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12.43pm
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20 August 2013
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mstarr said
My appearance on “Good Morning America” today (July 3) to talk about Ringo: With a Little Help
Very nice. Thanks for posting the segment. 
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5.07pm
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1 May 2011
Offline ABC News report on the book.
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Zig"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
7.30pm
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20 August 2013
Online I emailed mmm. The video he posted is the same as the one mstarr posted. mmm couldn’t see it in the UK due to restrictions so he posted another link.
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9.15pm
18 April 2013
Offline I finally picked up a copy of this tonight at my local bookstore. It will go on the waiting list of Beatles books to read. I’m currently reading John Lennon : The Stories Behind Every Song. And I still haven’t finished Anthology and a few others.
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9.36am
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20 August 2013
Online I’m somewhere in chapter 8.
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10.24am
18 April 2013
Offline Ahhh Girl said
I’m somewhere in chapter 8.
I don’t know which to read first: Ringo: With A Little Help , Many Years From Now, Lennon, or Living in the Material World. Living in the Material World is bulky, so I’ll probably read through that one at home.
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2.36pm
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14 April 2010
Offline I finished it a little over a week ago. I loved it because:
– As I wrote previously, there was info in there on his childhood that I had not known previously.
– Some of the more well known Beatles stories/anecdotes were told through Ringo’s eyes via interviews of people in his circle. It gave me a new perspective on them.
– I was not as well versed in his post-Beatles life as some of you and it is good to have a record of that (to this point in time anyway).
– There were photos of him as a teen that I had never seen before. The source of them was a childhood friend.
– The author did a fantastic job of reporting based on interviews culled from other sources and ones he did on his own of people from Ringo’s past and present. There was little to no speculation or guessing. That was very refershing.
A great book – I highly recommend it.
To the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.
6.14pm
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20 August 2013
Online I just looked where my bookmark is, and, actually, I am on the last section of chapter 9. Hopefully I will get a little more read this evening.
I’m sure I’ve probably read or heard about this before, but this book really made it stand out to me : how close John and Ringo and Cynthia and Maureen were when they lived in Waybridge.
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8.57pm
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17 December 2012
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I got it on Saturday and have just finished my first read through. I always read books at least twice. First time just to read it, and second time to take it in properly. So, these are my first thoughts.
It’s a good book, but not a great book.
I believe the solo years (which focus quite a bit on his relationship with his fellow ex-Beatles) feels hurried. I understand the possible reasons for this, that it is very difficult to get those still in Ringo’s circle to talk, which means the closer you move to today, the more like a cut-and-paste skimming over events it feels. But, even some subjects that there’s good source material for, like his strained relationship with son Zak in the early ’80s, are skipped over.
Zak, who’d been critical of his father in previous years, was now living … in a cottage in the grounds of Tittenhurst.
Where are the details of the rift they experienced? It was a rift that went public, with Zak doing several very critical interviews with the British press, and then doing interviews about how they’d patched things up after the birth of Zak’s first child. I’ve got several of those interviews, and so I know what was said. Those details are missing from this account of Ringo’s life.
Obviously the typos aren’t entirely Mr Starr’s fault, but some of the lazy factual mistakes are. Here is an example:
By 1994, when Capitol Records released Live At The BBC …
Erm, excuse me, Capitol Records merely distributed the Apple Records/EMI release in the USA, yet that line makes it sound as if they were the prime mover in its release. You only need to look at it and see the Apple label and not the Capitol label to know who released it.
Absences and silly mistakes mean, in my opinion, this is not the book it might have been, but it is still a good book, just not a great one.
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The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966
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5 February 2014
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Don’t have the book, but fully intend to now.
Curious, though; having read all these reviews, I’m wondering why Ringo wanted to distance himself from it? It paints him in a positive light (overall) and I don’t think he’s ever been afraid of acknowledging his faults.
I, too, which there were more on his post-Beatles life, since there’s so much more of that.
3.50am
9 January 2015
Offline i’m reading it now (have begun from the end as if it was a manga!). it’s well done, sure the best about Ritchie. there some mistake here and there but nothing really important. after all it’s hard to describe a whole life in a book only. i guess it could interesting a cronichle about, i.e. the last 25 years, the all starr band story ecc we all know everything about the 62/70 stuffs
10.13am
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14 April 2010
Offline C.R.A. said
Curious, though; having read all these reviews, I’m wondering why Ringo wanted to distance himself from it?
I don’t really know why he would not want to be involved in his own biography. He keeps saying he will never write a book by repeating that “people are only interested in 8 years of my life”. That is so not true, but it is his mantra. I don’t know if he is using that as an excuse or what, but it is really frustrating. Either way, it’s his life and if does not want to tell us about it, he has the right not to do so. Too bad.
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C.R.A.To the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.
10.43am
5 February 2014
Offline Zig said
C.R.A. said
Curious, though; having read all these reviews, I’m wondering why Ringo wanted to distance himself from it?
I don’t really know why he would not want to be involved in his own biography. He keeps saying he will never write a book by repeating that “people are only interested in 8 years of my life”. That is so not true, but it is his mantra. I don’t know if he is using that as an excuse or what, but it is really frustrating. Either way, it’s his life and if does not want to tell us about it, he has the right not to do so. Too bad.
Right? See, I can understand if he doesn’t want to get involved in writing a book. And it’s easy to see his reluctance because all through the rest of his life, all anyone ever wanted to do, was to go ‘there.’ But when I see the word ‘distance’ being used, it’s like Mr. Incredible saying “I’m not affiliated with you!”
Sorry for the cartoon reference; I have kids.
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20 August 2013
Online I’ll chime in too. More Ringo post-Beatles would be great.
I haven’t gotten to the end of the book. Does it mention Ringo’s Skechers ads?
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12.46pm
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14 April 2010
Offline Yes.
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Ahhh GirlTo the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.
8.35pm
18 April 2013
Offline I’m starting this tomorrow. I’m usually a slow reader. When I finish Anthology I will also start Tune In. I’m reading various other things too.
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8.03pm
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20 August 2013
Online Expert Textpert pointed something out to me today, and we decided we want more information on the matter. I had read this part of the book before, but hadn’t thought to question what I read. It is on page 273 in the section about the television special Ringo being put together. So the time frame is 1978. Jeff Margolis was the show’s director.
Here’s the chapter:
Margolis got the shock of his life when he arrived at Ringo’s house on Woodrow Wilson Drive for a prearranged meeting to talk about the project. “I went to the gate and somebody said, ‘Who is it?’ and they buzzed me in. Ringo was expecting me. And I went up to the front door, and knocked on the door, and his house man answered the door and said, ‘Have a seat, Mr. Margolis. I’ll tell Mr. Starkey you’re here.’ Ringo came out, and I got a big hug and a kiss, and he said, ‘Come on into the music room, I’d like you to meet some friends of mine.’ And I walked in, and there was George, and Paul and John. I almost s**t myself. I almost died.”
Is there any reason to doubt this story? Were all four Beatles really together hanging out at Ringo’s place? Do we know of other times were they all together after the breakup?
x-posted to https://www.beatlesbible.com/f…..s/#p204083
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9.56am
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1 May 2011
Offline As said in the other thread its highly unlikely due to their schedules but even more so because John hardly ever left the Dakota to go anywhere except Japan. No other book has ever mentioned it and, as Ron said, no Beatle has ever mentioned it.
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9.55am
18 April 2013
Offline I finished this yesterday and I wanted to give my impressions. I appreciated the attention to his pre- and post-Beatles life, but I felt too much attention was given to the Beatle years, which I already knew almost everything about. The book did not give the impression of being about The Beatles, but still I think it could have been less about The Beatles and given more detail to the Ringo we don’t know about.
I definitely learned a few new things.
I was most interested in reading about his alcoholism and his recovery. Overall, I think the book is worth buying. I give it a B+ or an A-.
After reading it, the biggest impression I am left with is that Ringo is a positive example and influence because of his emphasis on peace and love and his willingness to trudge on through life’s hardships and just keep going. He always seems to focus on what’s happening now, and what’s gone is gone.
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10.18am
18 April 2013
Offline One other important thing I took from the book is that there are three major factors contributing to criticism of Ringo Starr :
1. The fact that he was not an original member of The Beatles and did not contribute much in terms of songwriting.
2. The poor life and career decisions he made as a result of addiction.
3. The fact that while he is a brilliant and influential rock drummer and flawless time-keeper with a unique style, and is respected by other rock drummers, he is not advanced in terms of technique in the way that a jazz drummer or progressive rock drummer might be. This can lead to judgments about his drumming from those who are only looking at things on the surface level.
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