Talk about a bad stretch for Ringo Starr. After having what must be one of the worst chart performances by a former Beatle with his recent album Liverpool 8, he launched a tour of the casino circuit. Today is Ringo's 68th birthday, and while he wanted the day to be filled with Peace and Love, he's instead getting some much sourer news—the demolition of his childhood home.

9 Madryn Street in Liverpool, where Starr lived until he was four, was all set for demolition before a petition campaign sought to preserve its Beatles legacy. But the cultural organization English Heritage determine it didn't have enough Beatles legacy to avoid the demolition process, which also includes most houses on the street.

Making matters worse is that the boyhood homes of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison all are heavily visited tourist attractions. Ringo does have the reputation as the least talented Beatle, and however justified such a label may be, it still must be embarassing for him (and painful for us) to watch just how far his name has fallen.

[Music Radar]