Pete Best Reveals Why He Was Kicked Out Of The Beatles | Letterman 

$14M

@@paulweston285 Not sure where $14 million comes from, his current net worth is estimated at around $600k

@@paulweston285 Or between £1 million and £4 million

I heard he died shortly after this interview, so he doesn't have a pension now.

@@brucenator Pete Best? He's doing fine, alive and well at 81 years of age.

I love it, wish more people were as natural and unassuming. Those sort of talk shows are full of loud mouths saying nathin these days. My uncle sounds alot like Pete.

Seems as he has a clicking sounds as he talks.

​@@spy1965yes. My nextdoor neighbour's gardener speaks exactly like him. Not many of these true scousers left now.

@@spy1965 That's him keeping in time.

Every turn in life impacts the end result of one's identity.... Mr. Best has much to be proud of 😉

How ironic.

Pretty cut throat. And it fits the pattern of the personalities involved who just sued and sued each other. The Beatles are not nice lads and I’m happy I went with Zep.

@@Civil_War_Now *_John Lennon was a toxic ingredient in the whole Beatles story!_*

@@Civil_War_Now are you 12?

I agree. Dave showed class but many in the audience were being classless POS and total douchebags

The Letterman audience was always like that. Like drunk chimps.

The Letterman audience members are told in no uncertain terms if they are going to attend they must provide a laughter track, whether or not they find it funny. It's not their fault if they were not forewarned there was going to be a serious interview which did not require laughter. Very awkward.

Least he can say I was the Beatle first drummer or at least say I was part of the the Beatles not many people can say that because there's only a couple people that can or could

😂😂😂

How about the one with Cindy Crawford.

@@robertpolnicky7702 I'll check it out, thanks.

@@Pneumanon I was being a little sarcastic. Dave had a problem with pretty women. I have the same problem. The interview was funny though.

@@robertpolnicky7702 Just watched a couple of his Cindy Crawford interviews, they seemed to get on alright!

What's with the audience tho? They're sniggering away in the back ground for no apparent reason 🤔

yeah, I heard that Paul McCartney was in the audience in disguise and kept giggling at the most inappropriate times.

yes! I totally agree, jeez, what is wrong with these idiots? so disrespectful!

Yes, so inappropriate. I am sure the ones who laughed have nothing going for themselves.

The Letterman audiences always seem to be giggly and disrespectful, laughing at nothing..

@@jude2235 Agreed.

Indeed. I wonder what the reason was that he got fired. Was it his drumming, was it jealousy for whatever reason, was it something else. Like a who shot Kennedy question.

@@raccuia1 you've made a *very* astute analogy

@@raccuia1 Not a good analogy. The U.S. gov't assassinated JFK because he wanted to stop Viet Nam and get rid of the Federal Reserve so he died.

@@raccuia1 George Martin said he couldn't keep a beat. He told them to keep him if you want but he can't play on records.

@@NaturalRagman The little I have heard of Pete Best drumming, including the Decca records audition and various other RU-vid videos, I tend to err on the side of his drumming prowess. I think The Beatles made the right call with Ringo. I have watched YT vids of Pete Best being interviewed and he comes across as a good fella. I hope he was able to cope with the churning stomach and emotional pain through the years.

Exactly. Success does not mean money, it means fulfilment.

He comes across as decent ... until he blames getting kicked out on "jealousy." That's just not believable and doesn't come across as remotely honest.

He stood in the way of them getting a record contract. He was with them when they first walked into a recording studio, but Producer George Martin wasn’t happy with him.

Yes, most people that are filthy rich are saying to themselves, "Dammit! Why am I cursed with all this money, fame and notoriety when I could have just been a decent person"?

Gosh this thread brings out the cynics

top bloke

Agreed. Be well Dave.

He certainly does. I’m impressed by his manner.

Made $14M out of Anthology

I heard he always comes on and starts looking for balloons, but nobody gets his humour.

Ciertamente, lo que hicieron los Beatles con Pete Best no fue una broma. Se puede decir que George y Paul le tenían un sentimiento de aversión a Best. Por eso cuando conocieron a Ringo en Hamburgo, sobre todo George, lo quisieron incorporar al grupo. Pero Ringo no era tonto, los escucho tocar y se dió cuenta que no tenían nada y que no iban a tener futuro a corto plazo. De ninguna manera se iba a salir del grupo de Rory Storm, que en ese entonces era un grupo más profesional y traía mejor sonido que los Beatles. Lo más delesnable de los Beatles, es que si sabían que Best no encajaba con ellos, se lo debieron haber dicho desde la primera vez que fue con ellos a Hamburgo. Se la jugo con ellos desde que fue el baterista oficial de los Beatles, también hizo el trabajo rudo junto con los otros, esto es, era un equipo. Y cuando conocieron a Epstein y luego a George Martin que fue con Pete Best, no con Ringo, se dieron cuenta que estaban por lograr el éxito y así si, mandaron llamar a Ringo y este ni tardó ni perezoso, ahora sí acepto unirse a los Beatles. Otra observación, Martin nunca dijo nada malo sobre Pete Best. Lo que él dijo fue que respetaba la desicion de los otros tres y que el nunca corrió a Best. Dijo que en los estudios de grabación se sustituia a quien fuera necesario y el público no se enterario, cuando menos a corto plazo. Así como George Harrison fue sustituido por Eric Clapton las veces que fuera necesario y no por eso iban a correr a Harrison. Aunque alguna vez John pensó en sustituir a Harrison por Eric Clapton, pero seguramente Clapton no hubiese aceptado. Una vez dicho lo anterior, el Karma alcanzo a los que hicieron el complot en contra de Best. Abur

It's peace not piece.

@@JosephPerez-kh7xhthat’s not entirely true. Martin didn’t think much of Best’s drumming and said he’d use studio players. That was the impetus of Ringo replacing him. And Clapton played on one Beatle song, at the invitation of Harrison.

Not really. There's really no reason for him to go on tv complaining. Bands change personnel all the time. They were kids then. If Pete had stayed, the success nor the music would have been the same. Sounds like sour grapes.

@@angusmount3913 hi

@@angelabluebird609 Who would have sour grapes after a bad ditch? That is natural, specially if you get ditched by your friends.

@@hanslund308 Not really. A gentleman of class and dignity would not publicly whine. Change of personnel in bands is common. He is also paid the royalties he is due, no small amount, either. I'm from a musical family and married into a musical family. This is just silly. The Beatles were and are magic, with John, Paul, George and Ringo. That is how it happened and how it is.

@@angelabluebird609 hardly whining is he ?I think you underestimate the cataclysmic effect this would have on your psyche especially given the magnitude of their success and he was treated quite shoddily

[ ... unless it kills you, of course ]

Looking at this interview I'd say he was kicked out because of his total lack of personality and charisma. That and his inadequate drumming skills were the 2 factors not jealousy.

@@CB-xr1eg Well, he doesn't actually drum in this so there is no way you would know. None of the beatles really struck me as full of charisma and personality, they were marketed as being pretty bland. This guy would fit right in with any interview you saw with them. That he's not practiced at being interviewed would go without saying. However, we have no idea what would do it. He doesn't say 'musical jealousy' so it could have just been that he was better looking than them. Either way, Johns dead thanks to being a beatle, so no matter how much money he had, he still comes out ahead.

@@mikearchibald744 "marketed as being pretty bland"...what a load of absolute nonsense.

@@CB-xr1eg Go watch interviews of them, if thats not bland, not sure what is.

Audience were quite rude

if The Beatles weren't ever successful (as they certainly weren't when Best left), who'd really be as interested in this story ...

... and it can (sort of) be argued that he's only famous by being carried on the coattails of the band that became enormously successful

@@sexobscura With that line of thinking, if that's the argument, then it can easily also be argued that because of them he didn't get the chance to be as successful as he might've been had he never met them.

@@skelter1153 Correct Fame by association

Actually he got royalties to some beatles anthologies which had his drumming in the recordings so he took Monag from Beatles recently.

@@innosanto It was never about the Monag.

True. I’ve heard his story many times.

And the worst Beatles' drummer ever

Actually, he wasn’t the first Beatles drummer mentioned in the interview. It was another drama before we called Tommy Moore, the fact is, he wasn’t a good drummer and didn’t keep a good time. Ringo was a better drummer, it is said metronomes were calibrated to Ringo’s timing.

@@walrus1300 Yes they did have other drummers. I should clarify my post: Pete Best was the first official Beatle drummer who signed a contract with the Beatles.

@@vangroover1903 No that was Paul..........

Pete has a very calming relaxing sound to his voice. Very therapeutic.

Pete didn't show up for several performances, which didn't endear him to the others He also refused to get a Beatles haircut. Probably most important, as John said, "He wasn't quick like the rest of us."

When you learn that they sacked one of the Quarrymen via their manager, it’s not so unusual for Pete to be dismissed the same way.

@@GaryLangEngr well if you can read I wrote “not happy with how they handled it”. I never wrote that they made a mistake. Pretty big difference there Gary.

@@GaryLangEngr to bring the guy in and tell him face to face. You know like the way YOU would want to be fired. Not cower and hide and make your manager do your dirty work. It makes perfect sense. You must be too dense to understand.

Pete got bad attitude, and John, Paul and George felt this and talked to their manager. Brian the Manager already knew this and to avoid rough time among them, the Manager decided to put him out of the band, otherwise, it would have taken to The Beatles eventually breaking up.....

@@buffalobraves9at the end of the day as bad as I feel for him, it’s kind of his own fault. He repeatedly would miss concerts and be unreliable, refused the Beatles haircut and didn’t really improve his skill as a drummer. This behaviour would get you sacked from most garage bands nevermind the Beatles.

People watch Letterman to laugh. I got the sense it was more of the nervous laughter of people confronted with how but for a simple twist of fate their lives may have been much different.

The audience is warmed up before the show and is primed to laugh at the slightest thing.

I heard the audience thought he was rude and kept giggling out of embarrassment.

It's even weirder when you come to the conclusion: the (US) audience had probably never heard of the guy. Little wonder why the are giggling. Human nature.

ive Seen many Roger Waters interviews where he is asked about Syds erratic behavior during what is an obvious mental breakdown and gets laughs from the audience to Rogers annoyance i wish these interviewers would read the room or talk to the audience before hand , unbelievable .

That statement deserves a yeah, right.

Pete was never a Beatle but was on the recordings that was rejected by Decca.

@@paulnodalo9130 I think he is on Anthology.

...he will always be a "Founding" member.🥁 Ringo wasn't...he was a replacement. no disrespect to Ringo.

@@paulnodalo9130 were* rejected by Decca, not was*

it was definitely a bad break for Pete, but...George Martin was right.

No sweat and tears were expended. Have you ever listened to his drum playing from that time? He was awful. (I have the recordings) Plain and simple. He also had a habit of missing gigs. Even Lennon who usually was moot on the subject spoke publicly of Bests' substandard playing.

It was George Martin that decided to replace Pete with Ringo. There was jealousy in the band as the girls favorite was Pete. Lennon was upset when they played at the Cavern without Pete and the fans were yelling...someone had a recording of this and Lennon agreed with the fans.

@@barbj9785 No he didn't. McCartney also said as much in Ringo's induction to the R&R hall of Fame. I also have the sound and printed interview with Lennon. I also have ALL of the recordings with Best. He was awful. Don't spread lies.

@@justiceforall6412 True, Pete wasnt a good drummer. But I did hear George Martin say they needed to make a change in the drumming. Whether he made that decision himself or not I dont know. It was handed down to Brian Epstein to tell Pete.

Ironically, Pete was Best in name only.

I don't think he cared that they laughed. Not to be harsh, but Pete was on Letterman to cash in on a Beatles career that he wasn't really part of (other than he was the timekeeper while they polished their skills in Hamburg). Not many people can turn a 2 year job which ended in being fired, into a lucrative lifelong career.

I don't think Dave went for humor with every guest in those days. Sometimes the guest was funny, other times it was just somebody promoting a book or whatnot and Dave didn't always go for laughs. I was too young in `82 but I feel like this was true of the show in the late 80s. It was only later that it became all jokes and jams (which obviously turned out quite well).

I heard he was already demoralized long before that.

So what. So sensitive

Letterman was useless for serious subjects

I heard that Dave Payne was kicked out of RUSH before they picked up some guy named Neil.

Yeah, I couldn't understand what was wrong with the crowd, there.

There's no Dave on this video, it's either David or Pete.

@@CB-xr1eg what do you think dave stands for

@@grimes558 Hmm, that's a tough one. Is it an acronym?🤔

the other beatles were jealous cause he was more popular with the girls.

@@visearms5774 not really. They just liked Ringo’s personality better. Pete is quiet. And come on- Paul McCartney is unequivocally the handsomest Beatle. But Pete is nice enough. Too quiet and not charismatic enough to have stayed with them though.

Jenny, Pete was better looking and the girls favored him. They were calling them Pete Best and the Beatles and John despised that. Also Pete didn't conform to the mop top hair style the others had

John was a major D-Bag and Paul was too.

@@haley3420 Ya, John is held up as a paragon of peace, yet he was a wife beater.

Worked out for the Best, if you will

Class? I've heard a few of the recordings on which he played, and he was clearly a below average drummer. Yet he claims he was fired because of "jealousy" over his physical beauty. I can understand his trying to cash in, and he was certainly owed something for the one or two contributions he made to the anthology. But a big payday? Only if he made a big contribution.

Well said, especially the feeling of loss and what could've been. I feel very sorry for him, but that particular aspect, which you mention, never occurred in my thoughts.... I simply saw it as a piece of ill fortune, which most people encounter in different ways during their lifetime... but his on a much larger scale. Good on him, he still manages to talk about it with good grace. When they first appeared in the limelight -- with Ringo the drummer -- I thought they were wonderful and a welcome change to the pop scene. But years later when I learned about the ditching of Pete, my opinion of them soon changed.

There’s a video that I believe was uploaded by Vice, about this guy who was with the k-pop group BTS for a while, then right before they hit it big he was kicked out. I’ll admit I don’t know a damn thing about any k-pop group or anything related because it’s just not my cup of tea when it comes to music/entertainment, but I felt that man’s pain down to my bones while watching that video. It’s a great watch, even if k-pop in general is the last thing on earth you would care to invest time in. I could be wrong on the specific channel that produced and uploaded the video, but if I’m not mistaken I think it’s called “almost in BTS”. I had forgotten about that video till I stumbled upon this one here.

A lot of people would love to have been in the beatles

@@Amy-cw6qsactually there a few guys who almost were in bts and didn’t make the cut at the end. The 7 final members trained for years and practiced for more than 16 hours daily, some people couldn’t take the pressure and hard work so they left. No one was kicked out right before they made it big, the 7 members were the final line up for a year before they even debuted and they didn’t make it BIG BIG until 3-4 years after their debut. So while it is true some guys were almost in bts, it wasn’t like Pete who actually got kicked out, these guys either quit or were let go because the others were better. Some of them still work for the group either as producers or choreographers though so that’s cool.

@@inmundo6927 And he would know .lol

​@Amy-cw6qs That guy trained with BTS, but he was never going to be in the final group. Deep down he knows he wasn't good enough. "Almost" in BTS is being overdramatic.

I heard the other side of his side of the story, but it didn't involve jealousy.

He looks a lot like the Hall of Fame bowler Pete Webber🎳

@@brucenator What did it involve?

@@Cosmo-Kramer Lack of personality and lack of drumming skills.

On the one hand, they had two years to replace him, but instead opted to keep him around right up until contract time. On the other hand, Best wasn’t very reliable. He no-showed for a lot of gigs where Ringo replaced him. Had Pete known at the time that Capitol was intending to sign The Beatles, he could have held up the deal in a dispute over rights to the name as a full-fledged member. Brian Epstein delayed the news until they could fire him first.

I heard that it was in the plea deal that everything he ever said was always filtered through the other four.

hes alive and well, and finally got a very nice royalty payment

Hes a millionaire now

​@@robd1329crazy part is the royalty payment didn't come until over a decade after this interview

@@ianr1557 He didn`t get any royalties because he had not performed on any Beatles albums, that was until 1995 when they released, Anthology 1. Which contained some songs with him. (and also bassist Stu Sutcliffe) . Im also happy to hear he is financially ok today. :)

@@oywee928 oh I know, I just mean it's crazy to think that he had no idea he would get royalties when this was filmed... he was famous for not being famous, and had no idea he was going to be rich in 13 years

Blew him out? It was the right choice. He wasn't that good. He kept missing engagements. That's how they discovered Ringo in the first place.

I heard the brand was marketed by George Martin.

@@brucenator Martin produced, Epstein marketed...

True

They wouldn't have become the Beatles the world has loved for nearly 60 years without Ringo Starr.

i mean, ringo is AMAZINGLY tastefull drummer. it really makes those songs shine

And then blamed his being dropped from the band on jealousy? casting aspersions on the rest of The Beatles and boasting about his looks and talent in the process? The Beatles have made it clear the Pete Best was a dreadful drummer and that they intended to get rid of him as soon as possible. They were blown away by Ringo when he sat in with them.

Simple as that.

I heard the band was in the club because their mothers didn't have a club.

i recall seeing an interview that they also thought when you looked at the group as a whole, one of the main factors besides drumming is that “he didn’t look like a beatle”. and if you look at their group shots, they were kinda right. pete was a good looking dude w three cartoonish looking dudes; ringo pulls up as a good drummer (became the best after doing 900 gigs in two years with the beatles around the UK) and if you looked at him, he fit in with the other goofy looking blokes as well. who’s to say if pete had gotten the time to tour around with them for as long as they did before they started recording, that he may have been just as great as ringo. i recall quincy jones saying ringo was terrible as well

@@twentyoneHz Quincy Jones can say anything that he wants but don't take it as a fact. Majority of the known drummers look up to Ringo

ironic because Ringo isnt a great drummer either.

He got kicked out of the band, was on the BREAD line, so he used his LOAF and got a job with a baker to make some DOUGH as he couldn't get a SLICE of The Beatles action and his music career was TOAST. Cue drum ROLL.

@@CB-xr1eg YOU ARE A REAL COMEDIAN >>>>>> AND A REAL ASS

@@ibpsupplyman Thank you, kind Sir. Much appreciated.👍

I'm in North America and I have a copy of that book as well. I've never met Pete Best, that's cool that he signed a copy for you. For anyone interested in his story, the book is a good read.

@Peter L No one needs to hear the tawdry details of your personal wardrobe ("I have socks older than that".)! What's next -- the lurid revelation that your jock strap is 15 years past its "Sell by" date? HONESTLY!!! --- Rich P.S. Just kidding, Peter -- just * kidding * . [Truth be told, I envy you your obviously tender (And * touching * !) relationship with ancient footwear (And I hope you won't think me cold when I confess that -- to me -- my socks are just, well, ... * socks * .).] P.P.S. I think Pete's a right dude, too. P.P.P.S. And -- while we're on the subject -- I'm not getting any younger myself....

heartbreaking is a bit strong... the death of a family member is heartbreaking. I'm sure it sucked for him to see the other 4 rise to the top, but no one should measure their life in money or fame.

@@davidovics92 Getting blindsided and fired by who you thought were friends is pretty heartbreaking , he even said he was depressed and very upset over the ordeal ... Multiple things can break your heart ya know, it doesn't have to be death.

@@davidovics92 how would you feel if you left a lottery syndicate and they win the jackpot the week after?

@@davidovics92 we can all relate to the death of a family member… he said it’s a heartbreaking story that none of us can relate to. Pete essentially fumbled the biggest bag in history. That would drive me mad

No one can relate to? There are literally thousands of people who just missed out on fame and fortune. It's simple. There isn't a slot for everybody. Some people will not make it by a mere thread. There are much worse things people can experience than only just missing out on fame.

I have an album signed by all four

@@paulweston285 which one? The one i drew on is 'With the Beatles' release

@@mannybravo237 The White Album

So you had original Beatles albums at 5 years old?🤔

@@CB-xr1eg yep, still have two. They were originally my older sisters, then gifted to me and my brother, or maybe I just claimed them as my own!

I was just thinking that.

I’m not the only one thinking that…

Also some charisma and personality. What a dull, dour man he is, no wonder he was fired. The others all had charisma charm and wit, this guy doesn't know what those words mean.

@@CB-xr1eg BEING AN ASS YET AGAIN >>>>> GET LOST TROLL

I heard that everybody forgot. It was like mass amnesia.

@@brucenator Really!? I'm surprised.

Lol. Ur dumb. David Letterman did not help people remember. Nobody watches Letterman

Well, when you have a drummer like Ringo in the band it's easy to forget the previous occupant of the drum stool, who clearly wasn't up to scratch.

@@CB-xr1eg Exactly!

That’s the part I dislike about the 4 of them. To ghost him completely and still do is pathetic.

What about Pete Shotton and the other former members?

I heard Best was the best drummer in the early days and that's how he got his name, but then Richard practiced more and became a star, even though he mostly wrote country songs.

Yes decent fella , Ringo rules Love peace ✌️🕊️

It was also Ringos personality. He was more like the other 3 and funny. I dont sense that from pete. Good guy thougj

I have watched a lot of old footage and I was going to comment the same thing. His audience back then is often embarrassing to listen to now. I feel so uncomfortable with how they laughed at some of the guests.

@@brmc6145 - Yes, Mr. Best received royalties from the Anthology release. Except for making us aware, not sure how your response has any relevance to the comment? Unless the monetary value is of importance, in a person’s value? If so, Mr. McCartney was of significantly more importance, to the Beatles, because his net worth is 1.2 billion. While Mr. Lennon’s importance is not comparable, to the Beatles, since his estate’s net worth is only half that. I can understand the point of your response, but I would say something’s are much more important, than it’s monetary value? Mr. Preston’s value, to the Let it Be sessions, was quite significant, but not if you match it to the actual dollars he earned, which was probably only session fees. So, not to start a war, I’m taking your response as just making us aware that Mr. Best did get monetarily rewarded, ‘for his troubles’. But I personally remember Pete Best, for much, much more, than his net worth.

I would say claiming they were just jealous of him is an expression of bitterness and a put down.

@@b.g.5869 So right.

C'est bon, c'est pas Best qui a fait le succès des Beatles ! Et il n'était même pas beau...