BBC Documentary about Rock n' Roll - The Drummer

Thanks for sharing this, I was on my way to the practice pad and stumbled on this post. Hearing Stewart Copland say: "Do you here this? Are you terrified? This is terrifying" made my day.

Yes, when I am drumming I am terrifying. At least the two guitar players looked terrified when I messed up that fill but that was still funny and worth it.

As far as the drummer jokes, let me tell you about my professional career as a registered nurse. I am an ICU nurse, we are hot stuff, there for the trauma, cardiac arrests, we the ones who get all the credit. OR nurses on the other hand are like drummers, always there in the back, running a room so the surgeon doesn't loose his money clip in the surgical incision. Anyway, I was teasing an OR nurse friend, us ICU types joked: So easy even a caveman could do it. hahaha. Their reply? Sure, if that's what you think. OK, enjoy your self, going to eat that last bagel?

Point is, they never defended themselves, they just delivered the goods and we, the joke makers ended up looking petty and small. Turns out the OR has parties and music and this sterile line that nobody can cross unless you work there. I felt like the doc was very complimentary.
 
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Upset isn't an accurate word, more like disappointed. And yes I have my share of deep rooted psychological issues, and probably some I'm not aware of, but it's still disappointing to see us publicly ridiculed once again.

you always make me laugh Larry

I'm glad you are here man

I know I don't know you....but you remind me of a couple guys I know

I got a soft spot for you my man

.....and I mean that in the most hetero way possible
 
I had seen it before.

I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Yeah, they made drum jokes, but they are presented as jokes that drummers have to put up with despite their importance in the band.

And it's about drummers in loud rock bands, not studio cats. Hence the focus on Moon, Bonham and the guys who've attempted to follow in their footsteps.
 
I had seen it before.

I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Yeah, they made drum jokes, but they are presented as jokes that drummers have to put up with despite their importance in the band.

And it's about drummers in loud rock bands, not studio cats. Hence the focus on Moon, Bonham and the guys who've attempted to follow in their footsteps.

let me preface this by saying I'm no huge Peart fan

but did you notice there was no mention of Neil
one of rocks most influential
I guess he did not fit the stereo type they were going for

thoroughly enjoyed it as well

I love Bonham and Moon so damn much....I could watch all that same old footage and hear those same tired stories over and over

no matter how embellished and false they become

for the record......there was never a car driven into a swimming pool
 
but did you notice there was no mention of Neil
one of rocks most influential
I guess he did not fit the stereo type they were going for

I was wondering that too, especially when they were talking about twirling sticks.
There aren't too many better than Neil at doing that.
 
I saw it last night. Thanks.

I laughed a lot. It was light hearted, but there is some truth there as well.
 
let me preface this by saying I'm no huge Peart fan

but did you notice there was no mention of Neil
one of rocks most influential
I guess he did not fit the stereo type they were going for

thoroughly enjoyed it as well

I love Bonham and Moon so damn much....I could watch all that same old footage and hear those same tired stories over and over

no matter how embellished and false they become

for the record......there was never a car driven into a swimming pool

I 100% agree the the omission of Neil is beyond odd. And it would appear to be deliberate, because he would throw off the premise of drummers being a bit crazy with his quoting of literature, working out, and limiting his partying to single serving of high end scotch. On the other hand, I could see Neil just declining the interview, as he doesn't like to give interviews often, and it rather picky about whom he will given them to.

But I also 100% agree about Moon and Bonham. Even thought all the Moon clips are recycled from other documentaries, bring it on, I'm such a Who fanatic I'll watch it again.
 
good one but.... its all about flashy popular drummers.. no mention on quality session folks or my Charley Boy who plays simple boring licks and still the drummer of the greatest rock n roll band ever...
 
Wow, when I started reading all this comments about how some found it lame, I felt a bit stupid for liking it! Thank God I'm not the only one. I really enjoyed it.

I thought there are a lot of cool quotes in there too. Like Sting saying "any band is only as good as it's drummer", or Jools Holland saying "You can get away with someone not being the greatest guitar player.., but the drummer you can't get away with it, he absolutely needs to be top of the range".

Sure you have a lot of stereotypes in there, but nothing new.. And there's also a lot of truth.
Damn, if you didn't like this one, you should watch the one about the bass players...

Anyway, for those who said thanks, you're most welcome, glad to share. :)

Cheers.
 
Geez, tough audience...

Indeed :) ... I personally enjoyed it thoroughly, some real truth in this documentary, I enjoyed the bit where all the drummers were making drums noises, so true, isnt'it? ...and what about the warning about the "jazz" bit... :)

Upset isn't an accurate word, more like disappointed. And yes I have my share of deep rooted psychological issues, and probably some I'm not aware of, but it's still disappointing to see us publicly ridiculed once again.

You're focusing too much on the eternal drummer's jokes and the hierarchy of the drummer in a band, I found it actually quite complimenting on the drummer's role in rock music, and artist like Sting actually made an accurate comment. Yes, there's some sarcastic situations and comments, but they actually made me laugh (it's good to laugh) and I didn't feel like being put down or ridiculised as a drummer, quite the opposite, take it for what it is, and focus on the positive comments, there's plenty of them in that documentary :)

.....and I mean that in the most hetero way possible

Liar...




Thanks Diego, nice one man :)
 
I liked it,but one of these days,this kind of documentary should be done BY drummers,about drummers.I don't mind the drummer jokes,in the over 50 year I've been playing on and off,There's nothing new there.I'd actually love to see all of the remaining episodes.

Thanks for posting that.:)

Steve B
 
I liked it,but one of these days,this kind of documentary should be done BY drummers,about drummers.I don't mind the drummer jokes,in the over 50 year I've been playing on and off,There's nothing new there.I'd actually love to see all of the remaining episodes.

Thanks for posting that.:)

Steve B

Nah....cant imagine anything more nerdy than a documentary about drummers by drummers. I think the outside looking in aspect gives a, sometimes, fresh perspective. I don't see the point of telling drummers what they already know and excluding the none-drummers. As for drummer, or other musician jokes, what's the problem? Surely a sense of humour is compulsory in a band ,and, If something is funny I can laugh at it weather it is aimed at me or not.
 
I love Bonham and Moon so damn much....I could watch all that same old footage and hear those same tired stories over and over

no matter how embellished and false they become

Me too. Same with all the top drummers of my teens. I thought it was an especially fun and cool era for drumming. Moon & Bonzo didn't make it, Cozy went in his 50s because he drove too fast, but Mitch made his 60s before it all caught up with him, Charlie, Ringo, Ginger, Ian P, Bill Ward are still going strong.


Wow, when I started reading all this comments about how some found it lame, I felt a bit stupid for liking it! Thank God I'm not the only one. I really enjoyed it.

I thought there are a lot of cool quotes in there too. Like Sting saying "any band is only as good as it's drummer", or Jools Holland saying "You can get away with someone not being the greatest guitar player.., but the drummer you can't get away with it, he absolutely needs to be top of the range".

Sure you have a lot of stereotypes in there, but nothing new.. And there's also a lot of truth.

Couldn't agree more, Diego. Larry and co certainly had me questioning myself for a moment :) But I like hearing the non-drummer POV. I already know the drummer's eye view.

Like it or not, this is what a lot people think of rock drummers. Not jazz drummers, blues drummers or funk etc, just rock. Teasing aside, I thought the overall tone was one of great affection.

I decided to test the "craziest one in the band" hypothesis. I listed my longer term bands (6 months or more) and who the craziest one was and their instrument. Half a point was awarded for being equal craziest (there were a fair few ties). The final washup was:

Guitar - 3.5
Drums - 3
Bass - 1.5
Percussion - 1
Vocals - 1

If we count the percussionist (junkie, didn't hang around too long) as a drummer then the proposition is confirmed. Otherwise my guitarists shaded us out for lunacy (I played keys in one band where the drummer was pretty sedate).


I think the outside looking in aspect gives a, sometimes, fresh perspective.

+1
 
As for Spinal Tap... never seen it so far and I'm sure I can do without.

Arky, Arky, Arky......you really need to get out more my friend.

It should be required viewing for anyone contemplating playing in a band. You can't have been involved with one and not seen at least an element of truth in that movie.


I decided to test the "craziest one in the band" hypothesis.

Guitarists? Nuthin' but posers, Pol.

I'm ashamed to say that I just did the same thing. According to the artist formally known as Pollyanna's formula, my best mate (and most frequently played with bass player) and myself have never been trumped for lunacy....in any band, at any point in time. And certainly not by a bloody guitarist. They were always too busy either checking their hair or chasing birds.


Docco was great. Light hearted entertainment. No harm , no foul.

Drummer jokes? Some of you guys are waaay too serious.
 
Arky, Arky, Arky......you really need to get out more my friend.

It should be required viewing for anyone contemplating playing in a band. You can't have been involved with one and not seen at least an element of truth in that movie.
I agree, you're right ;-)
BUT a friend of mine has told me one detail of that film - which I memorized: Some amps go up to 11. Good to know, with me being a volume wussy. (I have the same problem with drums now - they're loud. But fun.)
 
It should be required viewing for anyone contemplating playing in a band. You can't have been involved with one and not seen at least an element of truth in that movie.

I agree. Spinal Tap and that doc about Anvil [maybe even throw that Metallica doc in where they all cry] should be required because those concepts rear their heads everywhere...moreso than in this doc, which I totally loved, by the way.

After thinking about it, the exclusion of Neil Peart is as surprising as the inclusion [to the depth it was] of Phil Collins. I'm thinking BBC...Phil being from the area, Neil Canadian...BBC probably had loads of footage of Phil [and likely pretty easy access to him], etc.

I liked the general approach to the doc. Honestly, I was hoping the end would be a string of drummer jokes [I always forget 'em], almost like an Aristocrats ending.

How 'bout that Carl Palmer, eh? Karate instructors....coordinated t-shirt taking off during the drum solo....and the gongs....
 
I'd like to defend my position of no sense of humor on this topic lol. If people constantly ridicule your sister, OK you might absorb it in the beginning. But if people keep it up, eventually you are gonna get tired of people dissing your sister. If you love her, you will feel compelled to defend her. That's where I'm at. I am more than a little sick of it. It seems you cannot talk about drummers without bringing up the angle that we a laughing stock. I'm just not OK with that anymore. It's exactly like bigotry and racism in my mind. Are you guys OK with racism?
 
I'd like to defend my position of no sense of humor on this topic lol. If people constantly ridicule your sister, OK you might absorb it in the beginning. But if people keep it up, eventually you are gonna get tired of people dissing your sister and want to not take it anymore. That's where I'm at. I am more than a little sick of it. It seems you cannot talk about drummers without bringing up the angle that we a laughing stock. I'm just not OK with that anymore. It's exactly like bigotry and racism in my mind. Are you guys OK with racism?

You cant compare the drummer's jokes with someone ridiculising you sister Larry, it's not the same thing, picking and mocking ONE person is victimisation, however, joking about all the drummers in the world is not, that's the difference.

It's like the "blonde girl" jokes, are all blondes really stupid? ...and a brunette more intelligent?

I'm a drummer, and proud to be one, and I find the jokes about us quite funny, but it's what they are... jokes! No one is putting us down, it has become an "etiquette" about us, the same phenomenon as for the blonde girls :)

And if you're "not ok with it anymore", you'll be grumpy for the rest of your life I'm afraid, c'mon Larry, cheer up, it's only a laugh... but what do I know eh? ...I'm only a drummer :))
 
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