Tonight on BBC Radio 2’s The Country Show with Bob Harris Bob interviewed Ringo Starr.
In the interview Ringo talks about his love of Country music and Nashville, John Lennon, working with T Bone Burnett, his motivation and more.
Discussing T Bone Burnett and his joint love of Country:
Ringo: “What he loves is what I love, and that’s where I came in, country in the 50s. You know?
It was an organic partnership with T Bone:
Ringo: “That’s how we got together because he came in and we were just chatting and the last thing on my mind was let’s make an album but… the conversation and songs and that… let’s do it, will you do it, and he said yes and here we are. It wasn't like the big plan, he's coming over we’re gonna talk about this. No, he's coming over, just gonna chat and say hi, and it ended up with an album called Look Up…. Very organic, that's what I love.”
When choosing which songs should go on the album:
Ringo: “I only listened to the song, I didn't know who had written them. Billy's [Strings] came on and I said, ‘oh yeah’. But I just said yes because I loved it, I didn't know it was different writers.”
Having great people playing on the album:
Ringo: “We have, some of them I haven't met yet! Billy I haven’t met… I've heard about him and you know he's like the guy of the moment.”
On his relationship with Nashville:
Ringo: “I did the other album 50 years ago, Nashville loves me cause I did a Country album and came to Nashville
Bob Harris: “Everybody loves you.”
Ringo: “I know everybody does, but Nashville love me more.”
Bob Harris did an interview with John Lennon in New York in 1975:
Ringo: “It was a Thursday.”
Bob: Was it?
Ringo: “No!” [Laughs]
Bob states that on his album at the time, John Lennon wanted to come in and just be the artist. He asks if Ringo did that on this album?
Ringo: “Yeah, I loved it. The one you're talking about was that Plastic Ono band?”
Bob: It was a rock and roll album, Elephants Memory, I think.
Ringo “Oh Elephants Memory that's where he went to that band ok. Lot of memories in here and you have to wait till they come up […] What was great, I trusted him [T Bone Burnett]. I did my best, I knew he would do his best, cause we had chats and he loved Country from the 50s, 60s, like the Country I knew.”
On Country Music being an emotional genre and the importance of storytelling:
Ringo: “It’s an emotional music genre, Country, I think.... It’s all about the story where it goes and where it you know… We’re just lovers of Country music.”
Bob says that they are both motivated to do what they do and do what they love:
Ringo: “Motivated to be.”
Bob asks what is the fuel that drives him?
Ringo: “I’d like to say it's this or that, I'm just blessed God gave me this body and this life even though some of this life was very difficult. Musically it's been great.”
