Pete & Paul

I see that Pete Best has said he wants to meet with Paul, bury the hatchet and talk about old times. I always thought it was odd that the Beatles never had any contact with Pete after they sacked him (they did run into him backstage at a gig or two right after, but no words were exchanged).

Apparently Pete and Ringo aren't in hurry to get together. They were never mates in the first place. But even more importantly, Ringo made some comments in a 1965 Playboy interview that Pete's firing was because he was on drugs. Pete sued, and got an out of court settlement. No word on the amount, but let's speculate: Pete's lawyers vs. Beatles lawyers? I'd guess that Pete didn't get much.

Another weird angle is Neil Aspinall, the real fifth Beatle and head of Apple to this day. He was tight with Pete and word is that they are still friends. They are actually "related", too. Neil had an affair with Pete's mom and had a child with her (which makes the child Pete's half-brother). If I could interview Neil, I would like to ask him, "Did you and the Beatles ever discuss Pete? Did they ever ask about him? Or was the subject off-limits?"

These show-business splits/feuds are common. John, Paul, George and Ringo had spats of their own. But as time goes on, things settle, and it's all one big happy family.

Even Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, the most famous show-business feud in history, made nice in the end.

It would be interesting to see Paul and Pete sit down for a cuppa. And I have a hunch they will. But don't bet on Ringo tagging along.