What Paul McCartney's Friendship With Ringo Starr Is Like Now

The Beatles are widely regarded as one of the greatest bands of all time, crafting music that pioneered the British pop invasion and creating a range of sound that rose to popularity and evolved into a template for many boy bands to follow in the future.

One of the most prominent things about the band was the band members themselves — John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr — who charmed and captivated fans worldwide. Decades later, only two of the band members remain. Lennon was assassinated outside his Manhattan apartment in 1980, while Harrison died of lung cancer in 2001. McCartney and Starr — the remaining members of the band — now carry on the legacy of the chart-topping band, which defined a large part of the '60s and became a cultural icon.

Yes, it has been a while since the dawn of the Fab Four, and now fans of The Beatles might wonder about the relationship between the two surviving members, McCartney and Starr. Are they still in touch with each other like the good old days, when they would bob their heads to each other's tunes? Do they still perform or play together? How's the bond between McCartney and Starr, who once set the rhythm for the many hit songs by the band? Has time brought them even closer?

You're never too old to jam with your old bandmate, and Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr would agree. In January, Starr even reflected on both their relationship and especially performing with McCartney.

"I love that, getting up with him," Starr told The Irish News about playing with McCartney. "We did it at the O2 in England [in 2018]. And then he called me, and he said, 'I'm doing Dodger Stadium, if you want to do a few numbers.' So he picked three numbers, and I got up and went down there. And it's magic for the audience as well as us. I love playing with him."

As for McCartney's thoughts on performing with Starr, he told Howard Stern: "It is fantastic for us. ... If I get a chance now to play with Ringo, it's magical."

Both Starr and McCartney enjoyed a fairly successful solo career after the band's split, and have clearly managed to remain close friends. However, they don't get to spend as much time together as they used to. "We don't hang out with each other a lot," Starr told The Irish News. "But if we're in the same country, and if we're in the same town we always have dinner, and we say hi or he comes over here or I go over to his house."

While the days of the Fab Four are long over, the friendship between the two surviving members of The Beatles has only solidified with time, something which has been evident by the way Ringo Starr has been vocal about his how much he admires Paul McCartney for his skills.

"He's an incredible musician. He's incredible at singing too and as a writer, but for me, as a bass player, he is the finest and the most melodic," Starr told Smooth Radio, adding that it's "always fun when we're playing together." 

"I've played on several of his records, mainly in the '90s. People keep saying, 'Oh, it's been so long.' It's not been that long," Starr gushed of his former bandmate.

And McCartney cannot sing enough praises for Starr — he's even ranked him at the top in his list of drummers, even above Led Zeppelin's John Bonham and The Who's Keith Moon.

"I'd go Ringo [Starr] top — he's something else," McCartney said on "The Howard Stern Show," per Ultimate Classic Rock.

It sure is great to see Starr and McCartney together, and fans of The Beatles and these two musicians will keep wishing that they get to see them perform together more in the future and bring back memories of rock's golden era.