The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F_ck

Pete, so he put it off, hoping the other three guys would
change their minds.
Months later, a mere three days before the recording of
the first record began, Epstein finally called Best to his
office. There, the manager unceremoniously told him to piss
off and find another band. He gave no reason, no
explanation, no condolences—just told him that the other
guys wanted him out of the group, so, uh, best of luck.
As a replacement, the band brought in some oddball
named Ringo Starr. Ringo was older and had a big, funny
nose. Ringo agreed to get the same ugly haircut as John,
Paul, and George, and insisted on writing songs about
octopuses and submarines. The other guys said, Sure, fuck
it, why not?
Within six months of Best’s firing, Beatlemania had
erupted, making John, Paul, George, and Pete Ringo
arguably four of the most famous faces on the entire planet.
Meanwhile, Best understandably fell into a deep
depression and spent a lot of time doing what any
Englishman will do if you give him a reason to: drink.
The rest of the sixties were not kind to Pete Best. By
1965, he had sued two of the Beatles for slander, and all of
his other musical projects had failed horribly. In 1968, he
attempted suicide, only to be talked out of it by his mother.
His life was a wreck.
Best didn’t have the same redemptive story Dave
Mustaine did. He never became a global superstar or made
millions of dollars. Yet, in many ways, Best ended up better
off than Mustaine. In an interview in 1994, Best said, “I’m
happier than I would have been with the Beatles.”
What the hell?
Best explained that the circumstances of his getting
kicked out of the Beatles ultimately led him to meet his wife.
And then his marriage led him to having children. His values
changed. He began to measure his life differently. Fame and
glory would have been nice, sure—but he decided that what