moderator

Moderators
Forum Posts: 18181
Member Since:
15 February 2015
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

If not, we can quickly give you a headache. Minions! Go and derail all the threads! As many, as fast as you can; and also start duplicate threads! 

Just trying to do you a favour… a-hard-days-night-john-1

The following people thank Beatlebug for this post:

Ahhh Girl

([{BRACKETS!}])
New to Forumpool? You can introduce yourself here.
If you love The Beatles Bible, and you have adblock, don't forget to white-list this site!
whiteheart.png
avatar_creative_signature_Hmm.pngStarSpangledBanner.png

19 June 2015
11.56am
Avatar
Starr Shine?
Waiting in the sky
Apple rooftop
Members
Forum Posts: 16105
Member Since:
1 November 2013
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Silly Girl said
If not, we can quickly give you a headache. Minions! Go and derail all the threads! As many, as fast as you can; and also start duplicate threads! 

Just trying to do you a favour… a-hard-days-night-john-1

Or we could just have her play truth or dare with us . . 

The following people thank Starr Shine? for this post:

Ahhh Girl

https://youtu.be/52nwiTs7bk8

Brainwashed by RadiantCowbells.

If you can't log in and can't use the forum go here and someone will help you out.

19 June 2015
12.06pm
Avatar
meanmistermustard
Thankfully not where I am.
Moderator
Members

Reviewers


Moderators
Forum Posts: 24950
Member Since:
1 May 2011
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Silly Girl said
If not, we can quickly give you a headache. Minions! Go and derail all the threads! As many, as fast as you can; and also start duplicate threads! 

Just trying to do you a favour… a-hard-days-night-john-1

You might give @Ahhh Girl a headache but us mods will give you something far worse. First we’ll make you listen to the records in this thread.

"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)

19 June 2015
12.10pm
Avatar
Beatlebug
Find me where ye echo lays
Moderator

Moderators
Forum Posts: 18181
Member Since:
15 February 2015
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

@meanmistermustard said

Silly Girl said
If not, we can quickly give you a headache. Minions! Go and derail all the threads! As many, as fast as you can; and also start duplicate threads! 

Just trying to do you a favour… a-hard-days-night-john-1

You might give @Ahhh Girl a headache but us mods will give you something far worse. First we’ll make you listen to the records in this thread.

oh-so-youre-a-moderator-tell-me-more-about-how-you-contribute-any-more-than-the-rest.jpgImage Enlarger

Nah, I think I’ll just stick to this one. 

([{BRACKETS!}])
New to Forumpool? You can introduce yourself here.
If you love The Beatles Bible, and you have adblock, don't forget to white-list this site!
whiteheart.png
avatar_creative_signature_Hmm.pngStarSpangledBanner.png

20 June 2015
6.29am
Avatar
Zig
The Toppermost of the Poppermost
Apple rooftop
Members

Reviewers
Forum Posts: 9832
Member Since:
14 April 2010
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Happily found my copy in the mailbox yesterday. Upon opening it, the book looked wonderful and felt great in my hands – even the paper it is printed on feels top notch. This morning, I read the intro and the first handful of pages. Though very early into it, I have a great feeling about it.

If Mr. Starr delivers what he promises in the intro, it will be THE Ringo bio we have all been waiting for, without biased opinions about his drumming and too much focus on the Beatles (seems almost sacrilegious to say that).

Thank you, @mstarr .

apple01mal-evans

 

.

The following people thank Zig for this post:

Ahhh Girl

To the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.

20 June 2015
9.59am
Avatar
Ahhh Girl
sailing on a winedark open sea
Moderator

Moderators

Members

Reviewers
Forum Posts: 22213
Member Since:
20 August 2013
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

I just sat down in a chair in the shade on my front porch. Time to crack open this lovely book.

The following people thank Ahhh Girl for this post:

Zig
20 June 2015
7.44pm
Avatar
Ahhh Girl
sailing on a winedark open sea
Moderator

Moderators

Members

Reviewers
Forum Posts: 22213
Member Since:
20 August 2013
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

I’m going through chapter 3. The first song on Ringo’s new album is on a constant loop in my head.

23 June 2015
12.14pm
Avatar
Zig
The Toppermost of the Poppermost
Apple rooftop
Members

Reviewers
Forum Posts: 9832
Member Since:
14 April 2010
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Still loving this book!

Having a book focused solely on Ringo is refreshing as we get more details about his pre-Beatles years and stories I have not read about in other books. Some of you may be familiar with some of the stories and early childhood mates, but they are new to me. There are different takes on some of the legends (I won’t go into what as I am not Johnny Spolier) based on the memories of folk Mr. Starr has interviewed or requoted. But he is careful (and smart enough) to not give the impression that his written word is gospel. After all, memories get jumbled, exaggerated, etc… after time. Yours truly is a perfect example of that.

More to come as I get further into it.

The following people thank Zig for this post:

Ahhh Girl

To the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.

23 June 2015
12.54pm
Avatar
Ahhh Girl
sailing on a winedark open sea
Moderator

Moderators

Members

Reviewers
Forum Posts: 22213
Member Since:
20 August 2013
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

@Zig, have you noticed the bar separating sections within chapters? Nice touch!

23 June 2015
1.01pm
Avatar
Zig
The Toppermost of the Poppermost
Apple rooftop
Members

Reviewers
Forum Posts: 9832
Member Since:
14 April 2010
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

It’s funny you mention that. While reading it today, I noticed what it was for the first time and smiled. a-hard-days-night-ringo-10

The following people thank Zig for this post:

Ahhh Girl

To the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.

27 June 2015
2.48pm
Avatar
Ahhh Girl
sailing on a winedark open sea
Moderator

Moderators

Members

Reviewers
Forum Posts: 22213
Member Since:
20 August 2013
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Beatles’ drummer gets his due in ‘Ringo’

A very nice review in the Houston Chronicle.

Here’s the bit in the article about the Houston connection

A besotted fan of U.S. music (especially country), he and a friend went so far as to visit their nearby U.S. Consul, filling out forms and looking into factory jobs for a planned emigration to … Houston. Because that’s where bluesman Lightnin’ Hopkins lived.

27 June 2015
8.45pm
Avatar
Beatlebug
Find me where ye echo lays
Moderator

Moderators
Forum Posts: 18181
Member Since:
15 February 2015
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

a-hard-days-night-ringo-8 To continue reading this story, you will need to be a digital subscriber to HoustonChronicle.com.

Brackets!  

([{BRACKETS!}])
New to Forumpool? You can introduce yourself here.
If you love The Beatles Bible, and you have adblock, don't forget to white-list this site!
whiteheart.png
avatar_creative_signature_Hmm.pngStarSpangledBanner.png

28 June 2015
9.34am
Avatar
Ahhh Girl
sailing on a winedark open sea
Moderator

Moderators

Members

Reviewers
Forum Posts: 22213
Member Since:
20 August 2013
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Silly Girl said

a-hard-days-night-ringo-8 To continue reading this story, you will need to be a digital subscriber to HoustonChronicle.com.

Brackets!  

Buggers, I just got that message when I went back to the article. I guess I got a freebie when I went to it the first time. Maybe it will become freely available in the future??? It really is a nice review.

28 June 2015
2.16pm
Avatar
Ahhh Girl
sailing on a winedark open sea
Moderator

Moderators

Members

Reviewers
Forum Posts: 22213
Member Since:
20 August 2013
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Well, here it is again, so I’m going to go ahead and put the full review into this post.

Review: “Ringo: With a Little Help

Reviewed by Bob Ruggiero

In his signature song for a little pop group from Liverpool, England, Ringo Starr warbled “I get by With A Little Help From My Friends .”

Well, those friends better be proficient in iCal and multitask scheduling because the diminutive Billy Shears is a little busy these days.

Starr, recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist (the last Beatle to be so honored), has released a new CD, “Postcards From Paradise.” He’s the face of both a new ad campaign for Skechers and his own #PeaceRocks social media movement. And he’s headed back to the concert trail this fall with the latest version of the All Starr Band.

Did we mention that he turns 75 on July 7? And that he has, thanks to an insanely healthy lifestyle, plenty of boundless energy (as Houstonians saw firsthand last year during his gig at The Woodlands) and only a slightly higher body-fat percentage than, say, Gollum.

In the first major biography of the “funny Beatle” in nearly a quarter century, Michael Seth Starr (no relation) charts the life and career of the man born Richard Starkey.

The book separates Starr’s life into three parts: pre-Beatles, Beatles and Post-Beatles. Readers learn that growing up, Starr – beset by a variety of medical ailments, some life-threatening – spent nearly three years of his youth confined to hospitals.

A besotted fan of U.S. music (especially country), he and a friend went so far as to visit their nearby U.S. Consul, filling out forms and looking into factory jobs for a planned emigration to … Houston. Because that’s where bluesman Lightnin’ Hopkins lived.

His memorable moniker was a gift from his former bandleader, Rory Storm, who first christened him “Rings,” due to his penchant for fingerwear. Later, Rory and the band gave themselves cowboy-style nicknames because they were all fans of cowboy movies. John Wayne played “Ringo Kid” in the movie “Stagecoach.”

The book’s wild ride through Starr’s career with the Beatles from 1962-70 is filled with fascinating stories and quotes – the text is a combination of original interviews and previously sourced material – though many of them will be familiar to the more-than-casual Beatles fan. Admittedly, though, it is convenient to have all this material in one place and part of a brisk retelling.

The casual fan and reader will find humor in many of the book’s details. For example, Starr’s wordless, melancholy stroll on a riverbank in the movie “A Hard Day’s Night ” – for which he won acting accolades – was actually filmed in the morning while he had a wicked hangover from partying too hard the night before. The planned scenes with dialogue were scrubbed.

And when the Beatles visited Rishikesh, India, in 1968 to study under the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Starr brought one suitcase filled with nothing but baked beans, as his sensitive stomach couldn’t handle spicy foods. Not surprisingly, he and wife Maureen (who had a phobia about insects) were the first to exit the outdoor compound after only two weeks.

The intense, all-the-time pressure of being a Beatle could also get scary and downright bizarre. In the early years, lines of sick and crippled children would be presented to the band backstage – as if the touch of a Beatle could cure them. And one time, at an elegant party at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., a member of the tuxedo-and-jewelry crowd whipped out a pair of scissors and, without word or warning, cut off a chunk of Ringo’s hair.

The book’s best section, though, examines Starr’s life and music after the Fab Four’s messy dissolution. Starr often was adrift professionally without the musical gifts of his three former bandmates who, as a credit to the drummer’s geniality, were all happy to lend a hand on his solo records. He was adrift personally, too. A series of high-profile romances and a nonstop jet-set lifestyle provided ample opportunity to fall into severe alcoholism.

That he spent so much time partying with fellow substance-abusing drummers Keith Moon and John Bonham – as well as Alice Cooper, Harry Nilsson and John Lennon – led to some “lost years” and talk-show appearances where Starr was clearly drunk. Smoking upward of 60 cigarettes a day didn’t help, either. Starr and his second wife, actress Barbara Bach, finally got clean and sober in the late ’80s after one too many violent altercations. Both made complete turnarounds and today are many years happy and healthy… though maybe a bit too healthy. “Every time I see Ringo, he smells of kale!” Eagles singer/guitarist Joe Walsh (Starr’s brother-in-law) told Rolling Stone earlier this year.

Just how good a drummer Ringo Starr is and was is always a subject for debate, with fans, music journos and fellow skin thumpers taking all sorts of positions.

Was Ringo Starr just an average technician who got lucky by being in the Beatles? Or was his no-frills/no solo style perfectly suited to the material? The author doesn’t take sides but quotes plenty of advocates for both of them. And they generally fall toward the latter.

“Ringo: With a Little Help ” is clearly the definitive biography of one of the most famous musicians – or, heck, people – of the last century (though author Starr could not get subject Starr to participate). And, while he did get help along the way, Richard Starkey richly deserves this solid literary treatment.

Bob Ruggiero is a Houston-based music journalist who many moons ago competed in a Beatles trivia contest that was supposed to be emceed by … Ken Hoffman. He currently is writing a biography on the funk-rock group WAR.

The following people thank Ahhh Girl for this post:

Beatlebug, Oyster Black Pearl
1 July 2015
2.15pm
Avatar
DrBeatle
The Midwest via Boston
Candlestick Park
Members

Reviewers
Forum Posts: 1595
Member Since:
29 November 2012
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

I just posted my review of this book earlier today:

 

http://rnrchemist.blogspot.com…..-help.html

 

Excellent book and I think you Beatles/Ringo fans will enjoy it when it comes out next week! FINALLY, we have a thorough biography of Ringo to go alongside all of the books on John, Paul, and George.

The following people thank DrBeatle for this post:

Ahhh Girl, Shamrock Womlbs

"I know you, you know me; one thing I can tell you is you got to be free!"

 

Please Visit My Website, The Rock and Roll Chemist

Twitter: @rocknrollchem

Facebook: rnrchemist

 

3 July 2015
12.33pm
mstarr
A Beginning
Members
Forum Posts: 6
Member Since:
8 April 2015
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

My appearance on “Good Morning America” today (July 3) to talk about Ringo: With a Little Help

https://gma.yahoo.com/video/be…..32173.html

The following people thank mstarr for this post:

Ahhh Girl
Forum Timezone: Europe/London
Most Users Ever Online: 700
Currently Online:
Guest(s) 1
Currently Browsing this Page:
1 Guest(s)
Top Posters:
Starr Shine?: 16105
Ron Nasty: 12534
Zig: 9832
50yearslate: 8759
Necko: 8043
AppleScruffJunior: 7583
parlance: 7111
mr. Sun king coming together: 6402
Mr. Kite: 6147
trcanberra: 6064
Member Stats:
Guest Posters: 88
Members: 2859
Moderators: 5
Admins: 1
Forum Stats:
Groups: 3
Forums: 44
Topics: 5509
Posts: 380343
Newest Members:
frankc, viv@nelsontraining.co.uk, bornhairyman, frankkilmore123@gmail.com, onlyanorthernsong
Moderators: Joe: 5691, meanmistermustard: 24950, Ahhh Girl: 22213, Beatlebug: 18181, The Hole Got Fixed: 8410
Administrators: Joe: 5691