Eddie Deezen Offers New Theory Explaining Why the Beatles Fired Pete Best: He's Not Funny

March 19, 2018 | by James Greene, Jr.

The most recent episode of Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast features a conversation with journeyman actor Eddie Deezen, who is chock full of fascinating yarns from his several decades in motion pictures. Truly, Deezen is an embarrassment of show biz story riches: John Travolta was extremely respectful and kind toward Eddie during the filming of Grease, Andy Griffith was a cantankerous asshole on the set of Spy Hard, Eddie knew 1941 would be a bomb during the premiere when the only audible reaction in the theater was Dan Aykroyd's "hollow laughter."

Eddie Deezen is also a self-proclaimed Beatles "freak" ("I played myself," he says in reference to his role as Beatlemaniac Ringo Klaus in I Wanna Hold Your Hand) who mentions to Gilbert and cohost Frank Santopadre during the podcast that he knows the exact reason the Fab Four cut original drummer Pete Best loose just before their rise to fame in 1962. According to the Deez, Pete Best is not funny.

"I did a signing show with Pete... we were together for three days, we sat side by side... I swear to god, I solved it. What's the biggest Beatles question ever? They go, why did the Beatles fire Pete Best? That's the eternal question. And you know what happened? I saw this guy for three days... I knew what it was. He's the nicest guy in the world, super nice guy, but he doesn't have that wicked sense of humor. The Beatles had this funny sense of humor, all four of them — mostly Lennon. But Pete Best was just the straightest guy. Also, he didn't have that little bit of needling, that little bit of cruelty the Beatles had."

There you have it, Beatles fans. The nerd from WarGames cracked this one wide open.

Listen to the entire hour and forty-two minute conversation below, an absorbing piece of audio even if Deezen cannot decide who truly is "the nicest guy in the world" (it's a six-way tie between Pete Best, Tom Hanks, Peter Scolari, Michael J. Fox, Dick Van Dyke, and Cleavon Little). On the other hand, perhaps it won't shock you to learn Jerry Lewis was a shithead to Eddie the one time they met.