Lol! I was wondering when I would see a Rush thread on here. Neil is a great drummer(probably best ever). He was the reason I started playing the drums when I was 10. He is however, the perfect example of of why you never let a drummer write your lyrics.

I think one of the reason's Neil is that while he does a lot of stuff in each song, it doesn't sound like someone is just vomiting on a drum set. I played the drums for almost 18 years and now it's my least favorite insturment.

Drummers have an inferiority complex. This is probably because they're always stuck in the back, have the heaviest equiptment to lug around, and generally get the least attractive girls. To make up for this, they make stupid faces when they play, do way too many fills than the part calls for and then demand that they do a 15 minute drum solo when they play live. What does everyone do when the drum solo starts? They go outside for a cigarrette.

Neil does a ton of shit and still sounds good. He doesn't come of as a total douche and he's one of the few drummers that can play and electric drum set and not look totally gay(excluding Chris Vrenna from NIN).

I'm sorry if I'm offending any drummers out there. I couldn't take being in the back either, so I learned to play the guitar. Problem now is there are no drummers around, just guitar players.

Buzz_Killington wrote:

Thorton02 wrote: Drummers have an inferiority complex. This is probably because they're always stuck in the back, have the heaviest equiptment to lug around, and generally get the least attractive girls. I thought... Shit, I am just starting drumming, by the way you make it sound, it's horrible. But I could make some light out of the disadvantages. 1. Stuck in the back - You may not be the centre of attention, but if you make a mistake, it will be less noticable than a singers mistake. 2. Heaviest Equipment - That may be true, but you will get extra exercise from carrying your equipment, the rest of your bandmates will be weak... Or not. 3. Least attractive girls - It's still women, who care if you get a moderatley attractive girl, she will probably care about you more than a hot chick who is a bitch.

I don't mean to discourage you. A decent drummer will always be in higher demand than most guitarists in your town. Being a drummer allowed me to play in a dozen different bands through highschool and college and meet people I normally never would have.

I think succesful drumming is knowing when to be simple and when to blow the place apart. Keith Moon could blow the place apart because Pete Townsend plays more of a rythm heavy guitar. Lars Ulrich plays pretty subdued because he has James Hetfield putting out some pretty complicated stuff. Both are awesome drummers IMO, but very different styles.

I remember always putting my stuff away 45 mintues after the show ended. Everyone was out partying and I was still colapsing stands and putting cymbals away. Make friends with someone who loves music but has no talent. You should be able to convince them to be your roadie no problem.

Knyte wrote:

Buzz_Killington wrote: 2. Heaviest Equipment - That may be true, but you will get extra exercise from carrying your equipment, the rest of your bandmates will be weak... Or not. After being in two bands, I can say this is not true. You have the most equipment, but not nessicarily the heaviest. I had a Bass Amp and speaker stack that weighed around 70+ lbs. I hated moving that thing. It was on casters, but half the shows we played had stairs or gravel I had to contend with. Also, as a band we used to help each other setup and tear down, so usually after the the guitarists and I were done, would help pack and load the drums.

True. Speaker stacks are a tough to lug around, but once you're done playing, all you need to do is turn it off and unplug it. Depending on the number of pieces in your kit, you could be there for a good 45 min putting everything away. I guess everyone has equiptment that sucks to move around. Except for the singer. He always seemed to disappear when we had to pack up.

Rycona wrote:

Thorton02 wrote: Knyte wrote: Buzz_Killington wrote: 2. Heaviest Equipment - That may be true, but you will get extra exercise from carrying your equipment, the rest of your bandmates will be weak... Or not. After being in two bands, I can say this is not true. You have the most equipment, but not nessicarily the heaviest. I had a Bass Amp and speaker stack that weighed around 70+ lbs. I hated moving that thing. It was on casters, but half the shows we played had stairs or gravel I had to contend with. Also, as a band we used to help each other setup and tear down, so usually after the the guitarists and I were done, would help pack and load the drums. True. Speaker stacks are a tough to lug around, but once you're done playing, all you need to do is turn it off and unplug it. Depending on the number of pieces in your kit, you could be there for a good 45 min putting everything away. I guess everyone has equiptment that sucks to move around. Except for the singer. He always seemed to disappear when we had to pack up. I'm glad I haven't played in a band with a singer that didn't play an instrument in a very long time. That shit would piss me off and bad things would happen.

Yeah, it only happened in one band. The guy would only bring this POS Radio Shack microphone and a filmsy stand. I would have to bring my own 2-12 combo for him to plug into. I had a full double bass drum set and I'm bringing extra shit to cover his ass. That was almost 9 years ago and I'm still pissed about having to do that at every show.