Ringo Starr talks going country, fitness at 85 and outlasting Paul McCartney on tour

Ringo Starr, 85, talks about his fitness habits, his new country album "Long Long Road" and an upcoming All‑Starr Band tour, while also sharing personal anecdotes about his family, the Beatles biopics and his long marriage.

Ringo Starr is delivering a good-natured lecture on bone and joint health.

“Get in that gym, loosen up,” he advises. “You can blame me. ‘That Ringo made me come in here.’ ”

Famously fit at 85, the Beatles drummer still scrambles up to his kit with ease. "You know, there's no special way. It's just that no one can do it for you," says Starr, clad in a black track jacket, a peace-sign necklace and his ever-present shades. "You've got to get out of bed and do it."

His new album, “Long Long Road,” is out April 24, again cowritten and produced by T Bone Burnett with guest appearances by Sheryl Crow and St. Vincent. It’s Starr’s third country album − after 1970’s “Beaucoups of Blues” and last year’s “Look Up” − and he’ll chase it with a tour with his long-running All-Starr Band in May and June.

After the success of his 2025 collaboration with Burnett, “we just sort of thought, let's do another one,” he says. “I sing, I play drums. He puts some meat on them. And it’s worked really well.”

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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Question: Do you consider yourself a country artist primarily now? Or is this a detour?

Ringo Starr: Right now, that's all I am is a country artist. I think just “artist” is enough, you know? We play pop, we play rock, and we got back very strongly into country because of T Bone.

Your tour runs right up to your 86^thbirthday (July 7). Do you intend to play as long as you're physically able?

No, I just intend to play this year. That's as far down the line as I'm going. We'll see what happens at the beginning of next year or the end of this year. For the last five years, I've told my kids, "That's it, I can't go on anymore." (And they say), “Oh, Dad, you said that last year.” I'm just doing the 12 gigs. But in my head, at least twice a day, (I’m thinking), “Nah, we should do September as well.” But so far, I'm holding up.

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It feels like you've got some sort of competition going with Paul McCartney to see which one of you can stay on the road longer.

Well, it may look like that, but I'll be the longest (laughs).

I think you will.

We went to see him playing the Fonda Theatre. It was great to see him in a tight venue like that. The sound was great, and he was on. He’s from Liverpool: You shout at him, he's going to shout back. I've seen him at many stadiums. And I missed the contact, really.

You've joked that the secret to your fantastic health is blueberries and broccoli. What have you learned over the years about taking care of yourself?

I have a trainer still three times a week. And the gym's just there (points off camera). I go in on my own at least one day, usually two days, when she's not there. Just to get my heartbeat (up) and get on the treadmill, do a bit of running and weights. I’ve been doing it so long, it's just like, oh, I'll go over to the gym.