# Ringo Takes a Stand! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 14, 2008, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringo-takes-a-stand/467952 "2008-10-14T21:21:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![leafrog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cab0a1/32.png) [@leafrog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leafrog)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringo-takes-a-stand/467952/21 "2008-10-15T14:39:18Z")
As a long time Beatles fan, I say “Right on, Ringo!” The guy is 68 years old, surely he deserves to retire from something. I wonder (and that is purely all it is, my own musings) if people are asking for autographs and then selling them for profit. For someone like Ringo, who I believe has always been dedicated and loyal to his fan-base (and hardly a “tosser”), that has got to be a drag. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringo-takes-a-stand/467952/22 "2008-10-15T14:42:43Z")
This cracks me up. For 50 years, OK…but now he’s had enough! _Enough_ I tell you! ---
**Author:** ![Frustrated\_Wonderer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a4c791/32.png) [@Frustrated\_Wonderer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frustrated_Wonderer)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringo-takes-a-stand/467952/23 "2008-10-15T14:45:31Z")
All I can say is that this man was part of the biggest group of all time, he deserves and has earned, his free time. I can only imagine the amount of fan mail he must get, it must be crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walker_in_Eternity)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringo-takes-a-stand/467952/24 "2008-10-15T14:52:59Z")
> [@Frustrated\_Wonderer](#): > > All I can say is that this man was part of the biggest group of all time, he deserves and has earned, his free time. > > I can only imagine the amount of fan mail he must get, it must be crazy. I’m not sure about that, surely he owes some kind of debt of gratitude to the people who bought Beatles records and made him a millionaire in the first place. Especially as he was only the drummer anyway and didn’t really write the songs. I’m not a Beatles fan, but prior to this I thought that Ringo was ok, Macca is too up his own arse for words. With the money he’s got he could hire someone to draft replies and then just sign them. He could even get around that by having his signature digitalised. I read in the paper that his reason is he’s too busy. What has he done since Thomas the Tank Engine anyway? That must have been 15 years ago+. ---
**Author:** ![Frustrated\_Wonderer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a4c791/32.png) [@Frustrated\_Wonderer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frustrated_Wonderer)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringo-takes-a-stand/467952/25 "2008-10-15T14:58:40Z")
> [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](#): > > I’m not sure about that, surely he owes some kind of debt of gratitude to the people who bought Beatles records and made him a millionaire in the first place. Especially as he was only the drummer anyway and didn’t really write the songs. > > I’m not a Beatles fan, but prior to this I thought that Ringo was ok, Macca is too up his own arse for words. > > With the money he’s got he could hire someone to draft replies and then just sign them. He could even get around that by having his signature digitalised. > > I read in the paper that his reason is he’s too busy. What has he done since Thomas the Tank Engine anyway? That must have been 15 years ago+. Who knows what he´s been up to? I guess he really does take time to write back to his fans personally, if that´s the case then he´d feel bad by making the same letter with his digital signature instead of being geniune. But you do have a point that his fans are the reason he´s famous. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringo-takes-a-stand/467952/26 "2008-10-15T18:45:55Z")
> [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](#): > > I read in the paper that his reason is he’s too busy. What has he done since Thomas the Tank Engine anyway? That must have been 15 years ago+. There’s his [All-Starr Band](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringo_Starr_%26_His_All-Starr_Band) which has made 10 tours over the last 20 years. He just finished a summer tour a couple of months ago. I imagine being on the road so much would keep him rather busy. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringo-takes-a-stand/467952/27 "2008-10-15T19:11:55Z")
> [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](#): > > I’m not sure about that, surely he owes some kind of debt of gratitude to the people who bought Beatles records and made him a millionaire in the first place. If Ringo ever owed a debt, he’s been working it off for 45 years. Can’t the poor sod rest now? > [@George Harrison](#): > > [The fans] gave their money and their screams. But we gave our nervous systems, which is a more difficult thing to give. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringo-takes-a-stand/467952/28 "2008-10-15T19:14:21Z")
All the reports about Ringo not wanting to answer fan mail anymore are getting in the way of all the reports about Marcia Brady trading sex for drugs. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringo-takes-a-stand/467952/29 "2008-10-15T20:32:07Z")
I have known quite a few people who have worked for celebrities and spent a good part of their daily job opening fan mail. Depending on how popular you are, you can get mountains of mail in a very short time. People send odd things (fudge, macaroni sculptures, scripts, lyrics, demo tapes, underwear, paintings, nude photos - it is always an adventure to open the mail). Some stupidly send valuable things (rare LP covers, original photos, expensive art work) that they want signed and returned immediately (and usually expect the celeb to pick up the tab for sending them back). Almost everyone wants a personalized autograph on a photo - some because they are fans, others because they sell them on Ebay or at festivals or in collector’s galleries. Some fans are slightly crazed and will send 30 page letters, twice a week. Many get nasty if they don’t get a response in a matter of days. I have heard of some celebrities bringing in temp workers a few times a year, just trying to catch up with the mail. Yes, I am sure Ringo has the bucks to afford a large staff to do just that, but I am also sure that at some point, he looks in the store room and sees boxes and boxes of crap from just the past few months and just flips out. If you want to see this in action, go back stage at a concert or theater and look at the people…they come armed with stacks and stacks of things to be signed…obviously not just for their personal use. They think nothing of asking a celebrity to sign 15 album covers, 9 posters, 12 CD’s and six photos and get pissy if the celeb does not sign each and every object. There is a reason why some celebrities simply refuse to sign anything anymore - and one of the biggest reasons are those people who have abused the system for their personal financial gain. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringo-takes-a-stand/467952/30 "2008-10-16T23:14:49Z")
Wonder if [this](http://www.goldminemag.com/article/Auction_News_Ringo_Starr_memorabilia_featured_in_All_Access_Rock_Auction/) has anything to do with it? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringo-takes-a-stand/467952.md?page=1)