I wanted to play drums, and I got a set when I was 14 and just started to play in the house, to the stereo. I liked Ringo Starr, of course. And Sandy Nelson. I had his record, 'Let There Be Drums,' and I'd play along with it.
John Bonham, probably the greatest drummer ever - all of us wanted to play drums like him.
I think at one time every drummer wanted to play like Krupa or wanted to win a Gene Krupa drum contest. This is the big inspiration for drummers and naturally it has to be the same way for me.
I learned how to play the drums. When we were in pre-production, when we were still in LA, I had a couple of drum lessons and then some in Toronto. I got the one beat down and that was it.
Boy you got my heartbeat runnin away Beatin like a drum & it's comin your way Cant you hear that Boom badoom boom boom badoom boom bass He got that super bass Boom badoom boom boom badoom boom bass Yeah that's that super bass
I'd always envisioned 'The Big Beat' leading off 'The Tale of the Tape' with the biggest drumbeat the rock world had ever heard. I knew I had something good… but I had no idea just how good.
It's always been my dream to have a monster rhythm section that's just all groove and pocket.
I'm a big techno fan. I love that thumping kick drum. We heard a version of 'Lost in Love' and it was thrash metal. It sounded cool!
We played with AC/DC. There are actual recordings of us doing 'Johnny B Good' together.
You can have the best riff in the world, but if the drums behind it just ain't vibing it, it's not gonna be the greatest riff, right? So you've gotta have someone there that can really bring that to life.
I've always loved the mixture of crushing live drums with a programmed groove, that really cool blend, like in the verse there's a really funky drum beat that is programmed then it comes in to the chorus; you've got that enormous human feel where the band kicks in.
When I write, I write the drum beat. Though sometimes I write on piano or guitar.
In rap music, even though the element of poetry is very strong, so is the element of the drum, the implication of the dance. Without the beat, its commercial value would certainly be more tenuous.
Rock and roll might be summed up as monotony tinged with hysteria.
Listening to John Bonham is just a sheer celebration of his playing - it can't help but fill you with so much joy.
I like drums, really, if they're under control.
Sometimes I hear a drum groove in my head and I rush down to my studio.
I think that where it came from and the initial birth of it - it did come out of a jam at Bruno's studio, you know? He was playing drums. And Jeff Bhasker, who co-produced the record with us, is on synths, and I was playing bass.
I demo all of my songs on Garage Band, where I pretty much play everything - not very well, but I manage to hammer out a drum beat and a bass idea.
Portishead's production is just insane beats you would expect to be on a KRS-One album. But then there's this little white girl with an angel voice singing over it. It was a cool juxtaposition. I like 'It's A Fire.' That's a chill song with kind of a military drum thing going on, like a drummer boy.
