♪♪♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY!
WELCOME BACK.
MY GUEST TONIGHT IS ONE OF THOSE MOP-TOP LADS FROM LIVERPOOL WHO
CALLED THEMSELVES THE BEATLES HIS NEW E.P. "ZOOM IN" COMES OUT
THIS FRIDAY.
PLEASE WELCOME TO "A LATE SHOW," SIR RINGO STARR!
HELLO, RINGO.
>> HI, STEPHEN, GREAT TO BE HERE.
>> Stephen: NICE TO SEE YOU.
WE'RE ALL ZOOMING IN.
>> Stephen: WE ARE.
HERE'S THE ALBUM RIGHT THERE, "ZOOM IN."
IT'S AN HONOR TO ZOOM IN WITH YOU.
I LOVE THE PSYCHEDELIC HALO YOU'VE GIVEN YOURSELF.
>> I PAINTED THAT FOR THE SHOW.
>> Stephen: VERY FEW GUESTS GO TO THE EFFORT OF PAINTING THEIR
OWN BACKDROP.
>> I ALSO PAINTED THESE GUYS BEHIND ME.
>> Stephen: THOSE FELLAS.
AND THE GUITAR IS FROM MY SON, SO I THOUGHT I WOULD GET
THAT IN.
>> Stephen: I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A GREAT ADMIRER THAT YOU RESPOND
TO ALMOST EVERY QUESTION AT SOME POINT.
ON EVERY PRESS LINE, IF SOMEONE TAKES THE PHOTO OF YOU, YOU GIVE
THE PEACE AND LOVE, EVERYBODY.
AND EVERY TIME YOU MEAN IT.
YOU HAVEN'T GROWN JADED TO THE PROMISE OF PEACE.
SOME PEOPLE HAVE.
SOME PEOPLE WHO FIRST RAN INTO THE PEACE AND LOVE MESSAGE IN
THE '60s GAVE UP ON IT.
HOW DID YOU HOLD ON TO THE PEACE AND LOVE, RINGO?
>> IT BECAME NATURAL A GREETING, PEACE AND LOVE, BROTHER.
IT WAS EMBEDDED FROM THE '60s, OF COURSE, I DIDN'T INVENT IT.
AND I LOVE THE '60s.
WHAT A CHANGE WENT ON IN EVERYBODY'S LIFE THANKS TO
TIMOTHY LEERY, OF COURSE.
BUT, I DON'T KNOW, IT'S JUST THAT I WAS ON TOUR.
I HADN'T BEEN LIVE IN YEARS.
IT BECAME, LIKE, PEACE AND LOVE, EVERYBODY.
IT JUST SORT OF WENT FROM THERE.
WE HAVE MY BIRTHDAY, THE 7 7th OF JULY AND WE HAVE A
PEACE AND LOVE MOMENT AT NOON.
I USE IT ANY WAY I CAN BECAUSE I TRULY BELIEVE IN PEACE AND LOVE.
>> Stephen: THIS IS A FAMOUS PHOTOGRAPH OF YOU, I DON'T KNOW
IF YOU CAN SEE IT ON YOUR END, BUT THIS IS YOU WITH THE DOVE.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: I LOVE IT SO MUCH THAT WHEN ANNIE LEIBOWITZ SHOT
ME FOR "VANITY FAIR" THIS CHRISTMAS, WE USE THAT AS AN
INSPIRATION.
>> GREAT!
IT'S GETTING AROUND!
>> Stephen: YEAH.
YOU'RE SPREADING THE WORD, BROTHER.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE SPREADING THE WORD.
YOU'VE INFECTED ME WITH THE LOVE OF PEACE AND LOVE, RINGO.
>> YEAH, GREAT!
>> Stephen: THE MESSAGE OF PEACE AND LOVE, WHICH I KNOW IS
SINCERE FOR YOU, BUT HOW DO YOU KEEP THE PEACE AND THE LOVE
GOING DURING THIS UNBELIEVABLY BLEAK YEAR WE JUST WENT THROUGH?
>> WELL, YEAH.
I HAD A FEW DOWNER DAYS, I CAN TELL YOU THAT.
IN FEBRUARY, I WENT SHOPPING FOR CLOTHES FOR THE TWO TOURS I WAS
GOING TO DO LAST YEAR, AND IT'S STILL HANGING UP ON YEARS.
BUT WHEN THE DATES CAME FOR THE TOUR, I CANCELED IT.
I WANT TO PLAY!
I WANT TO PLAY LIVE, YOU KNOW.
I WANT TO BE WITH THE AUDIENCE.
AND THAT WAS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
AND WE HAD SO LITTLE KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT IT WAS GOING TO BE LIKE.
IN MARCH, I CANCELED THE TOUR AND I SAID, DON'T WORRY, NEXT
YEAR, I'M GOING TO DO THE EXACT SAME TOUR, THE SAME VENUES,
EVERYTHING, AND, OF COURSE, THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
SO I WON'T BE GOING ON TOUR TILL NEXT YEAR.
YOU KNOW.
>> Stephen: HAVE YOU GOT THE SHOT?
DO YOU MIND ME ASKING?
> I'VE HAD BOTH OF THEM, THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: WOW!
WELL, YOU COULD GO ON TOUR.
NO ONE WILL GO WITH YOU BUT YOU CAN GO ON TOUR.
>> YEAH.
YEAH, BUT I'M NOT GOING TO BE THERE IF PEOPLE ARE IN MASKS, NO
CONNECTION, SIX FEET APART.
LAST NIGHT AT THE GRAMS WITHY, I WENT, PEACE AND LOVE!
NOTHING.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: WELL, YOU MANAGED
TO GET A LOT DONE, ANYWAY.
LET'S PUT THIS BACK UP.
>> I DID.
>> Stephen: THE NEW ALBUM IS THE E.P. OUT THERE FRIDAY, "ZOOM
IN."
WHAT'S IT LIKE TO COLLABORATE ON MUSIC DURING THE PANDEMIC?
WERE YOU GUYS JUST TRADING MUSICAL FILES OR WERE YOU
TOGETHER PLAYING?
>> HALF AND HALF IS FILES, AND KNOWING THE MUSICIANS I WANTED,
THEY WOULD GET TESTED, I WOULD GET TESTED BEFORE THE JOBS, AND
WE WEAR MASKS, AND WE HOLD OUR BREATH, TAKE THE MASK OFF AND DO
A PHOTO AND PUT THEM ON AGAIN.
BUT EVERYONE WHO COMES HERE IS PRETTY SERIOUS ABOUT, YOU KNOW,
TAKING CARE.
>> Stephen: A LOT OF PEOPLE ON THIS E.P. WITH YOU WERE ALSO IN
RINGO'S ALL-STARS.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: AND OVER 30 YEARS, YOU ONCE CALLED THE ALL-STAR
REVIEW THE GREATEST 1-800 BAND IN ROCK HISTORY.
WHAT'S A 1-800 BAND?
>> WELL, WE USED TO BUY RECORDS OFF THE TV, A 1-800 NUMBER.
>> Stephen: OH, SURE, SURE.
O THAT'S WHAT IT WAS ABOUT.
IT'S SUCH A MIXED BAG.
EVERYBODY ON THE STAGE WAS IN A DIFFERENT BAND, AND WE DID ALL
THE HIT, SO WE WERE THE BEST 1-800 LIVE BANDS.
>> Stephen: EVEN THE FIRST LINEUP IN 1989, DR. JOHN, BILLY
PRESTON, LEVON, RICK, JOE WALSH, NILS LOFGREN AND JIM C CELTNER,
HOW DID IT FEEL TO GET OFF THE DRUM KIT AND BE THE LEAD SINGER
WITH THAT CAST OF FRIENDS?
>> WELL, EASY, I HAD TWO DRUMMERS.
I WAS SO INSECURE, THERE WERE THREE DRUMMERS IN THE FIRST
ROUND.
>> Stephen: YOU, LEVON HELM AND JIM CELTNER.
>> YEAH.
SO WE WERE LIKE THREE LINED UP, AND I DID RUN DOWN AND JIM
CELTNER WOULD TAKE CARE OF WHAT IT IS AND LEE WOULD JOIN IN.
ALWAYS THE RULE WITH THE ALL-STAR BANDS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE
NOT THERE TO BE TORTURED, LET'S HAVE FUN.
I WILL DO MY BEST FOR YOU AND I EXPECT YOU TO DO YOUR BEST FOR
ME, FOR HIM.
YOU KNOW, WE SUPPORT EACH OTHER.
NO ONE, YOU KNOW, SORT OF STARS.
>> Stephen: THERE IS A BOOK ""RINGO ROCKS."
30 YEARS OF THE ALL-STAR, AVAILABLE NOW.
IS IT TRUE BECAUSE A BIRD TOLD ME THAT IN '89 YOU HAD MONITORS,
WHICH ARE STANDARD NOW, BUT THE BEATLES DIDN'T HAVE MONITORS.
WHAT'S IT LIKE NOW.
>> WE PLAYED IN 1990, AND ON THE MIXING BOARD THE MONITOR PIECE
EXPLODED.
SO THERE WERE NO MONITORS, AND TO A MAN, EVERYONE IN THE BAND
SAID, WELL, WE CAN'T GO ON.
I SAID, WHAT?
YOU CAN'T GO ON?
WE'RE GOING ON.
AND WE WENT ON, WE DID A GREAT SHOW, AND THEY CAME BACK AND
SAID, THAT WAS GREAT!
EVERYONE GETS USED TO THE STUFF NOW.
>> Stephen: YEAH.
I CAME FROM CLUBS AND WEDDINGS WHERE YOU JUST PLAYED.
BUT WITH THE BEATLES, IT WAS CRAZY.
AND THEN BIGGER AND BIGGER AND NOTHING LIKE IT, WE WERE THE
FIRST BAND IN STADIUMS.
WE LOVED IT.
THEY JUST SCREAMED FROM THE MINUTE WE WENT ON TILL THE
MINUTE WE WENT OFF.
AND SOMETIMES IT WAS REALLY REALLY LOUD.
SO I'D HAVE TO JUST WATCH THE MOTION OF, YOU KNOW, JOHN.
HE HAD A CERTAIN WAY OF BOUNCING, AND PAUL WAS TAPPING
AND, YOU KNOW, TO SEE WHERE WE WERE HALF THE TIME.
AND I NEVER HEARD THE NOTES, THEY WOULD GO, WHOO!
OH, THAT SONG, THAT'S WHERE WE ARE.
OKAY.
>> Stephen: MY SISTER -- TWO OF MY SISTERS WERE TEENAGERS IN
1965 AND THEY SAW YOU GUYS ON YOUR LAST APPEARANCE IN
WASHINGTON, D.C., AND THEY SAID -- I MEAN, THEY WERE VERY
HAPPY TO BE THERE, BUT THEY DIDN'T HEAR A WORD.
ALL THEY HEARD WAS EVERYBODY SCREAMING, AND I IMAGINE IT MUST
HAVE BEEN THE SAME FOR YOU.
>> SEEMS TO ME.
THAT'S WHAT IT WAS.
>> Stephen: YES.
WE WENT TO THE GIG, AND IT'S GOING TO BE THAT AND THAT'S
OKAY.
>> Stephen: RINGO, WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK.
STICK AROUND, WHEN WE COME BACK, I'LL ASK RINGO ABOUT HIS
MEMORIES OF THEIR FIRST APPEARANCE HERE AT THE ED
SULLIVAN.
♪♪♪