This morning, September 14, 2016, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr did something they had never previously done: the answered questions on a live Facebook chat. Along with Ron Howard, they spoke for about thirteen minutes. Fans from all around the world sent questions through Facebook comments. And unlike other forums similar to this one, fans were to ask the guys questions about the Beatles because the entire reason for this live chat was to promote the Ron Howard documentary about the Beatles touring years, "Eight Days a Week."
Ringo and Paul along with Ron were inside Abbey Road Studios and were interviewed by Edith Bowman. Both Paul and Ringo looked relaxed and healthy. Ringo was supporting a tan, confirming that he was vacationing in Malibu and not in rehab again.
It seemed a bit silly to conduct this interview before Paul or Ringo had seen the finished film, however; they did a ice job answering the questions and giving Ron Howard the chance to put in his comments as well. I know the questions came from fans, but they were basic questions and not different than what I would've expected from an interviewer. However, I am sure it was a thrill for the few fans that had their questions asked to hear Paul and Ringo respond.
There really wasn't anything new discovered in the interview. Ringo told the same joke about how on their one day off a month Paul would have to judge a beauty contest. While nothing new was uncovered, there was something almost magical about watching Ringo and Paul together talking about the Beatle days.
My biggest issue with the interview was with Edith Bowman. Her Scottish accent was at times difficult for me to understand, plus her voice wasn't very loud. That being said, she did display energy and kept the interview moving.
The last question was about why the title of "Eight days a Week" was chosen for this documentary about the Beatles touring years. This has been a questions going around in Beatle fans circles since the title was announced. The song that the title comes from is one that the Beatles never sang in a live concert. Ron Howard gave an answer about how he wanted people to know that the film was just one part of the Beatles' story. Ringo then encouraged Paul to tell how he came up with the name of the song. Paul tells a story we first heard through the Anthology about how he had a driver who said he was working "eight days a week" while driving Paul to John's house.
In watching the interview, it hit me that moments like these won't be around much longer. It was great to see these two old friends talking about their band. I have a feeling this is an interview we will remember for a long time.