Ringo Starr continues in music with the spirit “peace and love” at 81 years

Ringo Starr says that the months of the pandemic were not easy for him, as they are for so many people, but that playing with other musicians and continuing to write songs at age 81 “made everything easier . “

Far from hanging the drumsticks, the former drummer of The Beatles has collected part of that new music in an EP that is released this Friday under the title “Change The World” (change the world), a collection of four songs that explore such disparate genres like pop, reggae and rock and roll.

“We just like to spend time doing things, having fun and being authentic when we play,” explained the musician in a meeting with journalists.

The drummer continues in music with the same passion as in the 60s, although also anchored in the same message of then, that the world can change based on “peace and love” .

“We live in the US and half the world is starving and has no water. In a few years it will be difficult to breathe because of the pollution. So be nice to your neighbors, your friends or the person next door. Try to understand what they are going through, “ said the artist from his home in Los Angeles.

But despite his aesthetics and hippie discourse, Starr is aware that at his age and with his career he is in a position to do whatever he wants, without commercial pressure involved.

“I AM NOT TO BE TORTURED”

“I make the EP for myself,” he argued. “I’m not here to be tortured. I’m here to have a good time and play with good musicians.”

Interested only in releasing short format albums (EP), “Change The World” is the continuation of “Zoom In”, a work released in March this year that he also recorded at his Roccabella West studio.

The new album opens with a homonymous, optimistic and happy song, which speaks of universal love and music as a solution to problems and then gives way to “Just That Way” , a reggae song that had been in Starr’s head for a while. and that he interprets with Bruce Sugar, his engineer for years.

He takes over from the repertoire “Coming Undone” , Starr’s first collaboration with Linda Perry and the one that best represents the spirit of the album.

“In some conversation Linda Perry came up about her work with Pink. And we called her: ‘Hello, Linda. Do you have a song?’ And she said ‘no.’ But when she was leaving her study, when she closed the door, it occurred to her a song. He went to the studio and played the bass, the rhythm and sang with me. It’s part of it , “the musician explained.

A version of “Rock Around The Clock” , the classic by Bill Haley and the Comets, closes the list and allows you to enjoy the guitar of Joe Walsh, emblematic member of The Eagles, as well as Nathan East on bass, Bruce Sugar on piano and Amy Keys and Windy Wagner on backing vocals.

“CHARLIE WATTS WAS A BEAUTIFUL PERSON”

Starr also spent time remembering Charlie Watts, the drummer for the Rolling Stones who passed away last month at age 80.

“He was a beautiful person,” he said before recalling that they lived “very close” for a while and used to spend time together.

“In the 70s I had parties that you will never find photos of because I would not let you take photos. But now I always think, ‘It would have been a great image,'” he said.

One of those parties that the ex-Beatle retains in his memory adds Watts and a third drummer, John Bonham, of Led Zeppelin, playing in the attic of an apartment. “It would have been a great video, or a TikTok, it would have gone around the world,” he reflected.

Starr will be talking again in November, when Peter Jackson’s documentary on the recording of “Let It Be” is released , with almost 50 hours of previously unreleased material.

“I love it. You will see a band work very hard and go through emotional ups and downs to get to where we are,” he said.

After that work came the end of The Beatles, but Starr continued to spread his message of “peace and love” … until now.