Music Think Tank - MTT Open

The internet is littered with accounts of the world’s craziest drummers- Keith Moon’s marathon drug and drinking binges, trail of shattered hotel rooms and early death; John Bonham’s… pretty much the same thing; Ginger Baker being the subject of a recent biopic which both explores and document’s his often fantastically unhinged behavior, etc. However, there are far fewer accounts of those guys who just do their thing without all the fuss and muss and have done for years. Don’t they deserve some of the limelight for being so consistently… consistent? Well it’s to be hoped they do, because that’s what this article is about.

Charlie Watts

Watts drummed with a rock group that’s perennially cited as and considered still one of the top three to five best and most influential rock bands in history- the Rolling Stones. The Stones are also one of the hardest partying rock groups ever. The landlord of a European vacation house that the Stones inhabited for a summer reported finding hundreds of grams of cocaine and heroin and thousands of used syringes. That stash was just what they left behind- more than a street dealer would see in a year.While Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Ron Wood and Keith Richards (especially Keith Richards) were getting busted one every few years on average, Charlie Watts remained the consummate and controlled professional with not a single bust to his name. He married his wife, Shirley Ann Shepherd, in 1964 before the Stones were at all famous. He has remained married to her and entirely faithful since. Watts was notorious among his band mates for turning down the solicitations from dozens of groupies. When the band visited the Playboy Mansion in 1972 he remained in Hugh Hefner’s game room instead of cavorting with the Playmates. Watts admits to having some trouble with drugs and alcohol during from 1983-86, due to family problems and stress, for which he sought treatment and cleaned up. In other words- what grownups do. Keith Richards on the other hand was a regular cocaine user until 2006 and still smokes pot regularly.

Dave Grohl

Grohl is one of the most well-known and accomplished drummers on the planet, playing for Nirvana, creating and helming the much-acclaimed Foo Fighters, coordinating with and contributing to Tenacious D and now drumming for the likewise greatly acclaimed Queens of the Stone Age. Even that is just a modest accounting of his career and collaborations. However, through it all Grohl has remained decidedly solid and drama-free, perpetually avoiding scandal. After a brief marriage in the early 90s, Grohl has been married his current wife Jordyn Blum since 2003. Despite beginning his career with the notably and tragically addiction-prone Kurt Cobain, Grohl remained largely clean. He even gave a drug awareness statement insisting that he’d never once used cocaine, heroin or speed and hasn’t indulged in marijuana or LSD since he was 20. Basically, he’s a rock.

Neil Peart

Peart, drummer for the 70s prog-rock superstars Rush, is very often cited as the best drummer in the world- proficient on a great variety of equipment, from standard kit fare to African drums. Whether or not that’s the case, Neil Peart has certainly never been one to drive his Bentley into the pool with a needle in his arm. In fact, Peart lives such a conservative lifestyle he’s often cited as… a Republican! Not something that could probably be said about too many rock stars. Peart has also been criticized by critics and fellow musicians for apparently embracing Ayn Rand’s political philosophy with Rush. Peart has, however, disavowed his early Rand shout-outs and attached himself to a more progressive, even “bleeding heart” brand of libertarianism that includes criticisms of the Republican Party. That and his guest appearance on Aqua Teen Hunger Force have regained Peart his proper rock star cred.

Dana Carvey

Dana Carvey won inclusion here for being hilarious as an SNL cast member in the 90s and being an excellent drummer. Despite the temptations of both television stardom (his costar Chris Farley dying of an overdose) and those attendant to being a musician, Dana Carvey has never been arrested for drugs, been busted for domestic abuse or taken part in a high-profile divorce. He’s been married to the same woman since the early 1980s and raises two children. As the Church Lady would say- “Well isn’t that special?”

Larry Mullen

Although U2 has never been particularly famous for their wild partying, the band certainly wasn’t above indulging. In 1989, bassist Adam Clayton was arrested in possession of 19 grams of hashish. Bono and The Edge have each adopted nicknames and the members virtually all globetrot in the service of various charities and social causes. Drummer Larry Mullen, however, simply remains Larry Mullen- no nickname, no drug busts, no hassle. The most controversial thing that one can say about Mullen is that he’s never married his girlfriend. Actually, no, not really- they’ve been together for more than thirty years and have three kids they raise quietly and modestly. Mullen is perfectly content to allow the other members of U2 the spotlight during interviews and events, preferring to quietly and proficiently play drums.

About the Author:

Zach Dederick is the resident percussion expert at X8 Drums. He spent his formative years as a drumset drummer but found his calling after immersing himself in a study of West and Northwest African musical culture.