Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
But the opening riffs invite another discussion entirely.
Does that … kind of sound like Reptilia?
Has Ringo been dropping his stylus down onIs This It?
Actually, more than a little bit.
Valensi immediately said yes to shredding on the entire project.
This was one of the most fun recording experiences Ive ever had, he says.
Im looking at a list of recent Ringo guitarists and you join quite an illustrious list.
Joe Walsh, Steve Lukather, Mike Campbell, Robby Krieger, some guy named Paul McCartney …Wow.
It didnt dawn on me the fantastically reputable company that Im joining here, but holy shit.
Joe Walsh is one of my current favorite guitarists.
Its quite an honor to be included in that list of Ringo Starr guitar players.
The music she was writing and pitching to him leant itself to the way that I play.
They had some conversations about influence and what direction the EP was going to go in.
My band, the Strokes, was one of the things that got listed.
She was thinking,Why dont we just go straight to the source?
I spent a lot of time recording with Linda.
She would demo songs and then send them to me she was playing the drums and on vocals.
There was even one song that I got to demo with her from scratch.
From there, the songs would go to Ringo for approval.
Some of them were completely different with the time, the tempo, and the key.
Thats interesting, how so?The things that I thought were going to work no longer did.
Ringos feel is so different the way that he plays is so energetic and youthful.
Its kind of weird, too.
Ringo is my favorite drummer of all time.
He still has all of the quirkiness and youthful energy and weirdness in his playing.
Hes an older gentleman now, but he still plays like hes 17 years old.
He still puts fills in weird places where you kind of have to play around them in outside-the-box ways.
So my first experience hanging with him was when we shot the music video.
I had the pleasure of going to his house, which was a little nerve-racking.
We shot the video in his garage.
Id love a visual of what his house looks like.Its not showy or ostentatious.
Its very down-to-earth in the way Ringo is.
Did Ringo go into this wanting to create his own version of a Strokes album?Not exactly.
Did you ask him what his favorite Strokes material is?I didnt dare do that.
He couldve been anAnglesstan![Laughs.]
Hanging with him was such a dream come true, and so casual and easy.
I didnt want to fish for compliments about my band.
I will say, Ringos energy and demeanor is so welcoming.
Its so down-to-earth and open-hearted.
Hes just a really pleasant person to be around and Im grateful to be in his orbit.
Im curious how you chose to experience this collaboration.
She was also asking me to inject my personality into the songs a little bit.
Linda is really good at real-time direction.
I mean, this is Ringo Starr.
Hes one of the most iconic musicians of all time.
Hes a cultural icon, like John F. Kennedy.
We discussed the Rainbow Room.
It felt so natural and I really got the impression,Hes just like one of us.
Its the way it always feels with other musicians.
Was there ever a fear that it just wouldnt work?No, never.
Because the first song Linda sent me was so good and I immediately had ideas for it.
That goes for most of us.
That was a big part of my childhood.
The perception from my mom and my aunts?Oh, Nick finally made it.
Hes on a record with a Beatle.That feels nice.
Ill call Ringo right now and Ill put my name in that hat.
