Paul Collins concludes his series of reflections on the individual Beatles with an appreciation of the Crown Prince of drummers, Ringo Starr
RECENTLY, I watched Ringo Starr make a guest appearance on one of the late night TV talk shows.
It was strange that all these years later, I still found myself somewhat excited at the prospect of seeing the famous Beatles drummer again after so out of the spotlight.
For an instant, the very mention of his name was a catalyst that brought back a floodtide of memories of the Beatles.
As it turned out, he was a delightful guest, and shared some wonderful remembrances of his Beatles days with the audience.
That same old Liverpudlian wit was still very much in evidence, as he joked and gave as good as he got with the host.
However, as he looked back over his long and illustrious career, and I watched him say - not out of any sense of conceit or ego, but merely as a matter of accepted fact - "Where do you go after you've been the drummer in the greatest band in the world?", I was struck by the look of melancholy in his eyes as he thought back on those long ago days when the Beatles reigned supreme over the music world.
In the former Beatle drummer's eyes I saw what appeared to be a deep sadness that his smile and his quick wit could not conceal.
It was a momentary lost look that he seemed to recover from and push aside as quickly as it came.
For many people across generations, there remains a host of vivid images of the Beatles that are forever tucked away in their collective memory.
