Billy Joel on the “phenomenal” skills of Ringo Starr: “He doesn’t get the credit he deserves”
Even though he became one of the greatest musicians and a true visionary in his own right, Billy Joel is ultimately the protégé. His music speaks for itself to a point, but during public appearances and interviews, his pure, unfiltered passion seeps from every pore, making it clearer than ever that he is simply a man who truly adores music.
Most of the time, when Joel is discussing music, he reverts to praising others. And it’s completely legitimate: the man boasts an impressive list of credentials, not just in terms of his personal achievements but in the paths he has crossed along the way. His passion doesn’t just stop at pop and rock music, though; he also holds an immense love for classical music, which he often relates to more than the music of his contemporaries.
However, when it comes to one of his more obvious inspirations and another aspect of Joel’s personality that shows he is far less concerned with musical snobbery and pretence, it’s clear that this is a musician who recognises understated talent. There’s a running joke that Ringo Starr wasn’t a very good drummer, something that even sparked one of the most famous fake quotes of all time: John Lennon uttering the words: “Ringo wasn’t even the best drummer in The Beatles.”
Now, there have been countless accounts arguing that this quote was never actually said by Lennon himself, but the fact that Starr’s talent wasn’t good enough has been a sentiment floated more than is necessary over the years. The drummer wasn’t exactly jazz-school percussionist learned, but his playing was rooted in visceral emotion and instinct, which undeniably contributed to the enduring sound of The Beatles.
Joel, for one, is someone who will defend this vehemently. Discussing the former Beatle with Howard Stern, the musician explained: “Ringo is a great drummer, he doesn’t get the credit he deserves. He was phenomenal. He knew what the right thing was to play. He didn’t get in the way of the great writing and the novel productions that they did. He played the right thing, which is sometimes the hardest thing to do.”
In the same interview, Joel discusses the possibility of forming a supergroup with one particular Beatle he speaks to regularly: Paul McCartney. However, when Stern suggested officially requesting McCartney as one of Joel’s writing partners, the singer acted a little coy at first, then admitted he would be all in. With Starr as the drummer, he pointed to two other legends he would have liked to join forces with.
“Jeff Beck. My favourite guitarist of all time. He was just a phenomenal, natural musician. He was a freak of nature,” Joel explained. “The other guy would be Jimmy Page,” he added. “He’s a great musician,” he opined before jumping into a piano cover of ‘Kashmir’. The idea of Joel forming a supergroup feels entirely fitting, especially because a major part of his livelihood is learning from others.
