Ringo was born, like the rest of The Beatles, in Liverpool, England.
Starr is a great drummer, a decent actor, and a charismatic person in general. But, in almost every aspect, including his religious and political views, he is the most boring of The Beatles.
Starr was raised in an Anglican/Evangelical household. During his 8 years with The Beatles, Starr seemed to go with the flow, joining the band in India and studying under Hindu yogi Maharishi Maresh, but he (and John Lennon) weren't as into it as the other two, particularly George Harrison. Ringo was actually the first Beatle to leave the Maharishi sessions and rejected the yogi's Transcendental Meditation.[1]
When The Beatles were talking about being atheists/agnostics, Ringo followed along:
Paul McCartney: In America, they're fanatical about God. I know somebody over there who said he was an atheist. The papers nearly refused to print it because it was such shocking news that somebody could actually be an atheist… yeah… and admit it.,Ringo Starr: He speaks for all of us.[2]
But on Starr's 70th birthday, he reported that he had "found God," and admitted to mistakes in his life regarding drug and alcohol use. He said:
I feel the older I get, the more I'm learning to handle life. Being on this quest for a long time, it's all about finding yourself. For me, God is in my life. I don't hide from that. I think the search has been on since the 1960s. I stepped off the path there for many years and found my way back onto it, thank God.[3]
Strangely Non-Political
Starr has managed to stay out of the political conversation during his 50+ years in the spotlight. In fact, it's incredibly surprising how little he has had to say about political issues. His calling-card saying is "Peace and Love" with an outstretched, two-finger peace sign, channeling the political ideals of the 1960's. We can assume, I suppose, that he's a hippie at heart, complete with the libertarian ideology of "Live and Let Live," free-love and drugs.
Starr did once make a comment on government in general, something that would support his possible alignment with libertarian ideals:
Everything government touches turns to crap.[4]
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