Beatles drummer Pete Best interviewed on the Larry King Radio Show

Original Beatles drummer Pete Best talks about his time with the group on the Larry King Radio Show. Broadcast on November 20, 1987.
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[@tonybaker7484]

I love the, “Ringo's not a good drummer” comment. LOL!

[@Every-picture-tells-a-story]

When the Beatles were in their formative days. If you listen the very early recordings, you can hear each one having there moments struggling, John with his harmonica and Paul singing voice cracking and George playing the wrong chords and Pete playing out of tempo. No one was or is perfect.

[@andydixon2980]

It's clear listening to this that the 'Great' Larry King does bugger all research about his guests.....

[@nancyericson4263]

Well, he never tried to pretend he did research. But he did have a way of drawing people out.

[@marbury2403]

@@nancyericson4263 That was his so-called genius. Right!

[@listerine414]

Larry was great. Even if he didn't know shit he didn't act like he did. He has a way of getting people to talk freely

[@lamper2]

He knew how to go to the phones

[@barbaracastelli9695]

Larry is a pro!!!

[@yell50]

Maybe in a parallel universe Pete Best was never sacked and shared in the Beatles superstardom and Ringo was never famous.

[@mgoldman60]

PB predicted his good fortune with the Anthology years before it happened.

[@Da1Dez]

48:05 Geez quite an extreme question.

[@tonybaker7484]

Lots of people “turning round”! Pete seems, essentially, to be a nice bloke but what a pity he can't just accept he was replaced by a better drummer. His constant, “I don't know why I was kicked out” is tedious.

[@tonyaddeo6548]

Yes

[@marcbolan1818]

Cool to hear Clarkie call up

[@STRONGMAN415]

Best was not changing quick enough with the band never smiled and was considered slow witted and lazy never speaking in interviews .Ringo was brought a fourth character to the band and was willing to give it all .And yes Best was still wearing his leather jacket and wearing his hair in a 1950s style while the other 3 where evolving a new style .

[@moeb4348]

Pete was not a team player. He was the rebel in the group. That got him sacked!

[@adrinathegreat3095]

Revel?? He was the one who excelled at school and didn't bunk off and became a civil servant part of the establishment. The opposite to the rest of the band. His stories sound interesting but put before a court he'd be laughed out for lying. Take the supposed lighting a condom on a wall in hamburg, a condom would burn out quicker than the match you let it with. Sounds good and fun story, reality is they likely set fire to a large piece of tapestry on the wall, knowing it was damp so would slowly burn for a minute of 2, hence providing light. But isn't as amusing a telling lies

[@Revolver1981]

​@@moeb4348 Lennon was known as the rebel in the group.

[@tonyaddeo6548]

See so much info on here about Pete best. Seems something missing tho I don't understand. Seems a very big surprise to him. But my curiosity is...he was with them 2 years I guess but must have had discussions in rehearsing or time together that they would not have discussed if he was not good enough...like hey Pete let's try this or that to improve..work as band mates together. Don't understand unless was pre ordand maybe from John or Paul? Why the boot out of blue...no one discuss it

[@thekitowl]

Poor Pete can’t even tell his own history correctly.

[@swineheartdoppleganger5516]

he can't really admit he wasn't good enough..

[@JCStorm76]

@@swineheartdoppleganger5516 Why should he? It’s all subjective anyway.

[@moeb4348]

Funny that Larry says "You could have been a billionaire!" Only one Beatle became a billionaire, Paul. Larry's exaggerated comment probably made Pete feel worse than he already did.

[@michaelreyes8182]

Best was anything but as a drummer. Everyone knew back then. This heat thing is a bunch of nonsense!

[@leonarddavies288]

I had my first gay crush on Pete best

[@4tinfaces]

Oh my god-a baker-Pete was a baker? Spinal Tap? Does anyone remember that line? “I’d be a baker if I could but I’m an artist? “ great movie-I love the Beatles. When I grew up and understand the wounds caused from starting a company and getting screwed out of it-I understood how Pete must have felt watching that nightmare unfold without him. Sorry Pete. Sorry you had to go through that. I’ve always thought about you as the real Beatle. But love Ringo’s drumming. Not Ringo’s fault. I love the way Ringo’s hit just past the beat. Interesting. If given the chance to see early Beatles I’d want to see them with Pete. Sorry.

[@jonglewongle3438]

Yes. Bakery. At a certain point after his Beatles sacking someone put forward a bona fide job offer, maybe on fixed term contract, maybe six months, initially, or longer, of a job in the bakery line, those big skillets, hot ovens, van loading, etc, in gloves and apron, and so on. " There's that, if you want it . ". He's got maybe a few weeks to consider, and it's " Okay. I'll do it. I'll take it. ". Dick James Music is not going to fund him, Neither Lennon nor anyone else is going to wire him the occasional ten grand. He's back to getting a regular job.

[@steveshattah]

Over and over these are some amazingly crappy questions he is being asked.

[@lamper2]

Bottom line for young viewers-Pete wasn't too good-Ringo fit in musically and socially and ultimately before he died, Pete got a HUGE amount of royalty money from the Beatles Anthology release! Lennon said "WE WERE ALWAYS GOING TO DROP HIM SOON AS WE COULD GET A REAL DRUMMER"

[@listerine414]

He isnt dead

[@AussieTVMusic]

Pete sued them and got a payout because he signed a recording contract in july 1962 and got not money for the tracks he recorded.

[@theselector4733]

There's a HECK of a LOT more to it than that. You could literally write several books on the subject, that's how complex and involved this tale is.

[@barbaracastelli9695]

@@theselector4733I agree! They also said Pete didn't show up to shows and they had Ringo come in and take his place. They said Pete wasn't reliable. Pete thought he wasn't replaceable. I can't imagine there was no Ringo. Ringo fit in better..

[@theselector4733]

@@barbaracastelli9695 Pete was a Beatle for 2 YEARS!!!!! Believe me you don't keep a musician in your band, particularly a drummer for that LONG, if he can't play. I agree that Ringo was a much better fit for The Beatles than Pete because of his general demeanor, personality and background, but his playing was about the same level as Pete at the time.

[@carlengel8501]

Best was fired because he sucked. Couldn't keep a beat.

[@Brammy007a]

Pete simply wasn't a good drummer. He was able to pound out the simple "Atom Beat", but couldn't handle anything but the straight rock and have very little finesse. Just listen to the old BBC radio recordings with Pete. Just listen to Pete's drumming on Love Me Do.... insanely bad. To this day Pete thinks he's a great drummer but he is simply wrong. Ringo was/is a very good drummer.

[@AussieTVMusic]

He was 20yrs old. Are you saying he could not have got better?

[@Brammy007a]

@@AussieTVMusic I'm saying that he wasn't getting better the way the other members were. His strong beat was fine early on, but later on you can clearly hear what George Martin heard..... listen to the BBC recordings. His mashup of Love Me Do was the final nail in the coffin. They did it in a chickenshit way but the Threatles made the right move when they dumped Pete and got RIngo. ........ and keep in mind that it wasn't only musical. Pete never fit in with the tight nit clique that John, Paul and George had going..... and George was main catalyst in Pete's ouster.

[@michaelhasenstein7838]

@@Brammy007a Were you there? Probably not. Another "expert" Your hostility makes no sense.

[@Brammy007a]

@@michaelhasenstein7838 No, I wasn't there...... but I've been collecting Beatles stuff and studying the group since the mid 60's which is (based on your photo) well before you were born. We have hundreds of books and interviews (from the band and others around the band) and actual recordings to examine. My stated opinion is based on evidence. Your drive-by comment is based on nothing but frustration at your own ignorance.

[@alane7896]

@@AussieTVMusic john said he didnt would not improve when ringo start they were amazed how good

[@theonlyantony]

Drivel about Ringo.

[@artvandelay8090]

I used to think that he got a dirty deal, but after hearing what a terrible drummer he was, I don't think he got a dirty deal. He deserved to be booted. The stupid thing about it was that Ringo wasn't much better. And Ringo still stinks.

[@alane7896]

ringo is considered great by fans and many pro s but yeah i like pete

[@Cosmo-Kramer]

Pete put in 2 years of hard work, playing 8 hours a night, 7 days a week, between Hamburg and Liverpool. To be sacked on the band's launch pad to stardom was downright cruel. Just because he was getting all the hottest girls and had the biggest fan club. What petty jealousy from John, Paul, and George. Disgraceful. And to add insult upon injury, the three of them didn't even have the courage, or courtesy, to sack him themselves--instead instructing their manager to do it. I'll say it now...Pete Best is my favorite Beatle.

[@listerine414]

No there is stuff on the internet you can hear his Beatle recording drumming parts. He was no good. Beat was off. The people in studio said his stuff was not usable. He sucked. That's all.

[@Cosmo-Kramer]

@@listerine414 Pete and Ringo were good live drummers, who just weren't experienced enough in the studio at the time of the, "Love Me Do", EMI recordings. Producer George Martin rejected both of their recordings, and brought in pro session drummer, Andy White, to do the official recording. The EMI sound engineer present at Pete's recording said, "The problem wasn't with how Pete was playing, it was that he was given an altered arrangement he wasn't used to." As for Martin's rejection of Ringo, however, there was no such explanation for Ringo's failure. In fact, Paul McCartney even agreed with Martin, unhappily saying, "Ringo's timing was off." (And Paul was a drummer--he knew.) But, Pete was sacked over jealousy, Ringo replaced him because he posed no threats, and both men learned to adapt their live drumming style to the more precise style needed for studio recordings. Yes, John, Paul, and George had to beg Martin--he was totally against using Ringo on the records--but the other 3 lads really put the screws to Martin and successfully got Ringo invited to drum on the next recording project, "Please Please Me". As for Pete, he moved on to get his own band, Pete Best & The All-Stars. They were quickly signed to a recording contract with Decca, and the label had no issues with Pete's beat, he did all the studio drumming. Anyone who thinks Pete's drumming was the reason he got sacked, is a delusional Ringo fanboy. First of all, Martin never said Pete had to be replaced in the band, only replaced in the studio on their first record. He told Epstein that Pete's drumming was fine for live performances, but in the studio he wanted someone with more experience. It was a common practice during that time to use session musicians on records, who never joined the band. If it was important to John, Paul, and George that THEIR drummer be the guy on records, then they had ample opportunities to approach Pete with a helping hand before sacking him out of the blue on the verge of stardom, but they never did. Because it wasn't about his drumming. The record contract was not in jeopardy. The Beatles' rocket ship was in its countdown, ready for take-off. And nothing was going to stop that. Not even changing drummers, they figured. So they did. Naw, if it was about Pete's drumming, the other 3 would've had talks with him, months earlier, encouraging Pete to hire an instructor to adapt his powerful live style of play to the more polished style suited for studio recordings. But they never said a word. They wanted Pete out due to petty jealousy, and were just waiting for the excuse to do it. Of course the punks didn't even have the courage to do it themselves. Mark Lewisohn, renowned Beatles biographer, summed it up well: "The Beatles had had two years in which to dismiss Pete but hadn't done so, and now - as they were beginning to reap the rewards for their long, hard slog, with money rolling in and an EMI contract secured - he was out. It was the most underhanded, unfortunate and unforgivable chapter in the Beatles' history." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[@listerine414]

@@Cosmo-Kramer john lennon said h. He sucked. The taught him just enough to keep a basic beat and used him because needed a drummer quick. Ringo was cool man face it. Better choice. Cool attitude. Cool look.

[@thekitowl]

@@Cosmo-Kramer you do realise Ringo’s version of LMD was released as the single while Andy’s version is on the LP.

[@Cosmo-Kramer]

@@thekitowl Yes, Ringo has said in interviews that he was petrified that his new bandmates would sack him the same as they had Pete, and when he told them that, to reassure him they begged for Ringo's version to be used on the single. (I have reason to believe Ringo re-recorded it off the books.) Martin capitulated against his better judgement (and if I'm right, he approved a re-recorded version). But he insisted that the much more important release, the one on the album--the vehicle with which he hoped to break through into America, the only market that really mattered--would be the superior version done by White. The lads begged again to let Ringo play on the rest of the album, and once again, Martin acquiesced.

[@ror312gallery19]

Replacing Pete with Ringo, to me, seems, they did not care how good a player, either was. This is even more apparent, when you research, and find, The Beatles were just another singing group, manufactured by George Martin, and Brian Epstein and others. GM, is quoted as saying they were awful, and they had no decent original songs when they were first brought to him by BE. IMHO, Beatles were a completely manufactured/ non organic band. The Monkees, late Davey Jones is quoted as saying, their TV band, which was indeed completely manufactured, was "NOT the first Manufactured band, it was The Beatles." I grew up and loved them, and became a lifetime musician & song writer/ performer in NYC and all over. I can still appreciate the music & vocals, but the main stream story, is simply not true. Love from Italy Robert

[@VinnyDrysdale]

Complete bullshit. Who wrote the fucking songs then? They had Love Me Do, Please Please Me when George Martin signed them, and they later pulled out songs they had written as teens such as I'll Follow the Sun and When I'm Sixty Four. The songs each of them wrote after The Beatles split long after Brian Epstein was dead and George Martin wasn't around prove they had extreme talent. This is all well documented. Lastly, Ringo was is a great drummer, and Pete is a shitty drummer. That's just the facts.

[@fourthtunz]

@@VinnyDrysdale You got it right. Pete seems like a nice guy but it wasn't a case that he's a great drummer and just didn't make it. there is a video on here where a guy maps out Petes version of love me do, the tempo is all over the place, If Ringo was no good he would not have been a Beatle. Ringo was a innovative, creative drummer who played the right parts for the songs. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXSlaauKpKhgebc

[@michaelhasenstein7838]

@@VinnyDrysdale You weren't there, the fact your feelings get so hurt about it is funny.

[@VinnyDrysdale]

@@michaelhasenstein7838 The fact you care about my feelings is even funnier.

[@javieruribe9671]

and some people still say the world is flat