Attention Ringo Starr fans: the former Beatles drummer wants you to bug off.
That means stop writing to him, stop asking him for autographs, and for Heavens sake, quit requesting that he send you a signed photo.
I’m not kidding. After nearly 50 years basking in the media spotlight and being worshipped by fans around the world the musician says he wants his life back.
His fan-free life back.
This fan fatigue is apparently what led the 68-year-old to post a very serious video message on his website laying down the law for fans.
According to the front man of the All-Starr band (a group he formed a few years ago), you can get Starr’s John Hancock on whatever you want provided it gets to him by October 20th. After that “it’s going to be tossed.”
And he ain’t kidding… just ask the extra sanitation workers he hired to help with the unanswered mail.
“I’m warning you with peace and love, I have too much to do,” Starr says in his video. “So no more fan mail. Thank you, thank you. And no objects to be signed. Nothing. Anyway, peace and love, peace and love.”
Yeah, peace and love… and don’t let the UPS man run you over as you attempt to ship out those last-minute autograph requests.
And the line about having “too much to do”–the guy is beyond retirement age, he occasionally tours with his band and he has enough money to pay at least a dozen plebs to answer his mail, so what gives?
British television stations broadcast Starr’s video plea in its entirety yesterday, though it gave no indication why the drummer and singer decided to cut fans out of his life.
Personally, I find Starr’s announcement quite amusing.
Basically, if you write Starr a letter it will end up in the trash because he doesn’t want to waste any more of his precious time answering mail.
Now that’s funny. Not to mention ironic given the line he uttered when he guest starred on a 1991 episode of “The Simpsons.” In the episode Starr was shown diligently answering every piece of fan mail that came his way while saying, “They took the time to write to me, and I don’t care if it takes 20 years, I’m going to answer every one of them.”
Apparently art doesn’t imitate life.