After a year of ups and downs, Ringo Starr is 'Zooming in' on the importance of friendship

Whether it's his 20 solo albums, his work with the All Starr Band or as the legendary drummer of the Beatles, Ringo Starr has built his career on a message of peace and love — even in times when it can be hard to find.

His latest EP, Zoom In, holds multiple meanings in the age of COVID-19, but it's ultimately about gaining a new perspective, staying connected and finding joy.

Starr, 80, caught up with Q's Tom Power for a wide-ranging conversation about the record, how he's adapted to the pandemic and the important role friendship has played in his long career. Here are some highlights from the interview.

WATCH | Ringo Starr's full interview with Q's Tom Power:

Starr has come to love Zoom in the last year

2020 was an "up and down" year for Starr after he was forced to cancel two tours, but the musician said having Zoom and a fully equipped home studio were lifesavers for him. He was able to remotely record his five-track EP, Zoom In, between April and October and now he's using Zoom to promote it.

"I made this EP, Zoom In, because of what we're doing now, really," Starr told Power over Zoom. "The first song I put down [Zoom In, Zoom Out] was a surprise to me. Bruce Sugar, my engineer, noticed these guys in the Valley who wrote this song … and I loved it."

From keeping in touch with friends to taking press calls, the Beatles drummer said almost everything he does these days is over Zoom — and he's really enjoying it.

"I'm Zooming in every day it seems, to someone somewhere," he said. "I mean, that's a great part of it, that I can Zoom in someone in New Zealand, and we get more of a connection.… I've [come] to love Zoom!"

When it comes to creative collaboration, Starr has really embraced digital technology overall. His star-studded single, Here's to the Nights, written by acclaimed songwriter Diane Warren, features vocals from 13 guest artists — including Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Lenny Kravitz and Sheryl Crow — with each part recorded individually.

"You can just send the files," said Starr. "Like Paul was in England, and [there were] people all over America. We send the files, and I say, 'Would you — if you want to, if you could — sing the chorus with me on the end of this song?' And everybody bar two said yes."

WATCH | Official video for Here's to the Nights:

Because Starr is an only child, friendship is even more meaningful to him

Looking back at his many collaborations, from the Beatles to his All Starr Band, Starr noted how important friendship has been in his life and career.

"I was in a band and I had three brothers," he said about the Beatles. "I'm an only child, so that was great for me. And I was in a couple of bands, but it really cemented itself in the Beatles — that we were four lads from Liverpool and we were going to the top."

When [the Beatles] were playing together as a band, we were the best band in the land. I don't care what anyone says.- Ringo Starr

He added that he and his Beatles bandmates knew each other so well it was almost as if they had a "psychic" connection.

"When we were playing together as a band, we were the best band in the land," said Starr. "I don't care what anyone says."

WATCH | The Beatles' With a Little Help from My Friends:

Presently, Starr said Toto's Steve Lukather (who also plays guitar in his All Starr Band) is his "last best friend."

"I don't have any more time for best friends," the musician said with a laugh. "It takes a while to trust each other that much that you can open up and, you know, say anything."

McCartney never gave him anything, but Starr 'let him off'

To this day, Starr said he's "always so excited" when he gets a chance to play with McCartney, but he did notice that — unlike John Lennon and George Harrison — McCartney never gifted him an instrument.

"One day, I was talking to him and I [said], 'John gave me a guitar, and George gave me a guitar. You never gave me anything, man,... you never gave me a bass,'" recalled Starr. "And he said, 'This is the only one.' He's still playing the same bass from 1962. It's the same damn bass! And so I let him off."

In an auction, Starr said he picked up a bass that looks just like McCartney's and now he hangs it on a wall.

LISTEN | Starr on meeting McCartney for the first time:

Harrison was a true friend and confidant

It's been 20 years since Harrison's death, and Starr said he still misses the Beatles guitarist every day. 

"George was great. He was a great friend to me," he told Power. "He was another guy I could go to about, well, you know, whatever I [was] moaning about. And he'd sort of give me his version of what I [was] saying. I could talk to George. I miss him. It's really hard some days."

'Every generation has a Beatles moment'

At the end of the interview, Power showed Starr a video of four-year-old Leo Lackritz from Toronto playing a song by the Beatles on the drums.

"My shoes are older than that guy!" said the impressed musician.

Starr remarked on how incredible it is that new generations continue to listen to the Beatles' music.

"Every generation has a listen to us," he said. "He's a little young, but as soon as they become teenagers, if they're into music, they have a listen to us. And so every generation has a Beatles moment — and that's how we carry on."

Written by Vivian Rashotte. Interview produced by Vanessa Nigro.