By Anna Von Reitz
I am sometimes accused of "hating" Brits because I expose the crazy wrong-doing, meddling, and war-profiteering of what masquerades as their government.
But I don't hate Brits. I love all the people of the British Isles.
I was a kid in Grade School when the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and like millions of other Americans I was glued to my parent's grainy black and white Motorola TV.
The Beatles went on to skyrocketing fame and I stood in the shadows observing all the way, through everything. Yoko Ono, John Lennon's murder, George Harrison's death from cancer, Paul McCartney's loss of Linda --- but through it all, my favorite was.... Ringo Starr.
I know that's strange. He was older and married, which from the standpoint of most young girls put Ringo way out of the picture, and besides, he was a drummer. Not exactly the center stage with Paul McCartney and John Lennon and George Harrison taking up the stage and the sound waves, but I saw something in Ringo that apparently, other people didn't see.
He was married and I liked that somehow. It seemed to say that musicians could be people and have families and be normal. I even liked the fact that he wasn't drop dead handsome or cute; he had a big nose and sad eyes (sometimes) and looked more like a displaced Frenchman far from home. I just liked him. Despite all the glittering talent around him, his intelligent observant eyes and his creative solid rhythms held my attention through every song.
And something else. Ringo wasn't "just" a drummer, something that caught my attention and caused delight. He could sing! His vocals on "With A Little Help From My Friends" went straight to my heart.
And after a few years, he could play guitar as well as many very, very accomplished musicians. Ringo wasn't a one trick pony. He had hidden talents hiding under that mop of wild dark brown hair and he kept adding to his skill set over the years. Richard Starkey worked hard and kept on track. Maybe other people didn't see it, but I did.
By the time he let loose on his own and produced hits like "It Don't Come Easy" and "Photograph" it was almost like an afterthought, proof that he could "do" it. And then he went back to his chosen role of supporting everyone else and having fun.
To my soul, I understood that, and I just loved him more for it.
Ringo earned my respect, year after year. He never let me down. And now, he's 85. Sir Richard Starkey. Thank you.
To me, he was an anti-hero. Self-deprecating, laid back, "just the drummer", but in reality, so much more. Whatever it says about me and whatever it says about him, I was tuned into the Ringo vibe and never regretted it.
Ringo personifies the kind of man (or woman) who catches my attention and wins my heart: those with immense potential, those who are willing to work hard, but who don't get lost in ego and self.
And maybe it's no mistake that I find myself in the daily company of precisely such men and women.
The Federation is building into a powerhouse, and as I look around me, the talent is so understated, so potent. We may look a little funny. Big noses, sad eyes, maybe an occasional beauty queen who doesn't know she's beautiful, or doesn't care.
All present and accounted for, just like Ringo.
No mistake that it is the humble and understated geniuses who center their values beyond themselves who earn the lifetime achievement awards.
Granna
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