Hey Ringo!!!!!!!!!!

Peace and Love, baby.

Every year on his birthday, Ringo celebrates at a very public location. This year it was in front of  the Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood, where a large crowd sang "Happy Birthday" and Ringo cut the cake.

The real focus is that he has made his birthday into a celebration of Peace And Love. The drill is that at high noon, wherever you are at on his birthday - July 7 - stop what you are doing and say the words Peace and Love. His theory is that for those few seconds your mind is focused on peace and love and nothing else.

This cannot be a bad thing.

Wherever he is, they do a countdown to noon and then Ringo and the crowd say Peace and Love and flash the peace sign. That is damn good karma.

Of course you think the ritual is silly, but Ringo has been all about peace and love for his whole life. Comb through as many pictures as you can and you will be impressed to see in how many he is flashing the peace sign. I don't care how far back you go.

He took the message of the sixties and made it a big part of who he is.

I researched all this earlier this summer, checked out all the places around the world he has been to do this, all the charities he raises money for by doing this, all the fans he has rewarded - they win tickets to the event. I decided this year on July 7 I am going to say Peace and Love at noon.

Then I completely forgot about it. Fucking forgot. Because I am so fucking busy working 2 or 3 days a week. How does this happen? How is it that you get all the time in the world and it still isn't enough?

About a year ago I was talking to my friend Gary Handley. Told him about my semi-retirement. And he asked: "So what do you do?"

Fucking floored me. I did not have an answer. I believe I use my time wisely, trying to write, now desperately looking for a second part time job - but what do I really do? Feels pretty empty when I'm forced to think about it.

Anyway, Happy Birthday, Ringo. 79. Insane. Peace&Love. I love you, man. Keep on rockin', baby.

Also I don't think I wished Paul a happy birthday on June 18. He turned 77. You know I have mixed feelings about Paul. I think he is kind of cold. In fact I just finished a David Bowie oral biography. 99% of the comments were reverential and loving. Paul only had a few comments in the book and they were predictably thin.

Then again, I saw him recently in a 60 Minutes interview and he was quite human. And that carpool karaoke with James Corden is spectacular. So you never really know.

Bottom line - he is Paul McCartney. So Happy Birthday, man. Keep on rockin'.