Ringo : On the Wagon and Out of Court, Ex-Beatle Tours Again

“It was madness--madness on a scale you wouldn’t believe,” said former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, recalling the Fab Four’s final tour in 1966.

“It looked like we had it all under control, but we didn’t sometimes. I don’t think people have gotten that crazy over a band since. It was this wild merry-go-round that kept spinning faster and faster. Sometimes, it was enough to drive you to drink.”

That last comment was a wry reference to the fact that Starr is a recovering alcoholic, a condition that’s received as much attention in the last few months as his first tour since the Beatles’ final concert in San Francisco in 1966.

Drinking coffee in a sprawling suite in a Beverly Hills hotel, Starr was talking about the old Beatles days because, as a touring performer, that’s his last frame of reference. He’s currently touring with what he calls the All-Starr Band, with dates Saturday at the Pacific Amphitheatre and Sunday and Monday at the Greek Theatre.

But Starr didn’t appear to have much fun reminiscing.

“Some of what happened in those days was great but some of it was bad,” he said. “Fans may have more fun remembering those days than we do.”

Starr, who has a very dry wit and a deep, droning voice, didn’t come across as a legend. You quickly forgot that he’s an ex-Beatle and focused on the fact that he’s a 49-year-old grandfather who was wearing hip, colorful garb and dark shades, with his hair slicked back into a ponytail. His manner was basically easygoing, but touches of smugness and arrogance did surface at times.

Starr didn’t want to dwell on the Beatles. He was impatient discussing the old days, as if he’d answered one question too many about the Fab Four. “I’ve talked a lot about it,” he said. “That’s all people want to talk about.”

A favorite question is how he relates to fellow ex-Beatles George Harrison and Paul McCartney.

“We’re friends in a strange way,” Starr said. “We’re like a family. We get along sometimes and sometimes we don’t. But more often, we get along.”

Will he go to see McCartney in concert?

“Sure,” he replied. “If I were in the same town, I wouldn’t miss it. I’ve seen him every other time he’s played.”

Chuckling, he added: “Maybe I can offer him some tips.”

Starr’s wife, actress Barbara Bach, popped into the room and reminded him that he had to leave soon to catch a plane. “This tour is quieter than the last one,” he said. “It’s hectic but not like that other one. A sane tour is even fun.”

The idea for this tour wasn’t Starr’s. Promoter-agent David Fishof talked him into it. A few years ago, Starr had turned down Fishof’s offer to sponsor a tour, but back then Starr was still drinking heavily. Last October, he and Bach checked into a rehab center and have been sober ever since.

Starr was suddenly ready to work. “I needed to do something creative,” he said. “Hitting the road seemed like a good idea.”

In the two-hour show, Starr sings 10 songs, leaving some of the drumming to Levon Helm and Jim Keltner. “I knew I couldn’t hold an audience by singing a whole show,” he said. “Not with my singing.”

So far, he said, most critics have been kind, but some have been nasty.

“I’m not the greatest singer,” he admitted. “People know that. What people get from me when I sing is a feeling of fun and good spirits. It’s not great singing but people can connect with it. What I do best is connect with the audience. If I can convey this good feeling when I sing, and touch people with it, then I’ve done what I’ve set out to do.”

When he was assembling this band last spring, some of the old pals he called were also singers who could help him carry the show. The band includes guitarists Joe Walsh and Nils Lofgren, bassist Rick Danko, sax player Clarence Clemons and keyboardists Billy Preston and Dr. John.

“The point was to surround myself with very talented, known people,” Starr said. “They push you and make you better. But also, it’s more interesting for the audience with those great musicians up there on stage.”

After the Beatles split in 1970, Starr, then a hot item, parlayed some of that star power into a successful solo recording career. His 1973 album “Ringo” featured the hit singles “Oh My My,” “You’re Sixteen” and “Photograph.” But since then, his recording career has been all downhill. A 1984 album, “Old Wave,” came out in Canada and Germany but was ignored by American labels.

Starr has been in the news recently because of a suit involving an album he recorded with producer Chips Moman in 1987. In Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta, Ga., Starr is trying to keep the album from being released; the Memphis producer wants to release it now to take advantage of the publicity surrounding Starr’s tour. Moman demanded Starr pay more than $146,000 to prevent the release of the album, but Starr rejected that offer.

The drum tracks on the album, Starr said, were recorded by other drummers.

“I want to record my own drum tracks,” he said.

But the drumming isn’t the primary reason Starr wants this album off the market.

“It’s not very good,” he said. “I want to put it on hold, maybe add some more numbers. It needs a lot of work. No major record company wanted that record--ex-Beatle or not. That should tell you something about the quality of the album.”

Right now, Starr doesn’t have a record deal.

“If the right offer came along, I’d take it,” he said. “I’m ready to work again. The drinking problem may have been a stumbling block before, but that’s out of the way.”

The shows on the current tour are being recorded--partially financed by Starr. The plan, he said, is to make a deal with some company to market the live album.

“This tour has taught me a lot,” he said. “It’s given me some confidence. I know I can sing. I know I can do well for some record company. All I need is a chance to prove it.”