Ringo

With a Little Help

By: Michael Seth Starr

Narrated by: Peter Berkrot

Ringo: With a Little Help is the first in-depth biography of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, who kept the beat for an entire generation and who has remained a rock icon since the Beatles took the world by storm over 50 years ago.

This book traces the entire arc of Ringo's remarkable life and career, from his sickly childhood to his life as the world's most famous drummer to his triumphs, addictions, and emotional battles following the breakup of the Beatles. Born in 1940 as Richard Starkey in the Dingle, one of Liverpool's most gritty, rough-and-tumble neighborhoods, he rose from a hardscrabble childhood marked by serious illnesses, long hospital stays, and little schooling to emerge, against all odds, as a locally renowned drummer. Taking the stage name Ringo Starr, his big break with the Beatles rocketed him to the pinnacle of worldwide acclaim in a remarkably short time. He was the last member of the Beatles to join the group but also the most vulnerable, and his post-Beatles career was marked by chart-topping successes, a jet-setting life of excess and alcohol abuse, and, ultimately, his rebirth as one of rock's revered elder statesmen.

©2015 Michael Seth Starr (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"[F]ascinating perspective." ( Publishers Weekly)

Starr power

This is the biography of Ringo I’d hoped existed on audiobook. Except for the narrator not being able to even come close to a Liverpudlian accent, he was very competent and most enjoyable. I began the book en route to see Ringo in concert. The perfect read. An awesome concert!

Very Good

I’ve read many books on the Beatles and individual members, but this was the first on Ringo. I really enjoyed it. It was fast paced and provided significant detail on this icons life.

Very good

Really enjoyed this and I thought it was very interesting. Ringo is a very kind and thoughtful guy.

Ups and Downs.

Extraordinary life. I had no idea of his many accomplishments. The author worked hard to discredit his subject, which is not surprising. I usually do not read unauthorized biographies due to the hallucinatory evaluations. He couldn't possibly know what the subject was thinking although such statements are made with full conviction. There are the hallucinatory evaluations one might expect. But it was interesting and covered many accomplishments I was not aware of. He has so many talents and skills that were never publicized.

Appreciate Ringo More

He had a very active and unique life. I appreciate him as a drummer much more than I have in the past. It's really hard to be that popular, but I understand him better as a person.

Mixed Review

I love Ringo and I was looking for—I don’t know what I was looking for—and now I don’t know what to think. Though I don’t know much about Ringo beyond the superficial, and came away knowing not much more than when I started. The fact that Ringo didn’t participate is obvious. It’s no tell-all, it’s no revealer of bombshell gossip. It’s just a Beatles bio from what the author perceives to be Ringo’s perspective.

But if you insist on listening—I did give this 4 stars, you know—I will tell you that the narration is bonkers! American, attempted Liverpudlian that sounds like the leprechaun in the Lucky Charms commercials, whispery women… the accents are amazing. You find yourself trying to figure out which character is Irish, but it’s actually Ringo. Bonkers.

Overall, meh. It the accents in the narration just earned this puppy an extra overall everything.

Loved every second of it

If you love the Beatles, you’ll love the story of Ringo. Loved every second of it.

Ringo’s lesser-told tale

Had never spent enough effort to look at the Fabs from Ringo’s POV. This fills that gap. Very enjoyable.

A Starr Turn

Ringo didn't authorize this book, so I will. Michael Seth Starr has done something most Beatles biographers don't do: He's taken Ringo from behind the kit and placed him center stage.

This is an enjoyable, fast-paced account of the drummer's life and work, from his Liverpool birth to his and Paul's appearance on the 2014 TV show commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Beatles on Ed Sullivan.

If you've read Beatles' bios, then you're not going to be surprised by the first half of the book. The author covers well-trod ground and he doesn't spend a lot of time on any event or album. So if you really love Sgt Pepper's and wanted to get an in-depth read on "With a Little Help from My Friends," it's not here.

The book really hits its stride at the midway point when the author takes on the story of Ringo's post-Beatles life. This story hasn't been told in detail, at least not in audio, and there's a lot more to that period than Ringo's drunken binges with Harry Nilsson, Keith Moon, Marc Bolan, John Bonham and John Lennon.

Michael Seth Starr shows a man struggling to redefine himself after the group that shaped his identity falls apart. But out of that chaos comes a slew of acting gigs, creative collaborations, albums and songs like "You're Sixteen", "Goodnight Vienna", "It Don't Come Easy" and "Photograph." Ultimately, Ringo rocks back from divorce, the deaths of Lennon and Harrison and alcoholism to mount several successful tours with his All-Starr Band and comes to terms with a public that will forever see him as a Mop Top.

I would've loved to hear more about Ringo as a musician--what he did on certain songs that made him such an admired figure in the drumming community. At the very end, the author does provide interviews with four drummers on Ringo's influence. Just would've liked more.

The narrator Peter Berkrot is a good reader but he doesn't do a Liverpool accent. But not many Americans can do that well.

Ringo

Good inside to ringo and what he went throw as a little kid and what he become