# Is it just me, or is Ringo Starr the worst performer ever? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 17, 2005, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-ringo-starr-the-worst-performer-ever/308684 "2005-06-17T09:20:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-ringo-starr-the-worst-performer-ever/308684/21 "2005-06-18T01:38:23Z")
> [@Hung Mung](#): > > No, the guy who sings [O Holy Night](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=885557) here is. It’s the third tune on the left, directly under Jim Nayder’s picture. > WARNING > PLACE PILLOWS AROUND THE CHAIR IN WHICH YOU SIT, BECAUSE YOU WILL FALL OUT OF IT LAUGHING. THIS IS THE FUNNIEST THING I’VE EVER HEARD. EVER. YOU WILL DIE. Holy F\*\*\*! I thought you were exaggerating, but I actually did fall out of my chair! ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-ringo-starr-the-worst-performer-ever/308684/22 "2005-06-18T01:39:33Z")
Personally, I’d venture [the Cherry Sisters](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_Sisters) or [Florence Foster Jenkins](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Foster_Jenkins) for the honor before Ringo. (Though Jenkins _did_ have one concert at Carnegie Hall, which sold out. And her [recordings are still in print.](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000003F97/qid=1119059395/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-7648669-5211153)) And I don’t think Ringo ever had to have chicken wire strung across the stage (on more than one occasion, if I remember right) to protect him from hurled garbage. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-ringo-starr-the-worst-performer-ever/308684/23 "2005-06-18T01:41:39Z")
> [@wolf\_meister](#): > > And deevee mentioned Buddy Rich. I wonder what the Beatles’ success would have been if they had a drummer of similar proficiency (and EGO), who seemed to think that the entire musical spectrum is centered around the drum. Nothing like a rock and roll song with a 10 to 15 minute drum solo is there? :rolleyes: Hey, don’t start talking smack about Ging… oh. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![don\_Jaime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b4bc9f/32.png) [@don\_Jaime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_Jaime)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-ringo-starr-the-worst-performer-ever/308684/24 "2005-06-18T03:56:12Z")
Ringo did a gig here at Frontier City (our local Six Flags Lite) in August '01 and we went expecting nothing. He was a blast. Charming as hell, sang all the songs the way a Ringo should, drummed perfectly, and did it all in 100-degree heat. It’s just you. ---
**Author:** ![Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-ringo-starr-the-worst-performer-ever/308684/25 "2005-06-18T04:18:28Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > It’s just you. Pia Zadora is the worst performer ever. Doesn’t count. Pia Zadora has a great rack. At least she did, back in the Roaring Twenties. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-ringo-starr-the-worst-performer-ever/308684/26 "2005-06-18T04:18:36Z")
> [@Large Marge](#): > > So bad, I wanted to jam a sharp pen through my eardrums. Then I realized I could just change the channel. Whew, that was a close one. ---
**Author:** ![Large\_Marge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/50afbb/32.png) [@Large\_Marge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Large_Marge)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-ringo-starr-the-worst-performer-ever/308684/27 "2005-06-18T06:19:52Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Whew, that was a close one. Yah. I’ve been told I think well on my feet. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-ringo-starr-the-worst-performer-ever/308684/28 "2005-06-18T07:44:32Z")
No discussion of bad singers would be complete without [Wing](http://www.wingmusic.co.nz/) . ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-ringo-starr-the-worst-performer-ever/308684/29 "2005-06-18T07:46:53Z")
Ringo adds a modicum of acting talent and what more important- the ability to not take himself too seriously. Personally, I like him best of the Fab Four. ---
**Author:** ![DrMemory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DrMemory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrMemory)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-ringo-starr-the-worst-performer-ever/308684/30 "2005-06-18T15:02:38Z")
Time for me to seek out “Caveman”, again. I was just thinking of the TV special, the other day…Small world. Ogner Rrats. Things that’ll probly never be on DVD ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-ringo-starr-the-worst-performer-ever/308684/31 "2005-06-18T15:42:33Z")
> [@Large Marge](#): > > Is it just me, or is Ringo Starr the worst performer ever? No-no, it’s only you (and you alone). Back off, Boogaloo. Ringo’s the greatest. ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-ringo-starr-the-worst-performer-ever/308684/32 "2005-06-18T20:20:19Z")
> [@DrMemory](#): > > Time for me to seek out “Caveman”, again. I was just thinking of the TV special, the other day…Small world. Ogner Rrats. Things that’ll probly never be on DVD ☹ At a Beatlefest years ago, they actually showed that special, along with some TV commercials Ringo did in Japan for a clothing line. The commercials were entertaining, but that TV special :eek: :eek: :eek: ?Anyone who thinks that the “Star Wars Holiday Special” was the worst special in TV history should see this dreck! Love ya, Ringo, but…damn! ---
**Author:** ![deevee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@deevee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deevee)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-ringo-starr-the-worst-performer-ever/308684/33 "2005-06-19T01:15:23Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > No-no, it’s only you (and you alone). Back off, Boogaloo. Ringo’s the greatest. Niiiiice. (I forgot about “I’m the Greatest”) ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-ringo-starr-the-worst-performer-ever/308684/34 "2005-06-19T22:10:42Z")
> [@wolf\_meister](#): > > I also think Ringo is a very uderrated drummer. I always thought his drumming was always 100% dead-on accurate. > And deevee mentioned Buddy Rich. I wonder what the Beatles’ success would have been if they had a drummer of similar proficiency (and EGO), who seemed to think that the entire musical spectrum is centered around the drum. Nothing like a rock and roll song with a 10 to 15 minute drum solo is there? :rolleyes: I heard a story – probably apocryphal, and difficult to believe – that Ringo was the only member of the Beatles for whom they never had to do a second take in the studio. If that’s true, then he saved them a bunch of time and money, and his professionalism and reliability made sure that the Beatles tracks we know and love today were all caught on tape just as they occurred. Even if he failed to distinguish himself in any other way, that’s still a really impressive performance for a drummer. Of course I can’t remember from whom I heard it, so I can’t vouch for the story being true. But it’s an interesting idea. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-ringo-starr-the-worst-performer-ever/308684/35 "2005-06-19T22:46:36Z")
**Jurph** , even if it’s not true, Ringo probably deserves a medal for dealing with the other three, talented and demanding as they were. I heard he once commented that he was in a band with four drummers. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![SlyFrog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@SlyFrog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlyFrog)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-ringo-starr-the-worst-performer-ever/308684/36 "2005-06-19T22:52:42Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > **Jurph** , even if it’s not true, Ringo probably deserves a medal for dealing with the other three, talented and demanding as they were. I heard he once commented that he was in a band with four drummers. 😛 And remember, Bob Crane was a drummer. It could be worse; Ringo could have had his melon caved in with a camera tripod. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-ringo-starr-the-worst-performer-ever/308684/37 "2005-06-20T04:22:32Z")
> [@HPL](#): > > I always liked him in “Octopi Garden”. > > And somewhat like “With a little help from my friends” despite the fact it took a long time to get the bad taste that song left in my mouth as the theme of “The Wonder Years” Octopods or octopoda: _not_ octopi. However, it’s almost certainly a possessive anyway, so should be Octopus’s {or Octopus’} Garden. ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-ringo-starr-the-worst-performer-ever/308684/38 "2005-06-20T04:39:14Z")
> [@Jurph](#): > > I heard a story – probably apocryphal, and difficult to believe – that Ringo was the only member of the Beatles for whom they never had to do a second take in the studio. If that’s true, then he saved them a bunch of time and money, and his professionalism and reliability made sure that the Beatles tracks we know and love today were all caught on tape just as they occurred. Even if he failed to distinguish himself in any other way, that’s still a really impressive performance for a drummer. > > Of course I can’t remember from whom I heard it, so I can’t vouch for the story being true. But it’s an interesting idea. I remember seeing that story here. I think it was in the Ringo Starr thread that we had a few months back. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-ringo-starr-the-worst-performer-ever/308684/39 "2005-06-20T05:44:53Z")
> [@HPL](#): > > And somewhat liked “With a little help from my friends” despite the fact it took a long time to get the bad taste that song left in my mouth as the theme of “The Wonder Years” Well, that was the Joe Cocker version, so no worries. And I was going to say that [Shane Klingensmith](http://www.bravotv.com/Showbiz_Moms_&_Dads/Klingensmiths/) is the worst performer ever, until **Jeff Lichtman** reminded me of Wing. So it’s a tossup. Wing is defnitely a worse singer than Shane, but Shane demonstrated on TV that not only can he not sing, he also can’t dance, act, or even model. Wing has only demonstrated her deficiency in **one** area. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-ringo-starr-the-worst-performer-ever/308684/40 "2005-06-20T12:49:32Z")
> [@Case Sensitive](#): > > Octopods or octopoda: _not_ octopi. However, it’s almost certainly a possessive anyway, so should be Octopus’s {or Octopus’} Garden. Well, while I am a propopent of _octopuses,_ both _octopi_ and _octopodes_ are acceptable, and you will find the former much more common. In fact, if you look in Merriam-Webster or The American Heritage Dictionary, _octopodes_ will not be listed as a plural for _octopus._ This is because _octopus_ comes from New Latin–whence we get our \*-\*i plural marker. The ultimate source of the word is from Greek, of course, hence the _-podes_ plural. It seems a bit silly to me to have to go back two generations in a word’s etymology for us to form plurals in English. Hell, it seems silly for me to borrow plurals from a foreign language in most cases, hence my preference for _octopuses_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-ringo-starr-the-worst-performer-ever/308684.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-ringo-starr-the-worst-performer-ever/308684.md?page=3)