What are your stories of when people found out you are drummer?

You know I cannot really think of any sort of consistent or funny reply, but then it is not something I tend to talk about. Funny thing though, just yesterday I was talking to a fellow professor regarding some acoustics stuff and he mentions that he plays the drums. We have worked together for a few years and neither of us knew the other played! It turns out that he has a 20-ish year old DW collector custom kit in natural maple lacquer. An absolutely beautiful kit! From the look of us, who would guess that a couple of middle aged engineering profs play a kit?
 
LOL guys good stuff.

I was at the barber's on Sunday, and found out the guy I usually get a cut from is a drummer too! We both couldn't believe the other was a drummer. Intelligent drum related conversations resulted instead of usual small talk bs.
 
WaitForItDrummer said:
When guys find out, they usually do a double take... Then look a bit bewildered...

My first drum instructor was like 'you don't look like a drummer' when he first saw me (I thought that was a little bit funny...)
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People generally take it as as a given for me....I must look like a drummer.
 
Magenta said:
I think I'm one of the most unlikely-looking (I've been described as a "cashmere and pearls drummer"), but I'm struggling to remember the last time anybody seemed surprised when they found out. Maybe I just exude that much natural rhythm!
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Funny! Great comments guys!

Obviously at my day job I have to look somewhat professional, but I pretty much always wear black (London)... Otherwise, jeans and more black... Occasionally white.

Wonder if it's being a woman + glasses that throws people off?

Geeky drummer... Hehe.
 
I usually get the 'my friend is a drummer' line or can you play *enter song*. But my favourite is when they tell me they can play and when I ask them some questions just making conversation they have no concert of what I am talking about and not a clue about drumming. As I work in a school this happens quite a lot and where they try to play after talking about there skills for ages and they just stop after 5 seconds and say something like 'this drum kit is setup differently to mine' or some other excuse.

Always makes me smile :)
 
WaitForItDrummer said:
Wonder if it's being a woman + glasses that throws people off?

Geeky drummer... Hehe.
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Middle-aged mumsy bespectacled drummer here! Maybe you really do look like a drummer and people are surprised because that's what you turn out to be?

I was just thinking about this again earlier, and what is REALLY funny, in the context of your original post, is that far more people are surprised when they find out that I knit.
 

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Magenta said:
Middle-aged mumsy bespectacled drummer here! Maybe you really do look like a drummer and people are surprised because that's what you turn out to be?

I was just thinking about this again earlier, and what is REALLY funny, in the context of your original post, is that far more people are surprised when they find out that I knit.
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Seriously? That's just awesome! Defying social expectations about defying social expectations :D Iconoclast drummer...

I just think all this is so funny because having a natural sense of rhythm (+years of practice) has nothing to do with gender or age or how someone looks or what other hobbies they have :)
 
Usually there is interest and I'm asked if I'm playing in a band and where.
They loose some interest when I tell them no and that I mostly host jam sessions at a great rehearsal space I use.
I also get tips on other jam sessions etc.
 
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It depends on how the news is delivered too.

If you don't communicate it in a way that excites them you'll get a few bored or negative reactions. Working in the finance area, I found very few people had an interest in music, most gave me a strange look when I told them I played drums or drifted my car at the race track, they were more into their boring computers + software, comics, crap tv series etc

After a while I kept it to myself unless asked.
 
I live in Germany where people always ask you what your job is and don't seem to give a stuff about your hobbies.
 
I think most people who find out I play drums just assume I'm not very good at it and it's a side hobby like their roller skating or something. The few folks from work who have come out to a show or something always say things like "yea, but I just figured you were more of an amateur than you apparently are!"
 
Dr_Watso said:
I think most people who find out I play drums just assume I'm not very good at it and it's a side hobby like their roller skating or something.
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Agreed, and I think that's generally true across the board, too. Quick example, for many years I was a competitive distance runner. I won local races and placed well at major competitions. When people would find out that I was a runner they'd say something like "Oh, my sister runs" and go on about her finishing some local 5k. That's great, but I probably run faster than she rides her bike. But how could they know we take something very seriously unless we broadcast it?

It doesn't bother me one way or the other unless they include some denigration such as "oh, drumming is so easy" or "anyone can run fast". Then I just chalk it up to Dunning-Kruger Effect.
 
People always seem to then tell me about a friend or relative who is always happens to be the most talented drummer ever.

Man this happens to me most of the time when people find out I'm a drummer. I get regaled with the lines like "my ________________ (insert noun or pronoun here) is a drummer and _____ (he or she) has been playing since ________ (insert time unit here) or __________(insert number of years here) and s/he is just so freaking amazing. You really need to hear them play. They'll played in _______ (insert number of bands here) bands and have toured all over."

Like I automatically suck and it would really improve my drumming if I sat with this person for 5 minutes.

Then comes the line: Do you play in any bands?

Most annoying thing ever.
 
JimFiore said:
Agreed, and I think that's generally true across the board, too. Quick example, for many years I was a competitive distance runner. I won local races and placed well at major competitions. When people would find out that I was a runner they'd say something like "Oh, my sister runs" and go on about her finishing some local 5k. That's great, but I probably run faster than she rides her bike. But how could they know we take something very seriously unless we broadcast it?

It doesn't bother me one way or the other unless they include some denigration such as "oh, drumming is so easy" or "anyone can run fast". Then I just chalk it up to Dunning-Kruger Effect.
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Great example, and totally mirrors my thoughts.

One thing I don't like, though, is when they go "are you any good?".

I'm not good at answering that question. I usually just default to something like "well, the people who all want to play with me think so..." But that question has a lot of relativity built in. In my mind, I'll never be that good. There's always so much more to learn and apply.
 
Without fail:
"Oh yeah? What is your band called?"

My reply is usually one of my bands, which is a band they haven't heard of or seen on MTV.

then they say "oh, ok."

But yeah, I guess people usually expect me to be a musician by the way I dress and look apparently.

x CC x
 
Funny story on this topic:

One day I'm at the beach with my lovely wife and two kids.
My wife tells me one of her mom friends will be joining us with her kid. And she mentioned this mom's husband is also a drummer.

So I'm thinking, ok, cool, another drumming dad. I assume he's a hobbyist or semi pro, or perhaps like me, he used to do this and that but now had a day job and settled into dad life. I'm thinking this will be cool, I could have another drummer in my situation to hang out and talk drums with.

So she gets there. We chit-chat. I tell her about me. Then I ask about him.

She says "oh, he tours with ____" and then names a major band that has had several major hit songs.

Inside my head, you can hear the sad trombone as I realize, no, he's up there and I'm down here. Hahah...

Oh well, it was a nice day hanging out at the beach.
 
JimFiore said:
Agreed, and I think that's generally true across the board, too. Quick example, for many years I was a competitive distance runner. I won local races and placed well at major competitions. When people would find out that I was a runner they'd say something like "Oh, my sister runs" and go on about her finishing some local 5k. That's great, but I probably run faster than she rides her bike. But how could they know we take something very seriously unless we broadcast it?

It doesn't bother me one way or the other unless they include some denigration such as "oh, drumming is so easy" or "anyone can run fast". Then I just chalk it up to Dunning-Kruger Effect.
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I googled the Dunning-Kruger Effect. Although it doesn't show up a lot it sometimes does. Most of the time when I tell people I play drums they're sort of "That's nice" about it. When I tell them I play drums and sing at the same time they get the idea that it's like playing tennis and performing brain surgery at the same time. They don't know how I can do it.
 
Way back in the early 70's, whenever someone found out I was studying drums, I continuously got asked "You play drums? Hey can you play Wipeout?"
 
brady said:
I would say the most common response is something along the lines of "Isn't Neil Peart the most awesome drummer ever!?"

Why does every non-drummer, or non-musician really, think all drummers idolize Neil Peart?

Is is okay to simply be a casual fan of Rush? :)
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I seem to get the Neal Peart question asked right away, as well.
I haven't figured out one of those snappy comeback answers yet, but I'm working on it...
 
When people find out, they usually say "really!?, you're way too good looking to be a drummer!" But seriously, I get the "you look like a musician" all the time. Funny thing is, I think i look more like a brass player than a drummer.
 
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