LOS ANGELES, CA- Creativity… such a weighted concept; full of expectations, grand schemes and presumptions of talent. But the bottom line is that inspiration leading to the enigmatic creative muse is not as elusive as it may seem; in fact, it’s constantly surrounding each and everyone of us at all times in our daily lives. Ringo Starr, David Lynch and Henry Diltz, three undeniably gifted and prolific creators, sit casually onstage this late October evening at the grand old Beverly Hills Saban Theatre discussing this idea of creativity relating to Ringo’s new photography book Another Day in the Life. In doing so, they soundly prove that even the little moments can be harnessed to capture and create amazing art. Ringo’s book, nearly 200 pages, 500 images and 13,000 words of text, is a testimony to this idea and shows us the world in everyday fragments, frozen in still-life images as seen through this former-Beatles eyes. There are photos of the moon, shoes, sunsets, sunrises, reflections in spoons, Buddha statues, peace signs, birds and all things commonplace. Its images are merely a slice in an ordinary day, as the title to this book implies. With each page comes descriptions written by Ringo, some tongue-in-cheek, some spiritual, some historic and others just fact, but these little bits and pieces add up to the big picture of who Ringo is as a human being. David Lynch tells the audience, “What struck me about Ringo’s photos is what a great eye Ringo has; the photos are exquisite and happiness comes through. Ringo is a very happy human.”
“I’d like to say I have a deep meaningful story behind these pictures, but I shoot whatever comes to mind.” – Ringo Starr, Another Day in the Life
Tonight Ringo sits among longtime friends, director/painter/photographer David Lynch and rock-n-roll photographer Henry Diltz, well known for documenting 1960s Laurel Canyon and Woodstock musicians, as well as shooting many iconic album covers such as The Doors’ Morrison Hotel. The energy tonight is relaxed, intimate and often full of laughter as the three talk about the methods to their madness, how their ideas come to life and the ways in which taming the mind can help ideas and inspiration blossom. “Negativity is the enemy to creativity because you squeeze everything down,” says David Lynch, a strong proponent of Transcendental Meditation. “You’ve got so much depression or sadness or tension and those ideas can’t flow through the tube. And you start mediation and that tube just opens up and these ideas can come. And that’s what we need- ideas.”
” I learned from the Maharishi,” Ringo writes in this new book, referring to the Indian spiritual guide who trained the Beatles in Transcendental Meditation in 1968, “That if you do something good then two people will do something good… then three, then five, then a thousand. The whole planet will support you. You’re always loved. I live in that world.”
Henry Diltz, in dark blazer and blue jeans, his long grey hair tied back in a ponytail, sits onstage mostly listening. At one point he is prompted by Ringo to say more but lets the audience know that most of his creativity comes through observation. “It’s like I’m hiding in the bushes, watching. I want to see real life, what people are really doing. I don’t want to stand up there and make it happen. I want to see it happen.”
What comes across most of all in this staged interview is the respect and reverence each of these artists has for the other’s work, even when the worshipful tone is broken up by the witticisms of Ringo, motivating much laughter. David Lynch tells about seeing the Beatles in their first American show in 1964 and gushes, “I’ve been known to be called a Number One fan.” Ringo cheekily replies “I’m a fan too, you know!” After David tells the audience, “With still life photography I like to photograph derelict factories and nude women,” Ringo quickly retorts, “Maybe derelict women…”
The conversation moves on to Ringo’s new album What’s My Name, released just four days before this interview, and Ringo tells a stirring anecdote about deciding to record the song Grow Old With Me, written by John Lennon. “It’s the weirdest story. I met this man, Jack Douglas, who produced John’s last set of records. This year he says, ‘Did you get that cassette?’ I said, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ He says, ‘John talks to you while he’s doing his demos.’ I said, ‘Send me a copy.'”
“It’s really moving,” Ringo continues, “John’s been gone a long time. He’s my friend, I loved him. But he says (on the demo cassette) ‘Ooh! This sounds like it would be a good song for Mister Richard Starkey.’ And then he says (with a heavy Liverpool accent), ‘This would be grrreat for you Ringo.’ It was very emotional. Very moving. We went through all the old songs (on the demo) and he’d recorded all of them, bar this one. He’d only ever done a demo of Grow Old With Me… And then I thought, I want Paul to play bass. Paul said, ‘OK, I’m coming over.'”
After about an hour under the Saban Theatre’s bright stage lights, this exploration of Ringo’s new work and the concept of creativity with his talented friends concludes on a positive note. Ringo wraps it up succinctly as if giving the hint to the last remaining houseguests that the party is coming to an end. He smiles broadly, summing up both the night and his world view in one simple sentence, “I don’t know about you, but I’ve had fun.”
Another Day in the Life: My Life In Photos & Music by Ringo Starr, Genesis Publications Ltd., 2019. Ringobook.com
What’s My Name album: RingoStarr.com
Follow Ringo Starr on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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