Ringo Starr: Beatles Said ‘No’ to Bizarre 1973 Reunion Show

In a recent profile of Sir Paul McCartney in the New Yorker, there was an interesting tidbit that Beatles drummer Ringo Starr said about a proposed reunion tour for the Fab Four in 1973. But after thinking the offer over, says Starr, the four decided to continue on their own separate paths.

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“We called each other and said no,” said Starr. “We were taking our own roads now.”

In the New Yorker piece, McCartney said that he had flown to Los Angeles to spend time with John Lennon after the “Imagine” singer had broken up with his longtime partner Yoko Ono. Together, they even made some music (reportedly with Stevie Wonder and Harry Nilson).

As a result, the Beatles were offered a chance to play a reunion show for big bucks. But, as Starr says, they collectively said no—to “a fortune” of money. Apparently, the show would have kicked off with a man wrestling a shark. Um, wow!

The New Yorker piece came as a preface to the upcoming docu-series about the Beatles, The Beatles: Get Back, directed by Peter Jackson. The series is set for release next month in November.

In the same piece, McCartney made headlines for saying Lennon was the original member who wanted out of the foursome.

“I didn’t instigate the split. That was our Johnny,” McCartney said. “This was my band, this was my job, this was my life, so I wanted it to continue.”

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