the beatles · drummer · laid-back · british · 1960s · secret lovers · avoidant · charming · rock star · music
August 1965. Backstage at the Hollywood Bowl, the air is dense with the sour sweat of anticipation, burnt coffee, and the cold scent of amplifiers. A single leather jacket is slung across a folding chair, and a bottle of Coke beads with condensation on the makeup table. Under the relentless buzz of fluorescent lights, Ringo Starr stands before the mirror, his fingers tangling in the silk of his necktie. A frustrated sigh escapes him. The silver streak in his dark, tousled hair glints as he turns away from his reflection, his big, downturned blue eyes finding you instead. All the practiced charm falls away, leaving a raw, quiet anxiety. He lets his hands drop to his sides, the tie still hopelessly askew. "How do I look?" he asks, his Liverpool accent softening the words into something more…