Classic Rock Drummer Fite: John Bonham vs. Neil Peart

Chuck b/c of chops & longevity - over a candle that burned twice as bright ... Easy answer ..

Thank you for a fine bed-time story.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I'm assuming that, like myself, everyone has refrained from posting because we can't choose?

I like how they both wore their uniforms beneath their uniforms -- you all work in this shit-hole (jk) restaurant but when it's time for a smoke out back, each had a flag to fly. Those, and the Apple-n-Oranges drummers debates were likely the only real smoke the ribs on your menu would ever see and it's a pity these guys couldn't find a way to see more common ground (even if there isn't very much).

What did these guys drink -- i'm guessing Mike was a Bud and Marlboro man and Chuck did menthols and Molson ??? I do enjoy your premise, though, even though it seems to have been lost on this tl;dr ilx community -- but i cannot choose betwixt them because they are such different quantities.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

This similar thread had quite a bit of discussion.

Rush Vs. Led Zeppelin CHOPS ONLY Poll

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDyVT_0ZC3Q

Pretty dumbass results. Bonham is seriously overrated.

*UPDATE*

For shits and giggles I did a Facebook search for Mike (the Zeppelin fan) and I found him! He's married and in one photo is is wearing a shirt from... Alice In Chains!

Debating on sending him a Facebook friend request, wondering how he would feel about the poll.

haha, awesome update! i feel like i sort of know these guys (but not really), and i really like bodacious ignoramus' description of them wearing "uniforms beneath their uniforms" upthread.

Matt Cameron pretty much does a double up Neal Peart thing on top of Bonzo's Immigrant Song groove with some James Brown speed and intensity on "Jesus Christ Pose". Probably cut to a metronome and I think there might be a bit of toms overdubbed, but a great drum performance.

hope Zeppelin Mike is doing well

the linked thread rush vs zep chops is still a really good read

My brother's on a Rush kick recently. He's not a drummer but he got hold of a DVD called Neil Peart: Taking Center Stage (sic). It's about six hours long, and is a combination of rehearsal and concert footage from 2010 (focussed entirely on the drumming) interspersed with Neil and an interviewer discussing the technical aspects of each song, influences, ambitions, effects.
I knew he was an eclectic listener, and maybe he mentions this in one of his books, but I was surprised to hear him credit such sources as King Sunny Ade and Godley and Creme's "Sandwiches of You" as influences on the drumming patterns of particular Rush songs.
We watched this over three nights; Peart comes across as a serious and detail-oriented but very genial guy.

This is a really cool set, I love watching the all drum versions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw6aWbXL5Mc

"Stairway to Heaven" does not become the rock standard without John Bonham.

arrrrg it makes me so irrationally angry to watch Peart, only because he should have been sitting higher (or positioned much of his kit lower). No wonder he developed chronic tendonitis in his arms and shoulders: his shoulders are so stiff from constantly having to keep them at the necessary height to reach most of his kit. Sit higher, relax your shoulders, and use gravity!

Ugh

I dunno, didn't Peart consciously seek drum lessons later in his career, to change things up and correct bad habits? He definitely changed his style, you'd think they'd correct his form, too.

I'm not a drummer, but I watched Peart's instructional/concert DVD, and doesn't he have to reach because he had such a huge kit? All that hardware has to be placed either upwards or further away.

didn't Peart consciously seek drum lessons later in his career, to change things up and correct bad habits?

Yep, he studied with Freddie Gruber on the recommendation of (I think) Steve Smith. I don't know if it was bad habits that Peart was trying to get rid of necessarily, but there is a visible change in his form, for the better. As he said in the first Rush doc, the focus was no longer on the hit, but on the motion leading to the hit (I'm paraphrasing). Compare the Letterman solo to, say, the "Anthem" video: in terms of movement, it's night and day. Prior to studying with Gruber, Peart was using a mostly forearm-centered approach (the guy in Dave Matthews Band plays like that). But after Gruber, Peart started employing his upper arms -- you can see in the Letterman clip (around 1:59) how his arms are at right angles, elbows out. When done right, that approach is much more efficient, allows for far more control over dynamics, and is less taxing, making one far less likely to develop tendonitis in the elbows.

doesn't he have to reach because he had such a huge kit?

To some extent, yes, and that's one of the frustrations that drummers have: drums have to be this size to get this sound, and that limits the possibilities for placement on a kit. That said, Peart is still sitting too high, which you can see in relation to his snare, which in turn necessitates all the other drums being placed higher. Also, if he angled his toms towards him, rather than being at a nearly flat angle, they'd be much easier to reach/hit. There'd be that much less movement and physical effort/force necessary.