Posted on 11/29/2022 10:38:32 PM PST by nickcarraway
John Lennon later expressed a lot of remorse about the way he treated his fellow member of The Beatles.
John Lennon had numerous fallings out with his pals in The Beatles over the years. It's no secret he had arguments with Paul McCartney while working with him. He even once said he wanted to "beat up" his fellow guitarist George Harrison after he made some brutal comments about his wife, Yoko Ono. But it was The Beatles' first drummer, Pete Best, who Lennon confessed he had become "sick" of over the two years they worked together.
The Beatles hired Best to be their drummer in 1960 as they were planning on embarking on a residency slot in Hamburg, Germany. McCartney first saw him playing in another band at Liverpool's legendary Casbah Club and deemed him good enough to join the group. The band then proceeded to go to Germany where they played every day, religiously, at the Top Ten Club.
Two years later, on August 16, 1962, The Beatles kicked Best out of the band. They asked their manager, Brian Epstein, to break the difficult news, however, as they didn't want to do it themselves.
Lennon opened up on his strained relationship with Best years later. He said: "By then we were pretty sick of Pete Best too because he was a lousy drummer, you know? He never improved and there was always this myth being built up over the years that he was great and Paul was jealous of him because he was pretty and all that c**p."
Liverpool legends say that after Best was kicked out of The Beatles in favour of Ringo Starr, the former's fans would attend their gigs screaming: "Ringo never, Pete forever!"
Lennon continued: "The only reason [Best] got in the group in the first place was because the only way we could get to Hamburg was he had to have a drummer."
Recounting how he met Best, he went on: "We knew of this guy. He was living in his mother’s house that had a club in it, and he had a drum kit so we dragged him, auditioned him, and he could keep one beat going for long enough so we took him to Germany."
Lennon was even more brutal when he added: "We were always gonna dump him when we could find a decent drummer. By the time we’d got back from Germany, we’d trained him to keep a stick going up and down. He couldn’t do much else." Of course, after dropping Best they auditioned and hired Starr to be their new beat-keeper. Before long, they were known as the Fab Four.
Lennon did say some kind words about Best later on, however. He noted: "He looked nice and the girls liked him so that was all right."
The Imagine singer also showed a lot of remorse about having Epstein kick Best out of the band, instead of them doing it themselves. He lamented: "We were cowards when we sacked him. We made Brian do it."
Harrison agreed: "We weren't very good at telling Pete he had to go. Historically, it may look like we did something nasty to Pete and it may have been that we could have handled it better."
McCartney also gave his opinion about Best. He mused: "I do feel sorry for him, because of what he could have been on to," while referring to The Beatles' fame, which exploded just after Best was removed from the group.
McCartney did speak frankly about the differences between Best and the rest of the band, however. He mused how Best was "never" similar to the rest of the tight-knit crew.
He said: "Pete had never quite been like the rest of us. We were the wacky trio and Pete was perhaps a little more… sensible. He was slightly different from us, he wasn’t quite as artsy as we were. And we just didn’t hang out that much together."
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John Lennon had numerous fallings out with his pals in The Beatles over the years. It's no secret he had arguments with Paul McCartney while working with him. He even once said he wanted to "beat up" his fellow guitarist George Harrison after he made some brutal comments about his wife, Yoko Ono. But it was The Beatles' first drummer, Pete Best, who Lennon confessed he had become "sick" of over the two years they worked together.
The Beatles hired Best to be their drummer in 1960 as they were planning on embarking on a residency slot in Hamburg, Germany. McCartney first saw him playing in another band at Liverpool's legendary Casbah Club and deemed him good enough to join the group. The band then proceeded to go to Germany where they played every day, religiously, at the Top Ten Club.
Two years later, on August 16, 1962, The Beatles kicked Best out of the band. They asked their manager, Brian Epstein, to break the difficult news, however, as they didn't want to do it themselves.
Lennon opened up on his strained relationship with Best years later. He said: "By then we were pretty sick of Pete Best too because he was a lousy drummer, you know? He never improved and there was always this myth being built up over the years that he was great and Paul was jealous of him because he was pretty and all that c**p."
Liverpool legends say that after Best was kicked out of The Beatles in favour of Ringo Starr, the former's fans would attend their gigs screaming: "Ringo never, Pete forever!"
Lennon continued: "The only reason [Best] got in the group in the first place was because the only way we could get to Hamburg was he had to have a drummer."
Recounting how he met Best, he went on: "We knew of this guy. He was living in his mother’s house that had a club in it, and he had a drum kit so we dragged him, auditioned him, and he could keep one beat going for long enough so we took him to Germany."
Lennon was even more brutal when he added: "We were always gonna dump him when we could find a decent drummer. By the time we’d got back from Germany, we’d trained him to keep a stick going up and down. He couldn’t do much else." Of course, after dropping Best they auditioned and hired Starr to be their new beat-keeper. Before long, they were known as the Fab Four.
Lennon did say some kind words about Best later on, however. He noted: "He looked nice and the girls liked him so that was all right."
The Imagine singer also showed a lot of remorse about having Epstein kick Best out of the band, instead of them doing it themselves. He lamented: "We were cowards when we sacked him. We made Brian do it."
Harrison agreed: "We weren't very good at telling Pete he had to go. Historically, it may look like we did something nasty to Pete and it may have been that we could have handled it better."
McCartney also gave his opinion about Best. He mused: "I do feel sorry for him, because of what he could have been on to," while referring to The Beatles' fame, which exploded just after Best was removed from the group.
McCartney did speak frankly about the differences between Best and the rest of the band, however. He mused how Best was "never" similar to the rest of the tight-knit crew.
He said: "Pete had never quite been like the rest of us. We were the wacky trio and Pete was perhaps a little more… sensible. He was slightly different from us, he wasn’t quite as artsy as we were. And we just didn’t hang out that much together."eanwhile, Starr only responded to questions about Best a couple of times throughout his career. But when he did open up about the drummer, he wasn't kind.
Starr said: "Pete Best? – it’s no offence, but I never felt he was a great drummer." (Via Culture Sonar) In another interview, he was asked if he felt sorry about replacing Best. He replied: "No. Why should I? I was a better player than him. That’s how I got the job!"
In spite of Pete’s lack of drumming talent, I just can’t help but feel bad for Pete.
I mean, getting fired from the most iconic, legendary bands of all time in history just as that band was on the cusp of their international fame and fortune.
It’s not like he got fired from a band that would go on to have a few years of success only to fade into obscurity. He got fired from THE BEATLES, for crying out loud. An iconic band that whose name, music, fame, and fandom that still lives on, even decades after it broke up. He was so devastated, he actually attempted suicide once (saved in time be relatives).
Pete eventually went on to a 20 year career as a civil servant, helping unemployed people find jobs.
I know how many times he’s said he’s perfectly fine and happy with how things turned out for him (he earned millions in royalties from the beatles anthology cd).
But still, I can’t help but think there just had to be a few times when he’d be sitting in his civil service office, filling out paperwork, dealing with the daily drudgery of his 9-5 job, and think about The Beatles. How much more money they’re pulling in than him (I would think they earned more in one day than Pete earned in a lot of years). How much fame they have/had. How they’re living in the lap of luxury while he’s struggling to pay the rent and put food on the table for his family. If I were in Pete’s shoes back then, I know that’s what I’d be thinking about.
Instant karma, that is. What an insufferable d-bag. His arrogance did him in, IMO!
How that’s Haw Haw funny. Funnier than my Instant Karma crack!
Lennon complained about Pete Best’s drumming, yet Lennon’s the one who hooked up with Yoko Oh-No, who sings like a tortured cat.
Lennon was once asked if Ringo was the best drummer.
His response was, “Ringo is not even the best drummer in the Beatles.”
(He was referring to Paul’s ability to play any instrument well.)
Didn’t he play with “The Originals”?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9xm3qnh1sck
(Pay special attention about 1:54)
John wasn’t a nice guy. He attacked Paul and George in other interviews.
“I get it that he was in a different place - successful musician - when Sean was born, instead of a musician building his career, when Julian was born. But why say that????”
Why? Because Lennon could be a real jerk to people. He seemed to shoot his mouth off long before he thought about what he was saying or going to say (e.g., the crack about being more popular than Jesus).
Truth.
I got that deja vu feeling, again...
Consider all the elderly women around you, they were all screaming for The Beatles back in 1964. Yes, they were in the crowds making so much noise that The Beatles had to give up touring in 1966 because they couldn't hear themselves anymore.
I'm not quite that old but I'm old enough to remember when everybody over the age of 60 hated, and I mean hated, rock music. Now, all the old people are fans of The Beatles, The Stones and even Jefferson Airplane.
I am wondering if the more active parents in the current uprising at school boards have a similar demographic to my one, namely, older parents with young children. I'm 57, having gone through the stages of conversion to conservatism (young liberal=heart, older conservative=brain) and have seen the fruits of, to be honest, easier than other aspects of child rearing, my labor pay. Just making comments musically and comparatively between current pop and older music, be it rock, soul, country, classical, even early rap by giving opportunities to both instead of saying "new music is shit, old music is great". By giving them the tools to make the decision themselves why, they make their own informed decision, and it gives them basis for other arguments as well to be thought of critically, as opposed to emotionally.
It then seems ironic that by pointing out the difference in, as Matt Williamson points out in a different video, "humanity" in comparing analog to digitally generated Pop, my explaination as emotion and heart to my children resonated with them, which allowed them to make a logical decision.
This is just speculation on my part, but I think this specific demographic in my age group is significant to the crux of MAGA. By pointing out the brainwashing to younger progeny in their ascent through what passes as a public education system, they can essentially "see it coming" and are better prepared. This can be applied to all art and culture forms; Movies (analog v digital), pre- v post enlightenment art and lit, etc. Teach them to evaluate the art form instead of the message, and you've really given them an actual anti-woke vaccine.
Lennon should leave and start his own band.
I’ll be following this to see what he does.
Ouch!
I’m glad to hear Pete finally got some royalty money thrown his way. He seemed like a nice guy who just didn’t catch the right breaks.
Lennon was once asked if Ringo was the best drummer.
His response was, “Ringo is not even the best drummer in the Beatles.”
(He was referring to Paul’s ability to play any instrument well.)
***********
This story is not true. Has been debunked several times. Paul is/was a very good drummer (Back in the USSR - Ballad of John and Yoko for two). But there’s no record of John ever saying that.
But this is one of those urban legends that keeps getting repeated over and over and can never be fully put in the grave.
Years ago Saturday Night Live did a skit with Pete Best kicking and beating life size cut outs of Ringo.
Agreed. He came up with some good grooves. It's interesting how folks sometimes talk about his unimaginative playing, when the reason the grooves seem so commonplace is because he originated them. I'd not call him a 'great' drummer in a fast/technical sense, but he was good, and did what was needed for the band. The Beatles later had some songs with really interesting time signatures, that you didn't hear in other places.
You’re a pos loser he brought much love into the world read his lyrics
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