For a fun debate: Why do you think certain highly accomplished drummers make near "unlistenable" albums?
For example, Chad Wackerman, Dave Weckl, Manu Katche, Stewart Copeland, and Billy Cobham have all recorded various solo albums, and yet I frequently have educated non-drumming friends complain about how awful they are. I hear comments like Manu's work (Neighborhood or Playground) is "muzak-ish" or Wackerman (e.g., Forty Reasons) is flat out "boring," etc. I have even had many complain about some of Tony Williams's Emergency stuff as getting the "F" grade for being boringly technical.
These remarks remind me of an interview with The Cure's old drummer, Boris Williams, back in Modern Drummer from around 1988 or 1989. Williams was an accomplished drummer and loved stuff like Weather Report, but after playing with The Cure for a couple of years, he said that he felt like the greater challenge was the ability to write a really good pop song versus playing technical, more complex music (I'm paraphrasing his comments from memory) which may not appeal to a mass audience.
Jojo Mayer even commented on this phenomenon recently (in an interview in Modern Drummer, I think, from a couple months ago). He was having dinner with friends at his house and someone asked him to put on some of his music. He said he suddenly realized that he didn't create any kind of music that would be suitable or listenable for social or relaxed situations; he didn't really create, I suppose, a kind of music to be enjoyed by a wider, non-technical audience.
With so much training and talent, one would think that these kinds of highly proficient drummers (Katche, Mayer, Weckl, etc.) could create a thoroughly enjoyable form of music--meaning something that could be enjoyed by a larger audience than just those of us jazz nerds, drum nerds, or music specialists.
What do you all think? Is this "phenomenon" bollocks? Or do you think there is some truth to it?
For example, Chad Wackerman, Dave Weckl, Manu Katche, Stewart Copeland, and Billy Cobham have all recorded various solo albums, and yet I frequently have educated non-drumming friends complain about how awful they are. I hear comments like Manu's work (Neighborhood or Playground) is "muzak-ish" or Wackerman (e.g., Forty Reasons) is flat out "boring," etc. I have even had many complain about some of Tony Williams's Emergency stuff as getting the "F" grade for being boringly technical.
These remarks remind me of an interview with The Cure's old drummer, Boris Williams, back in Modern Drummer from around 1988 or 1989. Williams was an accomplished drummer and loved stuff like Weather Report, but after playing with The Cure for a couple of years, he said that he felt like the greater challenge was the ability to write a really good pop song versus playing technical, more complex music (I'm paraphrasing his comments from memory) which may not appeal to a mass audience.
Jojo Mayer even commented on this phenomenon recently (in an interview in Modern Drummer, I think, from a couple months ago). He was having dinner with friends at his house and someone asked him to put on some of his music. He said he suddenly realized that he didn't create any kind of music that would be suitable or listenable for social or relaxed situations; he didn't really create, I suppose, a kind of music to be enjoyed by a wider, non-technical audience.
With so much training and talent, one would think that these kinds of highly proficient drummers (Katche, Mayer, Weckl, etc.) could create a thoroughly enjoyable form of music--meaning something that could be enjoyed by a larger audience than just those of us jazz nerds, drum nerds, or music specialists.
What do you all think? Is this "phenomenon" bollocks? Or do you think there is some truth to it?