Ringo Starr Reflects on His Close Friendship with Paul McCartney: ‘He’s the Brother I Never Had’

Ringo Starr is thankful that he always got by with a little help from his friends.

The Beatles rocker, 83, appears on the cover AARPfor the December 2023/January 2024 release and opened up in an interview published Tuesday about how he considered his bandmates his “brothers” — and revealed how much he appreciates the close relationship that remains between him and Paul McCartney.

“Paul loves me as much as I love him,” the legendary musician said of the singer/bassist, 81, with whom he recently teamed up to finish and release the Beatles’ final song, “Now and Then.” “He’s the brother I never had.”

Ringo Starr on the cover of ‘AARP’.

Ringo Starr photographed by Peter Yang

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In a video interview released alongside the cover, the drummer also praised McCartney’s work ethic and credited him for the amount of celebrated albums the Beatles released during their time as a group from 1962 to 1970. “Paul liked to work more than any of us,” he shared. in the recording. “John and I would be, like, hanging out in the garden and the phone would ring and we’d know it was him.”

“Hey guys, should we go to the studio?” ‘Okay, yes,’ he continued, giving the impression of interaction. “I always thanked him for being that guy because otherwise we would have released, like, three albums and disappeared.”

The Grammy winner also told the paper that he considers the entire band his second family. “As an only child, I suddenly got three brothers. We looked out for each other,” Starr revealed.

The rock star explained that he hasn’t forgotten that every member of the band — including the late John Lennon and the late George Harrison — helped him write the music that allowed him to shine and bring his vocals to the fore. “John has written a few songs for me over the years, and so has George,” he said, referring to songs such as “Yellow Submarine” and “With a Little Help from My Friends,” written by Lennon and McCartney, and Harrison’s ” Photo” from 1973 Ringoamong others.

“I was a rock drummer, and then they ruined my whole career,” he reportedly joked while laughing. “‘With a Little Help’ and ‘Yellow Submarine’ are the reasons I’m on stage every night.”

George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr from the Beatles in 1965.

Bettmann/Getty

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Even today, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer performs songs written for him by his bandmates when he takes the stage with His All Starr Band — even traditionally closing the show with Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band classic “With a little help from my friends.”

McCartney also continues his collaboration with him: The new song “Feeling the Sunlight” from Starr’s recent EP Fast forwardwhich arrived in October, was written for him by a cult songwriter.

The “Octopus’s Garden” singer added of his relationship with the British group: “We’ve all gone crazy at different times. You can’t imagine what it was like to be in the Beatles. It got bigger and crazier.”

Starr and McCartney teamed up earlier this year to release “Now and Then,” which was billed as the last song to feature all members of The Fab Four and dropped on Nov. 2. The two finished the tumor ballad with new recordings and modern technology used to improve the audio quality of Lennon’s ’70s vocals, as well as Harrison’s guitar from when the band first attempted to complete the song in the ’90s.

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Ringo Starr’s life in photos

Over the years, both rockers have spoken candidly about their longtime friendship.

Earlier this year, Starr took to social media to share how cute the two got together and danced together at McCartney’s daughter Stella McCartney’s rollerblading-themed birthday party.

On Starr’s birthday in July, the “Hey Jude” singer took the moment to celebrate him with a thoughtful Instagram post, calling him one of his “heroes.”

The drummer also confirmed his appearance at the 2021 Jimmy Kimmel Live! that he is as close to McCartney today as he was when their friendship began, sharing that they use FaceTime “regularly” and spend time together often.

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Source: HIS Education