Ringo Starr held his first annual Peace & Love Birthday Celebration back in 2008, but as he celebrated his landmark 85th birthday during possibly one of the most troubled years of his long life, he reflected on why his message is still relevant, and why it might be more important than ever.
“Well, I think it was as important in the ‘60s, but it sort of came from when hippie-dom started to take over and a lot of people are doing kind things. And there’s still a lot of that going on, but we’re overshadowed right now,” the Beatles drummer said Monday during his birthday bash in Beverly Hills. Starr also stressed that even regular folks who, unlike him, don’t have a massive platform and can’t have their benevolent messages literally broadcast in outer space, still have a voice.
“You have the platform. You get out of bed and you go, ‘Peace and love,’ you know what I mean? … If you’re doing that, you’re not thinking of anything else. That’s why on my birthday it’s important, because we’re all doing it at noon. So, imagine how many people are doing it today, never mind how many have [already] done it today, because in Australia and New Zealand, it starts down there — and we end in Russia, with peace and love!”
Thirty-eight global Peace & Love celebrations took place across the universe Monday (along with one out-of-this-world celebration, as Starr’s message was beamed to the moon via Intuitive Machines through Goonhilly Earth Station), with the legend encouraging fans to think, say, or post #peaceandlove at noon their local time. Starr’s in-person Beverly Hills celebration featured the city’s mayor, Sharona R. Nazarian, declaring July 7 “Ringo Starr Day,” stating, “Today we celebrate you, your music, your spirit, and your message of peace and love that echoes far beyond the stage — and today, quite literally into space. In a world that feels so divided, how beautiful that we can come together right now to celebrate peace, love, and Ringo Starr.”
During his pre-cake-cutting speech, Starr, who has lived in Beverly Hills since 2014, marveled that as a young boy growing up in working-class Liverpool, “I couldn’t dream of ending up here. … I love it here [in California]. I love the people. I love the attitude. The peace and love that’s shown in this state is incredible.” He then quipped, “And all the other states are trying! Oh, I’m only saying that because I’m here, don’t worry.”
Starr’s L.A. celebration included an outdoor concert emceed by T Bone Burnett (who produced Starr’s recent country album, Look Up) with performances by Jackson Browne (“Act Naturally”), Molly Tuttle (“Octopus’s Garden”), Sam Phillips (“Photograph”), Lucius (“Yellow Submarine”), and Starr’s dear friend and brother-in-law, Joe Walsh (“With a Little Help From My Friends,” plus the all-stars). Comedian/musician Fred Armisen, who declared “there is not a greater drummer in the world” than Starr, did a Ringo drumming impersonation that seemed to get the birthday boy’s seal of approval, and during a finale of the Beatles’ “Birthday,” Starr called his Beatle pal Paul McCartney and put him on speakerphone, according to an inside source.
Beverly Hills attendees included Starr’s wife, Barbara Bach, and her sister, Marjorie Bach (who is also Walsh’s wife, which prompted Walsh to joke about worrying it would be “incest” if he married his best friend’s sister-in-law); Starr’s son, Zak Starkey, and many members of the extended Starkey family; Diane Warren; Linda Perry; Steve Lukather; and Matt Sorum.
