Best of the Beatles on PBS Wednesday, September 28

Indeed, you jsut "fact check" about that, and also "fact check" on why he was REALLY sacked from The Beatles too? and let me know what he says, cause he wouldn't tell us.....

Oh and by the way, i have Met Paul too, perhaps you'd like to be Moderator of Paul McCartney.com and "fact check" that with Paul too?

but Ringo, i haven't met him and yes you can show him these posts. Yes Pete was a Beatle in the early days and we haven't forgotten it, it's jsut he is so afraid of letting us forget he goes on and on about it all the time, he's made his money off it that's for sure.

thanks! I almost forgot about this.

Folks, I’ve been on this forum for a few years and have rarely seen a post with more animosity than this one. The person who made the original post did so as a service to alert us as to an upcoming broadcast with Beatle content, but this thread has morphed into a Pete Best bash-fest which is now extending to a person who is attempting to defend him. This is disappointing.

Whether you find Pete Best arrogant/humble, good drummer/bad drummer, etc. the fact is he’s one of 3 people alive who can say he was a Beatle. I for one am interested in hearing the story of someone who was actually there. The bookstores are full of people who had no more than a brush with the Beatles and their world of fame and who chose to write volumes about the experience to stoke their own self-importance and make money.

I’ve been going to Beatlefests since 1977 and I disagree that “he spends most of his time over in America chasing the dollars at Beatlefests (when he already has about a Million from the Anthology tracks) and telling the same bloody stories over and over again.” He was in Chicago 2 years ago and faced tough questions from the audience about his role in the early days. Whether and how he chooses to answer them is his business. How would you feel about being sacked from the band that changed the face of popular music around the world? Think about it. The fact that he’s willing to say or write anything about it at all should be welcomed. Or would you rather he remain a recluse and not attempt to shed any light on arguably the most infamous moment in Beatle lore?

Regarding the comment “If you were "never a Beatles fan," then why are you running a Pete Best site?” one doesn’t necessarily go with the other. If I run a Greg Rolie site do I have to like Santana’s work after he left? Or Fleetwood Mac after Peter Green left? The list goes on.

The bottom line is, if you don’t like Pete or what he’s trying to do, then just avoid it. But don’t make personal attacks against the man. Like him or not, he WAS there at the beginning.

Or would you rather he remain a recluse and not attempt to shed any light on arguably the most infamous moment in Beatle lore?

Yes.

Whether or not he was there, he has an agenda. He got kicked out of the group and now he pays the bills by telling biased stories against them. Pretty sad IMHO.

I just got done watching it, it was alright....

Best special wasn't too bad had some good footage. The Protest special is really interesting though, lots of footage of John from the bed in and George at the concert for bangladesh, plus lots of other footage of Dylan,Springsteen,Hendrix,Marley, Live aid and so much more. Real good.

The Best special was interesting...

Thank you, DoubleD. Personal attacks are never acceptable and Pete Best was indeed an integral part of Beatle history. The fact remains that he is one of the few people living today who can make the claim he was actually there as a Beatle and saw them from their inception to their rise to meteoric fame.

I saw the Best special and found it very interesting. I had to laugh at the questions he fielded on "I've Got a Secret," which was filmed in 1963 (that was the game show I was thinking of)! One woman asked Pete if he was a bug imported from England. She asked other such leading questions and exposed Pete as being a former Beatle. It was funny.

The old film footage plus current film footage of Astrid, Jurgen, Ken Brown (an interesting figure in Beatle history who gets little coverage, but still an important part) and others such as Tony Sheridan and Bruno K. all offered good input to make for a well rounded documentary.

It was more interesting than I thought it was going to be. Some of that cheesy "we're going to play some unidentifiable generic rock music that's not really the Beatles but kind of sounds reminiscent of them, so we don't have to worry about paying for rights" stuff going on, but other than that, it was pretty entertaining. At least Pete seemed more upbeat than usual, not so somber or whiny as he sometimes does. And you're right, that protest special afterwards was interesting too.

It's rather sad to see Pete still in some form of denial almost 45 years after being fired from the Beatles. Sure, it must be painful to be reminded of it every time he sees a photo of the group, hears a Beatles song, or realizes just how monumental their influence has been in the world. But to billions of people around the world, the Beatles were John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
To me, Pete is a historical footnote, a minor curiosity, nothing more. He was a member of what was basically a bar band, and got kicked out because the others weren't especially fond of him, and who preferred their affable (and talented) friend Ringo to join the group.
The more I think about Pete and how he still insists on calling attention to himself to make a fast buck, the angrier I get. His reported arrogance might be a front for his unending bitterness, who knows. I taped the documentary last night (watched "Lost" instead), and I'll start watching it today, but I don't know if I'll make it through to the end. If by some miracle it changes my opinion of him, I'll let you know.

I agree with some of the comments forementioned such as him may not being a great drummer or perhaps a little quiet. But I cannot fail to have some sympathy for the guy. Come on, put yourself in his shoes. It is not as if the Beatles had a few hits and then toiled in obscurity like thousands of other bands(with hits) from the same era. Imagine, if you will, being on brink of something so enormous only to have the rug pulled from under you just as it is about to happen. I guess it might be akin to having a million dollar lottery ticket, losing it, and never being able to find it. Can you even began to realize the anguish Pete must have gone through? Seeing the Beatles everywhere, touring the world , adulation up there with Sinatra and Valentino? Hearing them (and now for over 4o years) being played at every concievable place. I don't begrudge Pete for making a few bucks. I think the PBS special was very well done and I found him somewhat charming though earnest. I did not know though, as someone previously stated, that he did attempt suicide in 1965. Does anyone have any further info on this.


"we were songbirds
we were greek gods
we were singled out by fate
we were quoted out of context
it was great"
-paddy mcallon

It's rerunning on PBS tonight at 2 am. I thought the 1 hour version was brilliant. I enjoyed seeing Cyn, Klaus, Astrid and Jurgen at the door from the cover of John's "Rock n Roll." I love the Quarrymen stories as well. I dug it!

Originally Posted by jonah1971

I did not know though, as someone previously stated, that he did attempt suicide in 1965. Does anyone have any further info on this.

I first heard about it through bar stories from his former "friends" that i have met in Liverpool who say he changed as soon as that windfall from the Anthology 1 came to him (he apparently made about 2 million from his input) people say he locked himself in a room and began inhalling fumes from the gas fire. i also found out that in the same year as his suicide attempt (1965) he filed a lawsuit against the Beatles because Ringo said in the Playboy magazine that the band had fired Pete because he was a drug user.
i don't know if he won, but i'm guessing Epstein paid him off quietly.

I watched last night's program with much interest and found the show and its content to be very enjoyable. Yes, I have met Pete Best, in Chicago at a Breakfast With The Beatles Benefit Concert at the House of Blues right after George passed away. Pete performed a few songs at the end of the show, along with Denny Laine, Joey Molland, Jim Peterik, Spencer Davis, the horn section from Wings, etc., and the crowd was thrilled to have the opportunity to see him. I was able to get one of the drumsticks Pete used and have him autograph it for me along with my copy of the Beatles Anthology book. Pete, though somewhat quiet, was very polite and I did not find him arrogant at all. I am definitely considering purchasing the DVD.

Well, I just watched my tape of "The Best of the Beatles", and my opinion, posted earlier, hasn't changed.
Yes, it is always fascinating to see and hear from those who knew the boys in Liverpool and Hamburg, but Pete simply was not a very interesting character, or a driving force in any way during that period--regardless of the fact that his mum gave the group a place to play. Let's face it--he is known for being the guy who was fired by the Beatles before they made it big (an episode given only a brief mention in the show) and no amount of tweaking history to give him the appearance of being anything more is going to change that. Yes, I feel bad for what he must have felt as he watched the group conquer the music world, but geez...maybe therapy could have helped him get over it. Instead, we see him still clinging to a past glory that wasn't even very glorious in the period leading up to late 1962.

And besides, Ringo always had more charm, good humor, and a hard to define chemistry with the others that I doubt Pete could have offered.
I'd had enough of this guy.

I stick by my conclusion I came to long ago that the general public will *never* know what really happened with Pete's firing from the Beatles.

Overall, I enjoyed the abridged version shown on television. I would like to see what extra the DVD has to say. The whole "we can't afford the rights to the Beatles songs so we'll play something that sounds like them or (I think) was on the Backbeat soundtrack" thing was a little distracting and definitely annoying...but seeing some footage I'd never seen before and a lot of pictures I'd never seen before made up for it. But overall, pretty good. Not a bad way to spend an hour.

Originally Posted by ringo_rama

If you were "never a Beatles fan," then why are you running a Pete Best site? Oh wait, it's because Pete was never a huge character in the Beatles' universe.

No, I haven't met Pete. I haven't met Jimmy Nichol either, but I don't complain about him because he doesn't spend every waking minute of his life reminding everyone that he was a Beatle at some point.

You can feel free to share my posts with Pete/Roag/whoever. I'm not a coward; I'm not going to rush to edit my posts just so Pete won't see that I think he needs to let it go. We've heard his story so many times, so there's no need to update it every ten years by adding some previously unheard story about "The Thing."

Actually, I am not 'running a Pete Best site'....I am the forum moderator for the official Pete Best website. I was chosen specifically because I am not a Beatles fan (I don't dislike them, as I have never met the other Beatles), I just wasn't into music back then. By not being a Beatles fan and just a very trusted friend of Pete's I would be able to moderate and keep the message board flowing in a positive and informational manner. I wouldn't get caught up in the 'stuff' and try to be inclusive of everyone who chooses to visit. It has worked out very well. You should see the Boards today! We are all so proud of Pete and the way he has been able to make such a strong comeback and with a new CD coming out in the Spring of '06...life is going great for Pete.

I found the special to be rather enjoyable. I really liked seeing all of the Beatle related places (like the Casbah), and getting to see interviews with many of the people that I have only read about in my Beatle books, but haven't ever had the opportunity to see footage of. I found it to be a very enjoyable show, the story was presented well, and I've already bought a copy of the dvd, I liked it so much. Very nicely done.

i thought it was pretty boring...but i did like some stuff