The Big Interview kicks off the second-half of its sixth season with one of rock’s most enduring artists, as Dan Rather sits down for a lively discussion with multi-talented music man Ringo Starr on Tuesday, October 2 at 9pE/6pP.
During the candid conversation, Starr opens up about a childhood fraught with illness that saw him spending months on end in hospital room after hospital room. “At seven, I had my birthday in hospital; I had peritonitis really bad,” Starr explains. “Then, I had my 14th birthday in hospital with tuberculosis… They moved us to a greenhouse away from where I lived in Liverpool, and Streptomycin was the pill, and put you in bed for months.” Though the experience was a challenging one, it sparked his lifelong love for the drums—unwittingly laying the groundwork for what would become a legendary career in rock n’ roll. Starr continues, “One woman used to come in… and she had percussive instruments… maracas and tambourines and a little drum that you hit… I hit that drum, and it was amazing. I only would play the drum in this mad band that she’d bring in, and I only ever wanted to be drummer from when I was 13… It just was one of those moments in my life that I wanted to be a drummer.”
Opening up on his ability to stay grounded throughout his award-winning career, Starr recalls his time with rock powerhouse The Beatles, and the strong sense of brotherhood that kept them all down to earth. Starr says, “I always give credit that there was four of us… and we all came from the same city. We would look at each other, [and] if one of us would be freaking out or being a big shot, three other people would go, “Excuse me”… and that kept us [in check]. You know, it’s interesting, ’cause the time we met Elvis, I really thought, ‘How sad, he’s on his own.’ He had all those people around, but he was on his own. I had three great mates.”
Starr has launched a new leg of his current tour with his All Starr Band – US September tour dates are available at www.ringostarr.com, and he is also preparing for his third book release, Another Day In The Life. This is the third in Ringo’s series of books, following the sell-out success of Postcards From The Boys (2003) and Photograph (2013), and presents a previously unpublished collection of his photographs, introduced and narrated in his own words. (www.genesis-publications.com/book/9781905662586/another-day-in-the-life).
THE BIG INTERVIEW SCHEDULE:
Oct. 2 – Ringo Starr
Oct. 9 – Rod Stewart
Oct. 16 – Toby Keith
Oct. 23 – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Oct. 30 – Kansas
Nov. 6 – Joan Baez
Nov. 13 – Dan Aykroyd
Nov. 20 – Buddy Guy
Nov. 27 – Kenny Loggins
Dec. 4 – Ricky Skaggs
Dec. 11 – Brian Setzer
Dec. 18 – Dickey Betts