Cute story - Joe helps guy get Ringo Starr's autograph
Not hugely relevant but I thought it was a cute story. Apparently Joe helped make this radio producer's dream come true!
"The year was 1989. Ringo was touring the country for the first time in many years, and he assembled an “All-Star Band.” Among the band members was Joe Walsh, the guitarist for The Eagles and The James Gang. Joe Walsh also happened to be a good friend of Steve and Garry [radio deejays] at the time, and I happened to be their producer.
When Ringo and his All-Star band came to Chicago, Joe Walsh stopped by the Steve & Garry show as he always did when he was in town. This time, however, both Steve and Garry were giving him a hard time about not bringing Ringo along with him.
“Hey man, I guess I could call him at the hotel, if you want,” Joe said.
Steve handed him the phone.
“Hey Ringo, it’s me Joe,” he said. We could only hear Joe’s half of the conversation. “Listen, remember those guys Steve & Garry I told you about. Yeah. Well I’m going on the air with them in a few minutes and they wanted to know if you would go on with them.”
There was a long silence as he listened to Ringo.
“OK man,” Joe said. He looked at me. “How do I put this thing on hold?”
I grabbed the phone from him before he accidentally hung it up (no offense, but Joe had a few brain cells that were no longer with us). I listened in to make sure Ringo was still there.
“Mr. Starr?” I said.
“Yes,” he said. The Liverpool accent was a dead giveaway. I know this sounds completely pathetic, but I actually got a little weak in my knees when I heard his voice.
“Um…you’ll be on the air with Steve and Garry right after these commercials,” I said. At that point I had to start breathing through my mouth because my normal breathing functions had completely abandoned me.
“Right, then,” he said.
“Please hold.”
My hand was shaking as I hit the hold button. Steve looked at me to confirm it really was Ringo. I nodded.
When the commercial ended, Steve & Garry immediately put one of the four most famous humans on earth on the air.
“Do you have a delay system?” Ringo asked him right out of the box.
“Yes,” Steve admitted.
“You don’t trust me?” Ringo asked. “I’ve done thousands of interviews. Don’t you think I can be trusted?”
“Of course,” Steve said. He leaned over and hit the delay button, taking the show out of delay.
“Is it off?” Ringo asked.
“Yes it is,” Steve said.
“SHIT!” Ringo said.
I don’t remember anything that happened after that. I only remember that nobody was upset with him (this was in the pre-FCC crackdown days), and that it was a very cordial interview. Later that night he appeared in person at the radio station for a national radio call-in show called “Rockline,” which broadcast from the Loop studios that week.
Just before that show aired, Ringo signed my Ringo’s Greatest Hits LP for me.
I’ll treasure it forever."
http://celebritysnippets.blogspot.co...ngo-starr.html
