HALL OF FAME, 1963 by Scott K. Fish • ROCK, 1960, '51. '62, '63, '64, '65 RECORDED PERFORMANCE, 1961. '02, 'GJ, '55 MULTI- PERCUSSIONIST, 1953, '54, '65 PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTALIST, 1902 MOST PROMISING NEW DRUMMER, 1960 N~il P~Q,t
IKE allrac{s like. As /'I"/! Iravell!d advancement is always moving forward. digital cltip and used on Ihe album. So he aoom Ihe narllteaslern portion of In retrospect, the largest advancement wasn't on tlte album, didn't get paid. and L Ihe u.s. a,'erthelaSllwoyears, "ve over the last ten years iselectroniC$. Loveit yet in a real sense he was on The album run '"/Q Neil Peart fans in Ihe smmgesl or nOI, it is a major thing. The people who soundwise. places. When' meel people for the first lead the field in that, to my mind, would be NP: There's a real ne'" morality tltat Itas to lime, {hey'll usually ask. "Whol do you Bill Bruford and Terry Bozzio, in different be developed for sampling. In looking do?" "I'm a wriler. •• "What do you write ways. The explorations that these guys altead to tlte next ten years, the biggest about?" I answer, "Many Ihings, but make wOTk to everyone's advamage. I thing that will be happening is the ability moslly / wrilt aOOr" drummers." These don't want to go as uncompromisingly and facility to make your own digital people generallyexcuS/' themselves in shorl electric as Terry Bozzio has gone, but at chips-sampling any sound under the sun order. the same time, [can enjoy and appreciate and having iT as part ofyour drumkit. This Neil Peart jans are different. One eve what he's doing, and admire the courage is something thaT I'm moving into right ning I was 01 a lecture, Qnd / began Q ron and technique that it takes TO really do it now, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. versation with a busboy who wid me thOl well. You can listen to electronic noise and It's so intriguing to have otherwise unat he was an aspiring writer. "Whot do you know that it doesn't mean anything, but tainable sounds. It's not going to come wrilt aboul?" I askffi. "MOSlly poe/ry." when you watch Terry Bozzio play elec· even e10se to replacing my acoustic drums. "Which poets are your favorites?" tronic drums, it is exciting and essentially My drumset isn't going to get any smaller "Well," hesaid,:."! Trolly like Neil Pearl. musical, because he has the technique to or look any different. But the electronic He writes Iyrtcs/alu group coiled Rush. " back it up. The same goes for Bill Bruford, things that I use will be used in so many f could tell you about a handful ofsuch with his more rhythmic, ethnic kinds of different ways. encounrers. One thing is for sure: Neil explorations. The morality comes into it in JUSt such Peart has influenced. and continues 10 Even a non·drummer like Tltomas an instance as you mentioned. [ ran into irifluence, a 101 of young people. Surely Dolby, for instance, uses a lot ofelectronic that during the rei:ording of our new he's nos/ranger 10 MD readers. He's been drums and drum machines, but as a musi album. We were looking for a particular on MD's cover twice, he's won nlml~rOUS cian, Ite has a great sense of rhythm. As a sound. and somebody suggested that we times in numerous MD Readers Poll care· drummer, I find it satisfying to listen to, take it offso-and-so's rei:ord. I said, "No, gories, he's wrillen artidesfor MD, he is Peter Gabriel is another example of that. no, no!" It·s Ihal person's sound. The conlinuously being asked questions in the Ask A Pro column, and he e"en gave his "STEALING SOMEONE'S SOUND IS AKIN drumsel away through Ihe maga~ine! This in/elView was done over Ihe te/e TO STEALING SOMEONE'S SONG," phone. Neil had been home in Canada for a few days afler spending several monrhs He's not a drummer. but he has a great work involved in creating a sound is some in England recording the new Rush album. senseofrhythm-wlta\ rhytltm isand what times comparable to the work involved in SF: Have there been any people, styles, or it can do. Consequently, his music is very coming up with an idea for a song. Stealing technological advancements in the last ten influential to me, even though he uses a someone's sound is akin TO stealing some years that caused you to grow, or that numbel of different drummers and some one's song, as far as I'm concerned. You changed your style of drumming? times just drum machines. He Itas the abil can't help being irifluenced by a sound. NP: Certainly tltere have been, although it ity to make it all have rhythmic integrity, You may even Try to imitate it, just as you tends to be less one person than it is the old which is difficult wlten you're drawing may try to imitate a song. It's STili not the '·passing of the torch," where one drum from ethnic sources the way he is. same as out and out copying. For instance, mer develops things to a certain extent, S}": Recently. I had a Telephone conversa we set out to get African sounds out ofmy passes it on to someone, and so on. The tion with a good friend. He's a well·known drums. That's not tlte same as taking a progress of almost anything is very much drummer who's very muclt invol"ed and sample off of someone else's Tecord and like a relay race. but particularly in drum interested in drum electronics. He had making a chip out of it. It works bolh ming, because it's such an interior field, played on the laSI II albums of a major ways. I wouldn't be happy if it were done restricted 10 Ihe people whodo it and to tlte artist. On the twelfth album. a drum to me, I know wltat it sometimes takes to people who really care about it. It kind of machine was used inSTead. My friend's get a good snare drum sound, and the goes on beltind closed doors, but that snare drum sound was pTocessed onto a roJItinwd(NIP"V 64 P~r rondnurdfrom po,. /7 amount of work, experience, knowledge, drumkit out of. Two tablas, a talking machines are for songwriters. As a and tuning ability that it takes-not to drum, and a gianl African tribal drUID songwriting 1001, they're invaluable. You mention the engineer's ability to place the became my four tom-toms. I was able to can't begrudge them. They help the drum microphones and put it on tape properly. play the instruments myself, make the mer out a lot by givins an accurate picture There are an a..... fullO!: of people's lives lit umpld from them, ha"e chips made, and of what the songwriter really wanu to eraJly involved in that process. For some that became my drumset. hear. During the ne..... album, these Ihings body to just swipe that olfa record tubs me Our producer .....orks in London all Ihe came more clearly into focus. a lillie wroog, time. He's become very jaded about the Rush is a three-piece band where, basi SF: My friend's reaaion to it .....as a loss of Simmons sound. He didn't really wanlto cally, the other t.....o auys .....rile Ihe music enthusiasm towards drum electronics. hear it, SO we found olher ways of Iteuing and I write the lyrics. A 101 of times, ...·hen NP: Yeah. Again, it can .....ork bOl:h .....ays. around thai. There were times when I I'm olf "'orking on the words, they're For- example, there is one song off the DeW vocalized a lillie single-stroke roll, and wor-ki08on themusic.I'mnotthefetobea album .....here "'e ,,'ere pla)ing all of my that's exactly .....hat you har-my voice rhythmic part orit, but therean program a Simmons drums .....ith samples. I rented a doing a single.stroke roll. That .....as excit drum machine 10give me someidea of how whole pile of African drums-some big ing-a very natura! way ofusing electronic they're thinking. It becomes a spring· giant ones covered .....i1h some strange kind drums. Tbe African drums are really the board. I could ne'ier play I song the way a ofskin-some Indian tabla dtums, and all most primitive kinds of drums there are, drum machine..-ould, panicularly because differentthinp. We .....ent through them all and I was using the cutting edge of elec I'm a hyperactive pla)'cr. But I certainly and chose the ones I wanted to make a tronic technology to reproduce them. usc it as a foundation, and oflen a ...ery When you take thai further to where you interesting one. Sometimes it points me in a way that I wouldn't otherwise have ~ The complete can have the sound of can being crushed, glass breaking, or garbage cans falling explored. Sometimd they come up ....ith ~~ over-anyone of thde sounds can ha~'e something on the drum machine that mu:;:= the potential of being part of a percussion sounds deceptively simple, but it can be a ensemble. That's where it becomes excit· springboard into interesting areas. - ',\ ~~ send.'100 ing-where it becomes honestly innovative S.·: You're admired as both drummer and ) 10' C_I_IOli and exploratory. Copying off other peo. lyricist. Phil Collins is admired as singer/ ~ _pplled 10 song....riter/drummer. Stewart Copeland firSlo,de, pie's records is incestuous. DRUMS and more Drum machines have the same poten has been writing movie soundtracks in tial, I think they are starting to become less addition 10 his drumming. Do you think Fire· Staoe Ettects· Disco Lights. Fog that this role expansion by drummers is a Machines· Slage liohli~desillnedlor prevalenl on records. More and more pe0 ple may be putting things down with drum healthy sign that we'll s.ee more of in the musicillnl 41 ~r:trt.. machines, but they have real drummers fUlure? f'K[I:«JJ ""'-.iSM: ::::=::: ~ come in and make it feel Sood. Drum NP: I would have to think so. h's difficult
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64 JANUARY 1986 to know. I think that the ability toorganize much related to the way thai drums buying a lot of things for which the person words is the same mental process as the looked. The first time I ever saw a set of has no use. mathematical ability to organize beats and drums, I thought they were beautiful SF: There's an aspect of the professional subdivide time the way drummers do. For things. &cond, of course, is that you play use of electronics that must be frustrating me, the transition to words is a natural them by hilling them. It was a physical to young drummers. Your use of African one. From the first time I went to school, I relationship that I responded to right drums on digital chips is an example. It was always in love with language. I tend to away. I was a lot more interested in that seems that, unless young players have an think that drumming does have a lot in than tinkling a piano, plucking strings, or awful lot of money, there's no way that common with words, but the two may not blowing into things. they are going to be able to duplicate many always go together. A person who comes into it with that of the sounds they're hearing pro drum If people are at least lhinking of other same kind of approach would maybe go mers use on today's recordings. things-cenainly more drummers would towards electronic drums. Electronic NP: It is true that the drumming of Terry think about singing through Phil Collins' drums have a lot of learning advantages, Bomo and Bill Bruford-especially the work, or about geuing more into composi really. As the pad surfaces become more stuffBill did with King Crimson-is really tion and textural works as Stewart Cope perfected, which they seem to be, therewi\l difficult to reproduce without somesophis land has done, or about writing lyrics. All be no disadvantage in that. It will give you ticated equipment. It's still nothinglike the of these can contribute so much to a band. the advantage of being able to practice a nightmare that the keyboard player faccs. It seems to me that doing arrangements is lot, which I wasn't able to do, because of With drums, you can buy a Clap Trap for a the natural area for drummers to move the loudness of drums. That's a limitation couple of hundred bucks and get some into first. That's where I think I started to in a physical sense, too. Hopefully, drum get a little more adventurous in music mers will study both acoustic and elec· before I ever thought of writing lyrics. I tronic drums, and hopefully things like II!!!!'" ""!!!!!II liked to contribute arrangement ideas to touch, dynamics, and the subtletics of the band-intros and outros-because playing~that only real drums can ever BUCIAROO they're fundamental things that a lillIe give you-won't be lost. It may be that a ~ee.-. imagination can help you communicate, person who can afford an inexpensive and you don't have to develop your theo acousticdrumsct will. instead ofsaving for retical knowledge. There's probably a another acoustic bass drum and tom-toms, ClEANS RESTORES &POlISHESCYM8AlS. SOUND trend now-maybe you know more about be saving for a supplementary electronic Ava,lable at your local store this than me-for drummers to be beller set. They will get less and less expensive. or send $6 95 $200 P&H to educated hannonically. They might start All those types of machines do. It will be RAINBOW on or learn another instrument contempo possible for a person to have a small acous MUSICAL PRODUCTS raneously with drums, or they learn har tic set and a small electronic set, instead of ,0'. ,,~Po dO. ~c toA' VI. I ,,~ ,"0 mony in school. expanding an acoustic set too quickly, or ~617) SF: In my optimistic moments, I agree , -'-_-""...... """"""668 8710...... _ with you. However, I see much evidence to the contrary, where many young drum ARE YOU A SERIOUS DRUMMER? mers are asking, "What's the least amount Overwhefm yourseff with the new Ho.C. J-13 of work I have to do, in order to get the 13 pc. professional Super Set. _ most from my drumming?" Max Wein berg has a theory that we might be seeing o 10 ply mahogany and hickory hardwood shells. people who strive to master the drum o ExtrslJeavy duty double braced hsrdwsf9. machine instead of the drumkit. NP: Drums are such a physical instrument though. That would already require a dif ferent mentality. One of the things that I liked about drums from day one was that you hit them. I don't think that will change in a lot of cases. A kid who gravitates toward the Linn, for instance, would prob ably otherwise have been a keyboard player or a computer programmer. That person's affinity for drums wouldn't have been the same as mine. Mine was very much a physical affinity. First ofall, I very
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JANUARY 1986 65 inleresting electronic rounds to play with. electronic things are immediately crystal lurer was attributing the cosmetics to the Whal you have to have nowadays to be clear. I have to spend a lot of time, sweal rise in popularity of video. even remole/yon top oflhe leading edge in ing over the manual$. I've laken steps to NP; I've always been into the visuals of keyboard technology is frightening. Key acquire the latest Simmons E-Prom sys· drums. I've always likC'd • good-looking boards are gettingsmaller in size, higher in tern, ro I can make my own chips. I'm drumsel. Video hasn't changed that for prier, and greater in capabilities, which really excilC'd by the potential of thaI. I me. Since it's my work place, I like to have means that you have to learn so much wouldn't let myself nOf do it. but at the mydrumset neat and looking nice. It could more. How many years does it take 10 same time, I know I'm letting myself in for be that these cosmetic products are due to learn to playa piano properly? Then add a lot of aggravation and headaches. what I described, or it could be due to the amount of knowledge Ihal you have 10 Beyond the 20 years that I've spent trying video. In many cases, you don't even sn a further acquire to understand and explore 10 make myself a reasonably proficient drumset in videos. They either have a lillie fully theabilities ofelectronic instruments. drummer, all of a sudden I feel like I'm token snarc drum, bass drum, Simmons It's getting like that for drummers, 100. starting in kindergarten again. kit, or no drummer. Sometimes a drum I'm a liuledaunted by what I'm having to SF: Do you have a reaction to the flood of mer is hitting a piece ofwood! get inlolodo whatt want to do right now. cosmetic drum produclS we'reseeing now? SF: Are today's drums better made than I don't have Ihe kind of mind for which In a recent MDarlicle, onedrum manufac- the drums you played ten years ago? NP: There's no question that they are bet ter. Thestandardsofqualily have certainly improved. I don't know if they SQundbet ter, and that has to be the bottom line. 111 St': Putting endorsements aside for a moment, is there any drumset you've Shure's 60 Annive.r;sary owned that you felt was better than any other drumset you've owned? Rebate is back! NP: t couldn't say that, but the first good drumset I had certainly meant more to me than any other could. That's only natural. Save up to $20on the most popular mics 1started out with a really cheap sel of Ste wart drums. When 1 went up to a set of in the world. Shure's SM57 & SM58. Rogers, it was the greatest thing. How can I describe that? I don't know how they would compare soundwise to today's drums. The sound hasn't gOlten worse, that's for sure. St': Moving on to styles and influences, you don't seem to be influenerd much by jazz. NP: Well, of course, my fOOts do come from jazz. I grew up listening to big band jatz, which my father loved-Glenn Miller, Duke EUington, Count Basie, and the great drummers who played with them. Frank Sinatl1l and Tony Bennetl always had great musicians, aoo drummers like Gene Krupa and Kenny Clare influenced me greatly-such disciplined exuberance. Thesedays,t must admit that I like Ihe side of jazz that deals more with the thrust and organization of rock. When jazz lacks that, it tends 10 lack me. Heavy Weather by Weather Report was a very innuential album for me. All the stuff Ihat Bill Bru ford did on his three or four solo albums was also really, really great. I have to tell you that 1 recently got to play on Jeff Berlin's solo album. On one
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SF:peopleRcgardiltllI','e spokenyourto o"'nfeel thatplaying,Rush'ssomclast riiiiii"iliiiliiiiijiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiTiilii]l\l\li\\\iLl;;:~ two albums werc more commercial than usual. Was that on purpose? Is Ihe new album going 10 be mOl'"C progressive'! !\'P: Wcl.I, if...e werc trying 10 bccommcr ciaI, wc failed. It's the cominuingstllesof growth as far as ""e're concerned. The more we learned aboullcchniquc, arrangc menu, compositions, and all thaI. the more wc got involved with iI, and the less imponanl instrumenlal panache became. Once you'vc done ii, it ceascs 10 be impor tant. Once you'vc done a few long instru menials in 7/8, 9/S, 21/16 and wbat have you, there's never any point in rcdoina il. The ract is that we've donc ii, and il will always be a part of our music. There's a nicc long workout in 7/8 on the new album, because we'vc found a new way to use an idea likc thaI. On the last album there were dabblings in odd time, but it's becomc less imponant. That's all. We know ourselves that wc can do it, and wc'vc explored its possibilities. We had to go on to something else, which for us was sonS structure. We look our technical abilily along wilh us, and now when ""cgotoarrangcasong, nothin! stands in the wly of trying any kind ofdif ferent permutations or rhythmic shifts. Morc and mOl'"e you look for different ways bARcus-bERRY. ofachieving tcxturc, and different ways of using mclody and compuling song For ~r 20 years World's Leading ~ufacturer arraD,cmcnts-where )'ou place the VCf"SCS and choruses. ",·hal kind of intro you develop, and oow fOU .....ork: the inslrumcn- 69