Monday, March 31, 2008

Ringo has a Really Big Nose

My daughter, almost 7 years old, has a growing fondness for the Beatles, largely because she recently watched Help! She loved the madcap adventures of the four motley gentlemen from Liverpool very much. But, I now have a suspicion that she thinks Ringo is called Ringo because he was in possession of the sacrificial ring in that film.

We sat down and had a look at some Beatles clips on Youtube and had a wide ranging discussion of all things Beatles. Mostly, she wanted to know who sang what and why didn't Ringo sing more songs. That is not a complex question, but diplomacy won out in the end. I didn't want to slight Ringo in any way. But, then she said that Ringo is a really good drummer, perhaps the best she's ever heard, aside from the drummer in the Doodlebops, perhaps.

I resisted the urge to pass on my favourite John Lennon quote, which was his reply to an interviewer's question as to whether Ringo is the best drummer in the world.

John said: "He's not even the best drummer in the Beatles." Oh, so cutting and so true.

My daughter went on to ask:

"Why does George look depressed?" Hmmm, does he? I thought she would have said something about his ears.

"Why was John shot?" Now that is a tough question, and I really didn't answer it very well. I hardly knew what to say. I remember that day as clearly as it was yesterday, but I am not sure anyone could really answer that question, especially when the person asking is so young and innocent.

I wondered if she was so fond of Ringo because she knows that John and George are dead. Perhaps she is subconsciously aware of the McCartney-Mills fiasco, and so Ringo appears to be the least damaged, but then we did a quick Google image search and she read a caption beneath a photo of Ringo and said "Ringo had a second wife?" Maybe the infatuation died there, because she followed that with "Ringo has a really big nose!"

3 comments:

tweetey30 said...

ZF kids are great. She sounds like she is so smart. Its like Jeff and the girls were waiting for me Friday to get my liscense and while waiting Kora picks up a book and starts reading it. She is seven also. Amazing really. Glad to hear she asked questions and you answered them to the best of your knowledge for her though. Kids need that. I have been around where parents lie to there children and wont give them the fact they are looking for. Not good for the child.

Super Happy Jen said...

Was she ever a fan of the original Thomas the Tank Engine, the ones narrated by Ringo? I like the way he said "Fat Controller" and "What a Lark". He was a way better narrator than George Carlin and Alec Baldwin.

zydeco fish said...

I don't think she likes Thomas the Tank Engine at all. I think she sees it as a boy thing. I had no idea Ringo did that. Go Ringo.