Looking at least a decade younger than his 71 years, Starr settles into the corner of a couch and talks about celebrity then vs. celebrity now -- this from the perspective of a man who has been famous for nearly 50 years.  "I feel like it's harder now for the celebrities," he tells CNN Entertainment Correspondent Kareen Wynter. "There was no one bigger than us, and we were put upon. Then, Paul and I would go on holiday, or John and I would go on holidays, and we'd be fine. Now you can't go anywhere. The celebrity of today is so documented that I think it's a lot harder now. We had it easy. We thought it was hard, but not compared to today."  In 2012, his star hasn't waned. It has just taken on a comfortable glow. As one of two surviving Beatles, people are treating him like a living treasure -- and these days, he and Paul McCartney seem to be treasuring each other. Starr remains touched that Macca showed up at his 70th birthday party at Radio City Music Hall.  "I had no idea he was coming," he recalls. "He jumped up to do the Beatle track, 'Birthday.' Nobody told me that he snuck in, and that he rehearsed with the band."  In recent weeks, Starr has been busy promoting "Ringo 2012," his 17th solo album. He produced it himself and recorded it in Los Angeles with a number of his buddies, including producers Don Was and Dave Stewart and Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, who also happens to be his brother-in-law.  Below is a portion of CNN's conversation with Starr about his new CD, his relationship with McCartney and whether there will ever be a Beatles reunion.  CNN's Kareen Wynter: What was your inspiration behind the new album?
Ringo Starr walks into the hotel suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel carrying a brown paper bag.It's his sack lunch, and he's packed it himself. He's also driven himself to the hotel and arrived alone...