The problem Ringo Starr had with Elvis Presley: “I was just so angry”
For a time, it seemed that Elvis Presley would be impossible to remove from his cultural perch. He was the first world-famous superstar who seemingly had it all. Then, unexpectedly, four mop-topped lads from Liverpool arrived and realigned Presley’s place in the pecking order.
During the late 1950s, Presley was more recognisable than any other person, including world leaders and royalty. However, his military service temporarily dragged him out of the public eye, and Presley’s decision to pivot to Hollywood also put his musical ambitions on the back burner.
As Elvis was so successful, it seemed like nobody would ever surpass him in status. However, eras always come to an end, and while everybody still knew his name, the hits began to dry up. Furthermore, the Fab Four also further diminished his relevancy. Consequently, Presley’s relationship with The Beatles was fuelled by jealousy. Famously, The King was terrified they would make him yesterday’s news and his concerns would turn out to be accurate. The Beatles stopped Elvis from being the poster boy for the next generation of American youth, who had new idols to worship.
Due to their popularity, Presley once attempted to ban the group from the United States. Thankfully, his underhand tactics didn’t pay off. Understandably, as much as he respected Elvis as an artist, Ringo Starr didn’t have the same admiration for him as a person. They only met once, and Starr was thankful not to have a repeat of the dismal episode, which left the drummer feeling frustrated.
It wasn’t until years after their meeting that he discovered Presley had secretly been campaigning against The Beatles, and the drummer became even more furious. The union between the two music industry giants came in the summer of 1965, during the height of Beatlemania. They had enjoyed two years of astronomic success at this stage, and Elvis wanted a face-to-face meeting to figure them out.
However, Presley and The Beatles had their entourages in tow, which meant the two packs barely integrated. According to The Beatles’ former press officer, Tony Barrow, who was also in attendance, it was an awkward affair. He told the BBC: “There was this embarrassing silence between the mega-famous five, stood there facing each other, with very little of import being said”.
Although Elvis was pleasant in person, Starr found his two-faced tendencies troubling. In public, he pretended to be a fan of the group and even once covered their material. During a press conference for his comeback tour in 1968, Elvis said: “I really like a lot of the new groups—The Beatles, the Beards, and whatever.”
Meanwhile, two years later, he allegedly told President Nixo behind closed doors: “The Beatles had been a real force for anti-American spirit.”
Presley also claimed: “The Beatles came to this country, made their money, and then returned to England where they promoted an anti-American theme.”
For Starr, Presley was let down by his support network, who didn’t keep his ego in check and allowed him to believe that the world revolved around him. The drummer once stated: “He was just surrounded by these sycophants.”
“You know, it was just so strange, and I was just so angry because he wasn’t making any music. He wasn’t doing what he should have been doing,” he added.
Starr continued: “I mean the saddest part is now that years and years later is that we found out he tried to have us banished because he was very big with the CIA, and everything. That’s very sad to me that he felt so threatened, and that he felt like a lot of people, that we were bad for the American youth.”
Considering Elvis’ devious plan to disrupt The Beatles’ career, Starr was well within his right to feel betrayed. Despite being pleasant company during their meeting, Presley deliberately went out of his way to attempt to derail the career of his biggest rivals, which could have had catastrophic consequences. However, Presley was right to feel threatened, and the Fab Four firmly knocked him from the top spot of relevancy.
