I am the Paulrus
Aug 12, 2006, 03:08 AM
Former Beatles drummer to play rare Pittsburgh show
Scott Tady, Times Entertainment Writer
August 4, 2006
http://www.timesonline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17013672&BRD=2305&PAG=461&dept_id=478564&rfi=6
HAMPTON TWP. - Pete Best will serve up a taste of Hamburg on Sunday when the original Beatles drummer plays a rare Pittsburgh show at Hartwood Acres.
"Everywhere we've playing we've been well-received," Best boasts in a phone interview from England. "We've got a six-piece band with double drums and a very big sound."
Joining Best on drums will be his younger brother, Roag Best, for a set that will include rock and pop standards from the late 1950s and early 1960s, including songs like "Twist and Shout" and "Kansas City" that Best and the rest of the pre-Fab Four Beatles played in their legendary German shows in 1960 and 1961.
Yes, Best was the original beat-counter for the Beatles, and he insists he still does not know why 44 years ago this month, he was booted from the band to be replaced by Ringo Starr, cementing one of the most infamous hard-luck stories in entertainment history. Some biographers have theorized that with his Tony Curtis-styled hair, Best was the best-looking Beatle, making the others jealous.
"It's still a mystery, but I'm not worrying about it or having nightmares," Best says in a convincingly cheerful tone. "It's so long gone and I have lots of things in life to be happy about, like a great marriage - we've been together 43 years - and two daughters who have given us 12 grandchildren.
"I'm still healthy and I can still go out and get drunk if I want to, and I sometimes do," the 64-year-old Best says mirthfully. "So, I've stopped thinking about it. If you do reflect back and look over your shoulder, sure, you could get cynical and bitter or twisted. But there comes a time when you have to say, 'No,' and put that to bed and go on with your life because you're living for today and tomorrow.
"Once I got on that track, I've been fine," Best says.
It took awhile to get his music back on track. After playing in a few post-Beatles bands that had moderate success in England, he quit the business in 1968 to focus on his family.
He became, in his words, "a regular guy," who worked for the British Civil Service, helping to re-train unemployed workers.
In 1988, enough people twisted his arm to get Best back behind a drum kit to play at a Liverpool festival catering to tourists.
"I thought it would be a one-off thing," Best said, though the women of his life knew better.
"When I got off the stage, my mother and wife both said, 'Pete, you don't know it yet, but you're going to go back to drumming in a band.' I laughed, but lo and behold they were right, as the offers started pouring in."
Buoyed by the positive feedback, Best began playing music again, forming the Pete Best Band.
The current lineup has been together six years and done intermittent touring.
Tonight, he will do a storytellers-style show at the Laugh Factory in New York before heading to Pittsburgh for what will be a bigger, more rocking concert.
"We have a lot of crowd participation," Best said. "We love to get the crowd involved. It's a very powerhouse, dynamic show."
And as is tradition with today's young rockers, Best plans to stick around after his show, signing autographs at a merchandise tent, peddling products like his "Best of the Beatles" DVD loaded with interview clips and photo footage from the band's hugely influential Germany and Liverpool days.
"We were at our best when we were playing in the dance halls of Liverpool and Hamburg," John Lennon once said - a quote that appears prominently on Best's Web site, www. petebest.com.
As for his first local appearance since playing the South Park Amphitheatre in 2004, Best says, "It's going to be a good Sunday for us, and we're going to try to make it fun for you, too."
Presented by the Allegheny County Parks Department, the free show begins at 7:30 p.m. and features opening act Denny Laine, who played guitar in Paul McCartney's post-Beatles band, Wings.
Scott Tady, Times Entertainment Writer
August 4, 2006
http://www.timesonline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17013672&BRD=2305&PAG=461&dept_id=478564&rfi=6
HAMPTON TWP. - Pete Best will serve up a taste of Hamburg on Sunday when the original Beatles drummer plays a rare Pittsburgh show at Hartwood Acres.
"Everywhere we've playing we've been well-received," Best boasts in a phone interview from England. "We've got a six-piece band with double drums and a very big sound."
Joining Best on drums will be his younger brother, Roag Best, for a set that will include rock and pop standards from the late 1950s and early 1960s, including songs like "Twist and Shout" and "Kansas City" that Best and the rest of the pre-Fab Four Beatles played in their legendary German shows in 1960 and 1961.
Yes, Best was the original beat-counter for the Beatles, and he insists he still does not know why 44 years ago this month, he was booted from the band to be replaced by Ringo Starr, cementing one of the most infamous hard-luck stories in entertainment history. Some biographers have theorized that with his Tony Curtis-styled hair, Best was the best-looking Beatle, making the others jealous.
"It's still a mystery, but I'm not worrying about it or having nightmares," Best says in a convincingly cheerful tone. "It's so long gone and I have lots of things in life to be happy about, like a great marriage - we've been together 43 years - and two daughters who have given us 12 grandchildren.
"I'm still healthy and I can still go out and get drunk if I want to, and I sometimes do," the 64-year-old Best says mirthfully. "So, I've stopped thinking about it. If you do reflect back and look over your shoulder, sure, you could get cynical and bitter or twisted. But there comes a time when you have to say, 'No,' and put that to bed and go on with your life because you're living for today and tomorrow.
"Once I got on that track, I've been fine," Best says.
It took awhile to get his music back on track. After playing in a few post-Beatles bands that had moderate success in England, he quit the business in 1968 to focus on his family.
He became, in his words, "a regular guy," who worked for the British Civil Service, helping to re-train unemployed workers.
In 1988, enough people twisted his arm to get Best back behind a drum kit to play at a Liverpool festival catering to tourists.
"I thought it would be a one-off thing," Best said, though the women of his life knew better.
"When I got off the stage, my mother and wife both said, 'Pete, you don't know it yet, but you're going to go back to drumming in a band.' I laughed, but lo and behold they were right, as the offers started pouring in."
Buoyed by the positive feedback, Best began playing music again, forming the Pete Best Band.
The current lineup has been together six years and done intermittent touring.
Tonight, he will do a storytellers-style show at the Laugh Factory in New York before heading to Pittsburgh for what will be a bigger, more rocking concert.
"We have a lot of crowd participation," Best said. "We love to get the crowd involved. It's a very powerhouse, dynamic show."
And as is tradition with today's young rockers, Best plans to stick around after his show, signing autographs at a merchandise tent, peddling products like his "Best of the Beatles" DVD loaded with interview clips and photo footage from the band's hugely influential Germany and Liverpool days.
"We were at our best when we were playing in the dance halls of Liverpool and Hamburg," John Lennon once said - a quote that appears prominently on Best's Web site, www. petebest.com.
As for his first local appearance since playing the South Park Amphitheatre in 2004, Best says, "It's going to be a good Sunday for us, and we're going to try to make it fun for you, too."
Presented by the Allegheny County Parks Department, the free show begins at 7:30 p.m. and features opening act Denny Laine, who played guitar in Paul McCartney's post-Beatles band, Wings.