Ringo Starr was hoping to have a big party for his 80th birthday on July 7th, but the pandemic is keeping him away from his friends and loved ones. Instead, he’s throwing Ringo’s Big Birthday Show, a virtual charity concert that will hit YouTube at 8 p.m. EST July 7th, and he also recorded an episode of the Rolling Stone Interview: Special Edition video series. Below are some highlights from the wide-ranging conversation; for the full interview, press play above.
How have you been coping with the semi-isolation of this time?
Mainly, I haven’t left the house, I think, in 11 weeks now. And only this month, I had the engineer over and I played. This is just a one-bedroom cottage and the bedroom has the best drum sound we’ve had in a long time. I do a bit of that and I have a paint room, a little art room. And I’m going in there, painting and doing stuff. And I love to sit in the sun. I love L.A.. I love the brightness and hanging out. That’s all we’re doing.
I couldn’t help but think of when you were a child and you were trapped in a hospital for so long. I don’t know if it reminds you of that time. Obviously, this is a lot better, I would assume.
Yeah, there’s less pain. Physically. You know, you’re a kid, you’re in a hospital. I mean, first time was [at age] seven for a year. I went in six and a half, and I came out at seven and a half. And the second time, I had my 14th birthday in hospital and we sort of convinced everyone that I was fit enough to go out. So they let me out a couple of weeks before my 15th birthday.
