Ringo Starr: Straight Man or Joker

by Alan Clayson

Considered by many as lucky to have been in The Beatles, Ringo Starr epitomises the rock 'n' roll lifestyle. World-famous pop star, acclaimed film actor, the voice of an internationally successful children's TV series and husband to a glamorous movie star - at face value he seems to have led a charmed life. Yet behind the sunglasses and the ready quips loom the horrors of his health problems, alcoholism and deprived family background.
Fully updated to include The Beatles' Anthology, 2000's best-selling 1 album, plus Ringo's latest sell-out world tour, Ringo Starr remains the definitive biography of the man who anchored the Merseybeat.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Alan Clayson (Dover, England, 1951) is of a late 1970s vintage of composer-entertainers that also embraces the likes of Wreckless Eric, Tom Robinson, Elvis Costello and John Otway. While he is still making regular concert appearances, he has become better known as an author of around thirty books - mostly musical biography. These include the best-sellers "Backbeat" (subject of a major film), The Yardbirds and The Beatles book box.

He has written for journals as diverse as The Guardian, Record Collector, Ink, Mojo, Mediaeval World, Folk Roots, Guitar, Hello!, Drummer, The Times, The Independent, Ugly Things and, as a 'teenager, the notorious Schoolkids 0z. He has also been engaged to perform and lecture on both sides of the Atlantic - as well as broadcast on national TV and radio.

From 1975 to 1985, he led the legendary Clayson and the Argonauts - who reformed in 2005, ostensibly to launch Sunset On A Legend, a long-awaited double-CD retrospective - and was thrust to 'a premier position on rock's Lunatic Fringe' (Melody Maker).

As shown by the existence of a US fan club - dating from an 1992 soiree in Chicago - Alan Clayson's following grows still as well as demand for his talents as a record producer, and the number of versions of his compositions by such diverse acts as Dave Berry (in whose backing group, he played keyboards in the mid-1980s), New Age Outfit, Stairway - and Joy Tobing, winner of the Indonesian version of Pop Idol. He has worked too with The Portsmouth Sinfonia, Wreckless Eric, Twinkle, The Yardbirds, The Pretty Things, Mark Astronaut and the late Screaming Lord Sutch among many others. While his stage act defies succinct description, he has been labelled a 'chansonnier' in recent years for performances and record releases that may stand collectively as Alan Clayson's artistic apotheosis were it not for a promise of surprises yet to come.

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alan Clayson is a real smart ass. This is the second book I've read by him - I also read one about Charlie Watts. Clayson's approach is to comprehensively discuss all, or so it seems, the other groups that everyone has forgotten at this point, which were in the local scene in the early days, on the charts briefly, etc. It's good, though this focus is sort of pointless seeming at times. All in all, a good read and decent insight into Ringo, his life and times. The prose style is at times almost irritatingly hip and truncated, but once you get used to it, pretty entertaining and sometimes quite funny.

[RK Byers · Rating 3 out of 5]

nearly lost me when he called Chuck Berry and Little Richard "black Elvises"

[Pete daPixie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is this far out? Cosmic even? I seem to have some sort of weird synchronicity when it comes to reading books on the Fabs. Some time back I had my nose in 'I, Me, Mine' when I noticed it was George's birthday. Now, when I add this one into my G.R.'s pile, on July 7th, I notice it's Ringo's birthday. Cue music from Twilight Zone.
'Ringo Starr-A Life' has been reissued a couple of times so far, in 2003 and 2005, but was originally published back in 1996 as 'Ringo Starr:Straight Man or Joker?' The original title could well fit Alan Clayson, the author. Fronting a band called Clayson & The Argonauts, as well as working with Wreckless Eric and Screaming Lord Such gives the impression that he is not so much a straight man but more of a joker. His biography of Richard Starkey, particularly the early chapters, took me back to my pre-teen life in the northern English smog, baths in the sink, Luftwaffe damaged houses and Billy Cotton's Bandshow. I also discovered that just a couple of years apart, Ringo and I both had auditions for Carroll Levis. Clayson certainly lays on the background information thick and fast, with hardly a let up throughout the book and although some of it is not completely accurate, nothing really spoiled my enjoyment. At the time of writing, two other Beatles were still alive and Clayson had also written biographies on McCartney, Lennon and Harrison, yet there is scant input on any revealing level, to contribute to this portrait, from the other three. So, while this biography charts the well worn path of his life, the stellar evolution of this Starr remains largely hidden from view.

[Rob Hermanowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good biography of the under-appreciated but brilliant Beatles drummer.

[Mark crossey · Rating 2 out of 5]

While throughly researched just comes across as a boring monotonous history lesson, where the author seems to want to belittle Ringo at any chance. Disappointing unless you just want facts.

[Bethany Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it too hard to read

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an incredibly well researched and evidence based unauthorised biography. I sensed early on that the author was after Starr's tick of approval for the book and he did not just focus on the "Beatlemania" years. The book suffered a little, in my opinion from becoming a little too "encyclopediac", if that is a word. Any given paragraph was sure to mention eight or nine other artists with album names, dates of release, position on charts etc etc. It all got a little confusing and in some parts, was difficult to read. I did learn some things which would be good in a trivia game. I have always read and believed it was Ringo who coined the "Hard Days Night" phrase. In fact in came from an Eartha Kitt song "I Had a Hard Day last Night". This is the sort of detail contained in the book. I kept wondering if Beatle fans would like it and I still don't know!

[Aaron Badgley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book, would have liked more about his solo career, but overall a well researched book.

[Roger Griffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with the other reviews here. Though well researched, the book suffers from Clayson's impenetrable syntax. He also tends to editorialise, something that I feel is inappropriate in biography. Apart from these problems, it makes for a generally interesting read.

[Andrew Doran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent biography of Ringo Starr with lots of detail both on the man himself but also the times in which he has lived (so far!). Alan Clayson is a biographer who is never afraid to bring his personal opinion into his writing and when he does he makes it clear that the opinion is his own; this adds some colour to the book and gives it more context.

[Ari Rando · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very interesting character of our pop culture but unfortunately the author has a very difficult to absorb writing fashion, which made it really, really hard to grasp what he's trying to say, and therefore a very uninsteresting read. I found myself many times dragging to get to the end of the book.