  Modelling of gravitational waves from binary black hole inspiral has played
an important role in the recent observations of such signals. The late-stage
ringdown phase of the gravitational waveform is often associated with the null
particle orbit ("light ring") of the black hole spacetime. With simple models
we show that this link between the light ring and spacetime ringing is based
more on the history of specific models than on an actual constraining
relationship. We also show, in particular, that a better understanding of the
dissociation of the two may be relevant to the astrophysically interesting case
of rotating (Kerr) black holes.
