Pet Sounds #93: Music Supervisor and New Solo Artist Gary Calamar’s Dog Ringo Is the Star(r) of the Show
Ringo Starr may always be regarded as the weakest link in the Beatles, but when it comes to music supervisor and debuting solo artist Gary Calamar, his dog Ringo is an invaluable source of strength, inspiration and silliness. A longtime music industry executive – and DJ, and author, and five-time Grammy-nominated producer and music supervisor, and songwriter – Calamar is teeing up his first-ever solo record, Odd Numb3rs and Slanted Rhymes, for release October 23 on Big Stir Records. It will feature guest spots by his famous musician friends including Robyn Hitchcock, Maria Taylor and Mark Mothersbaugh.
How did Ringo enter your life?
We adopted him from a shelter. We had a dog prior to Ringo, Krypto, named after the [comic book] super dog. We loved Krypto very much. Sadly, he died at the paws of a coyote. That was very, very sad. We miss him and have photos of him around the house. But, after a while – six months or a year later – we said, “Let’s find another dog.” We looked around and adopted one husky for a couple of days. He was too wild; we couldn’t handle him. He was a puppy.
Then we found Ringo at one of the shelters, and we took him home. He seemed like the perfect dog. And indeed, he is 85 percent perfect. When UPS or delivery comes, he just goes absolutely mad. It’s a problem, but we put up with it. It’s our fault, because when we first got him, we made him head of security at the house, and he takes that job very, very seriously. We can’t get him off duty. He won’t take a day off.
Do have him clock in and out too?
He works 24-seven.
How old is he? And what breed?
He is a Terripoo [a cross between an Australian Terrier and a Poodle), about 6 years old.
What is the funniest anecdote that you can share involving Ringo?
He’s extremely cute. My wife and I usually watch TV in the living room, and he cannot wait till we turn it off. He runs into the bedroom and cannot wait to get us in bed and clock out for the night.
Also, he’s a little guy, but he attacks dogs that are three times his size. He’s crazy. Like I said, he’s mostly perfect, but every once in a while, he’ll just freak out. He’s very unpredictable.
What was the most difficult aspect about rearing him?
You know, we’re still rearing him. It wasn’t that difficult. He was pretty good. We do have to put pads down in the bathroom, because occasionally he’ll have a little accident. But he’s generally good with using potty pads.
I take it he likes people more than other dogs?
He likes my wife, my daughter and me. If people come to the house – friends – we have a whole process of giving him treats to keep him from nibbling at their ankles. And he gets very angry if anybody comes to or leaves the house.
How often or how long do you walk him each day?
I walk him twice a day. We do a “longie” and a “shortie.” The shortie could be about 10 minutes. And the longie is about 20 minutes to a half-hour. And it usually involves some big hills.
How does he react to music – and your music?
He reacts very nicely to my live performances in the bedroom. He’s very curious. At first, he didn’t quite understand what the heck was going on. But now he stares at me in the eye as I’m playing, and he seems to calm down and be a fan.
Given the unfortunate situation with Krypto, how do you prevent a similar occurrence from happening with Ringo, especially because you’re in the hills?
We used to have a doggy door and a fenced-in, little back patio. We thought that was safe for Krypto. He would go out there and used it for years and there was no problem. But now the doggy door is shut, and Ringo does not go out unattended. If we go out late at night, I have a flashlight and a stick just in case. Usually, the coyotes will run if they see a human. We’ve encountered that situation a few times.
Has he ever slipped through your fingers or run away?
No. When my wife would walk my daughter to school, he once got out and ran down the hill until he caught up with them. Actually, that might have been Krypto. But no, we keep Ringo pretty close by. And he wants to be close by, anyway.
Last question about Ringo: Did you and your wife have a prolonged discussion about whether to name him George, John, Paul or Ringo?
No. I suggested Ringo, and my daughter and wife went for it right away. It was easy. I mean, it could have been George, I suppose.
You could have named him “Best.”
Yeah, after Pete. But Ringo seemed kind of perfect.
Check out the Pet Sounds archive here. Go to Gary Calamar’s website and his Instagram page to learn more about the multi-hyphenate solo musician, longtime music supervisor and veteran DJ/author. And stay tuned for more of The Bad Penny‘s recent conversation with Calamar about his long-in-the-works record, working on shows ranging from True Blood to 3 Body Problem, and much more.
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