(Not Quite) Live with Regis and Ringo
I've got to side with Ringo on this one.
What happened was that the producer of the syndicated talk show Live with Regis and Kelly invited Ringo Starr to perform the title song from his new album, Liverpool 8, on the show. More accurately, Ringo (along with album co-producer, ex-Eurythmic Dave Stewart) was invited to perform about half of the song, which runs something over four minutes on the album.
Ringo managed to cut the song to about 3:30, but show producer Michael Gellman wasn't satisfied. Nor, according to Ringo's publicist, would Gellman compromise by shortening Ringo's "chat time" or simply fading out of the song into a commercial break.
Come on. Are a fashion designer and a couple of game show winners (the other guests on the show) really so much more appealing to viewers than a former member of The Beatles? Apparently so. As Stewart so eloquently put it, Gellman wanted "Ringo’s musical legacy (to) take a back seat to additional banter about the size of Ms. Ripa’s derriere."
In the end (no pun intended) Ringo politely left the building, and instead of a performance of "Liverpool 8" viewers got to see, well, what Dave Stewart said.
That is just so not right.
Photo of Starr and Stewart in concert in Liverpool by Jim Dyson / Getty Images
Comments
Good for Ringo. I have nothing against the Regis & Kelly show, but come on. This is an ex-Beatle we’re talking about and if you have to get rid of a couple of game show winners to make room for him then you do it. That was just a dumb decision on their part and he was right to not perform.
I only see two possibilities: the producer failed to do the research necessary to know the length of the song that was requested to be played on his show or he intentionally misled Ringo by not revealing his intentions in advance to have the song cut short. Either way, it shows a great deal of disrespect to the veteran performer. Ringo took the most honorable way out by walking away.
Totally egregious! Hey, we are talking a BEATLE here! Considering LIVE’s Boomer audience, Gelman made a wrong call with this one– very insulting to Ringo and the audience.
I think Ringo was right, especially because the song would be too short. I’d also feel bad if someone told me to make my song shorter if I weren’t a kid. The producer was not very nice at all. (Age 6)
Ringo is one of THE BEATLES! Kelly Ripa’s ass isn’t that great anyway, why would Ringo take a back seat to it?
I think this is a disgrace. We (all of the Beatle’s fans would much rather see and hear Ringo Star than Regis and whoever sit and prattle on about nonsense. Where are the priorties here? Can Regis say that ether he or anyone else he may have on is more important than a legend like Ringo. He has been an icon for over 40 years and yet he has to take a backseat to nobodies!! Wtg Ringo for walking out. I never liked or watched that show anyway and if they are gonna treat someone as important as Ringo like that then I never will! Shame on you and your staff Regis.
Ringo is an icon and asking him to shorten his song just shows an enormous amount of disrespect. You can bet they’d never do that to Paul McCartney. So why do it to Ringo? Ringo’s been getting crapped on for far too long and it’s about time that he stood up for himself and said enough is enough, I’m not going to take it anymore. GO RINGO! I love you.
I doubt Regis had anything to do with it and I don’t have anything against that show either but I’ll say this: If that were Paul McCartney, that incident wouldn’t have happened. Ringo has always been treated like a guy associated with the beatles instead of an actual member of the group. He always gets looked down on in comparison to John, George and Paul. It’s ridiculous. No compromising? Who does Mr. Gellman think he is? It’s not like they were being unreasonable if the story is correct, they-Ringo and party- were the ones trying to compromise. They weren’t acting like spoiled celebrities, they just wanted fair treatment, it sounds like. What a poor move for that show.