Ex-Beatle Pete Best drums up Ticket to Ride Tour

Jan 18 2008 by Vicky Anderson, Liverpool Daily Post

IT COULD be said Liverpool has waited a long time to see the drummer of The Beatles – and then two come along at once.

Original percussionist Pete Best yesterday gave his verdict on the Capital of Culture launch led by Ringo Starr, and the 2008 return to the city of his former band mate Sir Paul McCartney, as he took a magical mystery tour – of a fashion – around some of the Fab Four’s famous haunts.

The trip began right at the very beginning – the Casbah Coffee Club, on Haymans Green in West Derby, which Best still runs and uses as a top recording studio.

Owned by his mother, Mona, the member’s club became a venue for The Beatles in their earliest days.

But Best was famously dropped from the line-up in 1962 and replaced by Ringo Starr – and never spoke to his band mates again, later forging a successful career in the civil service.

“The launch was good for Liver-pool. I haven’t seen it yet, not because of Ringo,” he says without prompt. It’s taped, and when I get a quiet moment I’ll watch it. It doesn’t matter who took to the stage or who was on the bill, it is the people of Liverpool who are the ones who are going to make it spectacular.

“I think it is nice to see Ringo appearing back in Liverpool. Out of all of them, I think Paul’s done the most for the city, with LIPA and some of the things he is more quietly involved in, so it is nice to see him coming back as well.

“The door’s always open for a meeting, although to be realistic it would have to be on Paul’s voli-tion. But we’re not starry-eyed youngsters anymore, it would be nice to meet just for posterity. There were some great moments in Liverpool when we were kids.”

Best, who runs the Casbah Club with his two brothers for group tours, revealed he hoped live music will return to the legendary venue in the near future.

“We have plans to open it up a little bit more and we’re looking to see some form of live music.

“The Casbah was eclipsed by the Cavern, but it was the catalyst for what became the Mersey Sound, and people are starting to recognise that.

“It wasn’t the biggest club but had great atmosphere. It’s impor-tant the city’s culture moves on – but what a great heritage it has.”

Best was speaking at the launch of a new daily and weekly Mega Rider bus ticket by Stagecoach, which hopes it will attract visitors and regular passengers to take the chance to see more of the city.

A bus was laid on to take Best from the Casbah Club to old haunts including Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields.

He returned to a career in music in 1988 after being persuad-ed to take part in a one-off gig at a Beatles convention.

Best said: “What attracted me to this was it brings easier access to the suburban sites, the places we frequented as youths – there’s a lot of history, a great story to tell and it opens up Merseyside.”

Mark Bushell, spokesperson for Stagecoach, said: “People should know about these places. It’s a very important year for Liverpool, and it is such an incredibly historical city.”

vickyanderson