Brush With Ungratefulness

Back in 1991, Ringo Starr said he would answer every one of his fan letters, "and I don't care if it takes me another 20 years." Seventeen years later, he's had enough.

Sure, his pledge was made by a cartoon version of himself on The Simpsons episode Brush with Greatness, but the sloughing off of his fans was no joke. Earlier this week the fourth Beatle posted a short rant on his website (which now appears gone), telling anyone who was still enamored with the drummer to stuff it.

"This is a serious message. I want to tell you please, after the 20th of October do not send fan mail to any address you have. Nothing will be signed. If that has a date on the envelope it’s gonna be tossed. I'm warning you with peace and love, I have too much to do. So no more fan mail. Thank you, thank you. And no objects to be signed. Nothing. Anyway, peace and love, peace and love."

Apparently peace and love is the equivalent of telling somebody "with all due respect" before you dump all over their idea.

Of course Ringo is under no obligation to sign anything for anyone, but I can't help but wonder what influence his Simpson appearance had on his level of fan mail.

Dear Marge,
Thanks for the fab painting of Yours Truly. I hung it on me wall. You're quite an artist.
In answer to your question, yes, we do have hamburgers and fries in England. But we call french fries `chips'.
Love, Ringo.
PS: Forgive the lateness of my reply.

Have people been sending him new mail ever since? And the show is in permanent reruns, so countless people have see it anew every month. And how many budding painters will give up their dreams, just because Ringo has gotten all crotchety?