If the rumours
are true and Ringo Starr is about to be knighted, will he now be known
to Americans as Sir Topham Hatt?
(The answer’s
no.)
Ringo’s a complex
character to consider, as it’s hard to settle on an opinion about him. For one, I would argue - going completely against the tired old cliché - that he’s a vastly underrated drummer and, as such, the most disrespected Beatle;
wherever you stand on John, Paul or George either musically or personally, it would be
very hard to deny their impact on popular culture, yet for some reason, Ringo’s
often seen as the Beatles’ running joke; the lucky guy who entered the movie seconds before the band got famous, to be dragged along for
the ride.
Anyone who knows
more than the Beatle-basics would tell you that’s nonsense; Paul regularly
states in interviews that it wasn’t until Ringo sat behind the kit that
their sound was complete and he knew they were onto something special. He’s
one of rock’s most distinctive players who’s instantly identifiable with an
incredible groove and innate understanding of how to complement a song
without overtaking it; like McCartney, it’s hard to think of a single moment in
the Beatles recording career where Starr put a foot wrong instrumentally,
from the manic flamboyant tom fills of 'She Said, She Said' and 'Rain' to latin break in 'I Want You (She’s So Heavy)'; it’s the sound of a musician working on instinct,
and is wonderful to listen to.
The other hugely
important thing he brought to the table was his sense of humour, which
fitted the band with perfect sync. He also seemed the most approachable member retrospectively; it’s no wonder he all but took the lead in their films 'A Hard Day’s
Night', 'Help!' and 'Magical Mystery Tour', as he was the perhaps the only one truly equipped to do it, plus his natural gentle charm put him
at the heart of the group.
The flip-side to
this, however, is the hard-to-ignore fact that these days, he’s a bit of a dick.
Somewhere down the line he lost that natural warmth; as if he felt the need to
replace Lennon as the band(and more directly McCartney)’s iconoclast, keeping any self-importance in check, yet somehow doing this self-importantly; the whole thing about not wanting to sign any more autographs being
a perfect example of taking a stance he had every right to, but implementing it
in the worst fashion.
So when it comes
to him receiving a knighthood, I’m a little nonplussed. I may be biased in
Paul’s favour, but it's hard to ignore that the man has never stopped - tirelessly
contributing to music (and to human and animal rights charities) in the twenty
years since he was knighted alone -
while Ringo has pretty much stayed out of the way, save the odd ill-judged
moan. Is that worth one of the highest honours the UK can bestow? And why does he say "and" like an American? Answers on a
postcard, marking the left-hand corner ‘TANK ENGINE’.