Ringo Starr was presented with an honorary doctorate for his achievements as a drummer and musician at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts over the weekend.
He gave a short speech in which he described his career as a musician as a “fairy tale” and reported how he was literally chased away at the first cellar concerts. At the same time, Starr also demonstrated what he hadn’t forgotten on the drums.
“I just kind of hit it”
The 81-year-old was enthusiastic about the award. “I’m blown away by the idea that I’m a doctor now,” Starr said, adding modestly. “You know, I just kind of smack it. That’s all I do – I just smack things and it seems like I’m hitting it in the right place!”
In the past, the Beatle had also given drum lessons, as he explained to the audience, and had an unerring sense of who was really suitable for the instrument. “When I used to teach kids, I only asked one thing of them,” says Starr. He then played a simple drum pattern (Four on the floor) and explained, “If they couldn’t do that, I politely grabbed their arm and said, ‘Maybe piano is more your thing!'”
The didactic game was also successful with his son Zak, who is part of the touring cast of The Who. So the drummer played him a somewhat more complex pattern when he was a child and waited for him to repeat it. When it was effortless, Starr replied, by his own account, “Now you’re on your own.” And as the legendary drummer confirmed, he could have done it very well.
Die-hard Beatles fans will know that Ringo Starr first got his hands on the drums when he was 6 years old while in hospital. During his speech he recalled this experience. A woman brought maracas, tambourines, triangles and snare drums once a month to cheer up and keep the local children busy. An initial spark for the young Ringo! “From that moment on, I just wanted to be a drummer. That was my big dream, which then developed even further. (…) It’s just a great life that I lead.”