Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Now He's Too Busy???

Ringo Starr of The Beatles recently posted a video claiming he was too busy to answer fan mail or sign autographs. Here's the video.




So has Ringo finally earned the right to no longer take fan mail or do you think he has an obligation to respond to people who have supported him in the past. What exactly do you think should be the relationship between a star and the fan?

26 comments:

STACIES77 said...

I'm sorry, but I find that to be hysterical!! LOL!! I think he has a right to say enough when he feels he's had enough! I am so tired of people idolizing and making celebrities out of singers, songwriters, actors, actresses, etc. What about fan mail to our military, doctors, and nurses who are dedicating their lives to save the lives of others??

We live in a sad world and I will say it again, when we care more about the who's who of Hollywood than we do the men and women of our nation who risk their lives on a daily basis PROTECTING OUR FREEDOM!!!!

name said...

Somehow I doubt that he's too busy. In between all the hours wondering where his career went and trying to do things so people don't think he's dead, I'm sure there's around a week or two for him to make time for anyone that would consider themselves a fan of his. It's easy for him to make a statement like that because: a. his popularity isn't exactly on the rise and b. he's irrelevant in current popular entertainment. For someone at the top of their career, a statement like that would most likely ruin them.

What always gets me is how much stars, musicians, and entertainers complain about people always bugging them and not giving them privacy. Excuse me if I'm wrong here, but didn't you basically work towards the goal of being known by everyone and being in the public eye? Wasn't the whole point of the exercise to be able for everyone to know your face? I'm sure that any number of the millions of fans these people have would trade places with them in a heartbeat. They need to suck it up and realize that they're getting exactly what they wanted.

cheriem said...

I had mixed emotions on this blog.
He is a Beatle, a lot of people still like the music and he is a historic figure. But after so long I guess anyone would get tired of answering letters and signing autographs.

I do agree with Mike that working for fame has a price and you end up paying for it after you get there. I bet Ringo doesn't mind spending all the money he made as a Beatle.

Anonymous said...

Personally I find this ridiculous. Even if he is a celebrity and oh my goodness a former BEATLE, he still has the right to say when he no longer wants to be in the spotlight. I am not sure that I would say he has an obligation to respond to those who have supported him in the past. If he ever wants to interact with his fans again, this is a bad move on his part because they may distance themselves from him. If on the other hand he does not care at all, then it is his choice.

Celebrities complain all the time about being bothered by people, but that’s just part of being a star. They wanted to be famous and with that comes the lack of a private life, unfortunately.

Christen Reeves

Unknown said...

This is absolutely stupid! When people go into music or movies or television they are essentially giving up their right to privacy. Come on, he's a Beatle. People still listen to the music and send fan mail.

Ringo has not earned the right to no longer take fan mail. Posting a video about it is just ridiculous. If he doesn't want the letters then why doesn't he just toss them. What was the point of making a video to alienate his fans? He has no obligation to answer them if he doesn't want too.

Lee said...

This video is crazy. I don't see how Ringo Star can even begin to think he has the ability to tell his fans to stop sending him fan mail. He has been in the spotlight for a long time, but even if it's been one hundred years he still should never have the right to tell his fans not to send him fan mail. He should continue to be honored that he has fans!

I can understand that it probably is a little aggrivating to receive mail and objects every day and have to respond to them. But I think that is all part of being a celebrity. When you decide to chase your dream and become famous you have to know fans are going to follow, and you have to be prepared to sign and respond to mail. I love also how he trys to lighten the mood with all the "peace and loves." Does he think this will make him look like less of a jerk? Sorry Ringo, not working.

Rani said...

I think this video is funny. How many times can you say Peace and Love? Is he really too busy to answer fan mail or he he just trying to put it in a nice manner that he does not want to bother with fan mail any longer.The Beatles have lived on for many years and people still enjoy the music as if they are still performing. You would think that Ringo would value and appreciate the mail.

Ringo has the right to ask for fans to no longer send fan mail, but I doubt that people take him seriously. I feel that he should have just accepted the mail and just delete it or thrown it away.

Torie Fowler said...

I have mixed feelings on this one. I understand that he is a Beatle and that apparently he is a God in the music industry....but come on...he has been hassled by fans for most of his life. He probably just wants to work on what he enjoys doing and not get hassled by annoying fans all day. He has been signing autographs for many many years and he has paid his dues.

The other side of me, however, thinks that yeah he is a celebrity and yeah, celebrities give up their privacy when they become famous, but come on! The people who act and sing for a living do it because that is what they love to do and they are good at it. Just because they are good at something they love to do does not mean that they should have to give up every right of privacy they have. That is just stupid. Don't even get me started on paparrazi. Leave the guy alone. If he doesn't wanna sign your Beatle's album....Get over it.

Sandy Ward said...

I thought the video was rather amusing. The way I look at it, is he is almost 70 years old and has had enough of being in the public eye. He kept saying “Peace and Love” but he seemed to me to be a bit perturbed and I wondered what had happened that made him that angry.

I was even more surprised that he still answers his fan mail and signs items. Do I think fans will quit sending him fan mail and items to be signed? No. He is a rock and roll and legend and people will continue to contact him whether he likes it or not. That is the price you pay for being a public figure.

Anonymous said...

I am torn on this issue. I feel that Ringo has a right to privacy, but I only come to this conclusion because I am an extremely private person. Further, I cannot fathom what it must be like to be such a strong figure in pop culture. One of the most significant pop icons of this century at that. Indeed, I would hate to be put under the microscope and still be under that microscope in the later years of my life. It must definitely be a stress.

That said, I also feel that is a compromise when you are a public figure, celebrity, etc. Further, The Beatles made themselves so accessible to their fans in their prime, through movies, concerts, etc., so it seems somewhat hypocritical to shut them out at his desired time. I am sure that Ringo has no desire to shut out the luxuries of free dinners and hotel suites. The fans are the only reasons why Ringo has free dinners and fancy hotel suites. I am sure that situation is awkward for anyone in the public eye, but the fans are the only reason why Ringo is in the public eye in the first place.

I cannot definitely say that I would never want to be in that position.

Kayla Roberts said...

I personally thought that was pretty funny. Myabe he was on something. Peace and Love now! I think he could have done that alot better. He was kind of rude about that. He could have said he would answer not as many and that it would slowly die down to where he is not answering anymore.

I'm really not sure how I feel about this situation though. He did ask for this, in a way. When you become a star you have to do some of those things.I understand you have a choice but it is just what you are obligated to do. It comes with being a star. Fans are very important to celebrities. If nobody likes you and you do not keep your fans interested then you will lose that and you will not be famous anymore.

Carey Talley said...

I saw this video right after the media began reporting on it and I don't know if Ringo is just getting sinial in his older age or what but you don't go and post a video like that when you are a celebrity. If you don't want to answer fan mail then don't and just tell people you're busy and will get to it when you can. Seriously stars say that kind of stuff all the time and usually just throw the fan mail away.

It comes with being in the public eye and you'd think that with as long as Ringo has been in the public eye that he would know how to deal with fan mail better than this way. Suck it up Ringo, you wanted the fame and now you got it.

Jamayel Smith said...

I'm not a fan of the Beatles so this does not affect me personally. But if I was I would be very hurt to hear this from an idol of mine. But on the other hand I have never wrote any fan mail or sent any objects to get signed so again I really can't relate to this.

The fans of this guy are really going to look at him in a different way now that he has so rudely posted this video. I actually feel it was unnecessary for him to do this and will only result in bad publicity.

Paula said...

Peace and Love people! Though I thought the presentation lacked a bit, I do think he has the right to privacy, at his age. And if he has managed all those millions correctly, he could probably turn the email and gifts, etc, over to a PR crew that would stamp those photos and album covers even faster than he could sign them.

It's a mixed bag...celebrity and privacy (not that I know from experience personally). You are doing what you love and want to be rich and famous, but you don't always want all that comes with it. I think he's paid his dues and deserves to not be bothered. And this video just might do it for him. Peace and Love Ringo!

Hearst said...

I had not seen this before now. If I didn't know any better, I would think he was just being sarcastic. I thought the whole thing was funny, especially, when he kept saying peace, love. It didn't seem to me that he was being serious, but I'm sure he was.

I think celebrities do owe a little bit of their time to their fans. After all, if it weren't for the fans, they wouldn't be celebrities. I do think people go a little overboard occasionally. Ringo could have just hired someone to handle his mail. I always assumed this is what celebs did anyway. If he is being serious about the whole situation, I'm sure he will lose a few fans.

Marc Hearst

Anonymous said...

I don't consider taking fan mail or signing autographs to be an obligation but more of an act of appreciation. I understand that he may be tired of signing his name to everything put in front of him, but that comes with the territory of being a celebrity. If it weren't for fans celebrities wouldn't be. And celebrities should feel appreciative that so many people like them.

As I said above, without fans there would be no so called celebrities and therefore no relationship to speak of. Fans should be respectful of celebrities, especially when they want privacy, but the celebrities need to understand that their lives are in the spotlight because they put them there.

Sabrina said...

This is too funny!!! First off, I have heard the Beatle's songs on numerous occasions, but I am not a huge fan of them. However, it was totally inappropriate for him to do this.

When you are a celebrity, this comes along with the package. Your fans are who make them who they are today. I understand that it gets annoying, but he has to understand that they are fans.....this is what fans do!!

William said...

As others have already mentioned, a celebrities choice to seek fame exposes him/her to high expectations when it comes to fan interaction. However, this should not entitle a response to every fan. I imagine most celebrities find fanmail flattering and would respond to every fan if they could. Perhaps, Ringo Star's guilt for not being able to repsond to evry fan prompted his plea to end all fanmail.

I also agree with Stacie. Its troubling that Ringo Star's plea to end fanmail gets more publicity than the lack of appreciation for more important members of our society. I would be willing to bet that your local pastor, supervisor, or congressman would not hesitate to respond. A more interesting question is did his fans feel entitled to a response?

Annie Bolduc said...

This is definitely a situation where we have to look at both sides of the situation.
If we look at the fan side first. It is definitely outrageous for the fan to not be able to get a chance to communicate their feelings to their hero. We have to understand that for some fan, people like Ringo Starr are heroes or saviors. They want to get a chance to express their feelings, say thank you or tell the story of the influence the artist had in their lives. Of course, there are always those fans that take it to the next level and start harassing the artist and can't contain themselves. They become obsessed and sometimes even dangerous...

From the artist's perspective, well it is a completely different story. If we try to put ourselves in their shoes, we have to understand that, first of all, they are extremely busy. I wish I could know how many letters or attempt of contacts they receive everyday. People wanting replies absolutely, needing to know that they have been read. It is a lot of pressure on an artist's shoulders to try and make everyone happy. If they were to respond to every letter, it would probably take a whole entire day to just respond to one day worth of letter. It can also become extremely scary to have those stalkers or obsessed fan saying they will kill themselves if you do not write back etc.

The relationship between the star and the fan would have to be a relationship of understanding. Trying to see both sides. Of course, the artist can't write back to everyone...He still needs to live his life, make his music, have his family etc. But the artist needs to understand that he is an inspiration to some people. An artist expresses himself through music, just as a fan expresses himself through a letter. And like you said, without the fan, the artist would never be where he is. He has to be thankful, but he can be without to have to spend every second of his life responding back to people that decided to talk to him. It was their decision, not his.

heather b said...

I think he has the right to say if he wants to stop answering fanmail if he wants to. He has had a long career and he has the right to decide if he wants to keep doing it or not. However I think if he is going to stop answering fan mail then he needs to tell the truth and just say he is tired of answering them instead of lying and say he is too busy.
I think the relationship between celebrities and fans has gone way to far. People look up to celebrities more then they look up to really important people like ones who save lives and such. I think fans need to start realizing they are just humans beings who have been made famous because of their fans.

Matt Middleton said...

Too busy, haha..Ringo must be going through the great albums his Beatles put out a few decades ago. This was a great video. I mean people actually send things to get signed? Does not seem like the smartest idea.

Ringo has definitely earned the right to no longer take fan mail. If I were him, I probably would have stopped doing this many years ago. We have to realize as fans that our idols have lives also. They have families that they should be devoting themselves to instead of reading hundreds of letters or e-mails from people they do not even know, especially when their fame stems from work released long ago.

Lynsee said...

Last time I checked Ringo was not famous anymore, so how can he be too busy. However, I am sure he is not too busy to spend all the money he is still making from royalties for being a freakin beatle. I hate it when celebritites want to be jerks to the very people who provide the money to support their crazy spending habits.

If you want to be RICH and FAMOUS then I feel you owe the people who made you that way a certain amount of respect. You can't just wake up one morning and decide you don't want to be famous anymore. Furthermore, if you do wake up and decide that, quit taking your fans money.

Unknown said...

I don't support what Ringo Star has said. I think he should feelblucky he was even a Beatle, since he wasn't their first choice. He should feel proud and happy that he still receives fan mail after the band has been broken up for around thirty years. The world was changed because of the Beatles and some changes might have not been for the better but they occurred. This influence and amazement of the Beatles is shown through the fact that he still receives fan mail.
I believe that he possibly reacted in this manner because he's ready to be out of the public eye. But, sometimes that is not possibly because of what Ringo and the Beatles did to the world. He could at least hire someone to help with the fan mail and he tell the person what to say. But, apparently that's even too hard for him. This makes me think if any of the other Beatles would react in this manner, and I believe they wouldn't. I hope he comes to his senses and begins to acknowledge his fans again because its the right thing to do!

Matthew said...

For a long time, talk around the music business has been over artists who have died or long been out of their prime. Elvis, Kurt Cobain, Patsy Cline and Nat King Cole are just some of the examples that illustrate the first half my point. Ringo Starr is a perfect example of the other half, along with the rest of The Beatles. From the time they arrived in the U.S. till the present day, Starr has been in the limelight and answered countless letters and requests. After more than forty years, he has every right to say enough and take his place in history while resuming a private life like everyone else.

Those who place artists such as Starr on pedastals and demand he still respond have their place as well. After all, they have taken the time to write, buy merchandise, tickets, albums and many other things that made The Beatles such a successful name and group. However, no matter how much time, money and energy put in to following an artist that should never, in my opinion, equal or outweigh the livlihood of another individual. An artists choice to become a public figure is the same as their decision to leave that very scene.

Matt Dispenza

Shawna Pounds said...

Ringo Star is a small little man that has to get bad press just to be getting attention these days. He has to realize that without his fans he would be nothing.
Ringo has enough money to pay a secretary to send a thank you note to a fan that has written in to him. So I say "YES" he has an obligation to respond to his fans.
Also, as a historical icon of American music, any star with that status should recongize his fans as important customers that pay his salary.

Clara Caffey said...

Ha Ha he is rejecting his fans in peace and love, peace and love... Love it!

I'm not real sure how I feel about this. It really doesn't affect me much considering I have never written anything to any famous person ever. I have too busy of a life to worry with them = ) I really think both ends of the stick are important thought. I can't imagine being a star and having the need to respond to each piece of fan mail I received to make each one of my fans feel special. The fans are what make the star, right? But when you are a star and have to make so many shows and do the whole publicity scene AND try to live a normal life, when in the world would you have time to answer all of your fans?

Personally I think it's funny Ringo Star is receiving SO much fan mail that he feels the need to put a stop to it! He just can't handle all of his fans! It's amazing to me that despite that he hasn't played a show in how many years now? or produce a new album or on any show on television? Maybe I'm so out of the loop that I had't realized how in the spotlight Ringo Starr is in these days.

All in all, I think that if a star is tired of being e-mailed all of the time after so many years as Ringo Starr has experienced, he has every right to ignore the messages. Just as any person has the right to do. We'll see how his ratings go after this though..

Clara Caffey