Marty, you confirmed what I've known for years; Dino was not the drummer he used to be, unfortunately, and hadn't been for many years. I saw him play with Fotomaker in the 70's, and he had lost his mojo by then. I also saw The Rascals' Broadway show and noticed Dino was not his old self. It made me sad. He was such a great player in his day, but somehow, he lost it. I also saw that two-handed cymbal hit and thought it was strange.

Dino told me in 1988 that he wanted to do a Rascals Broadway show, so it was no surprise when it finally happened. I feel sorry for Steve Van Zandt and his partners, who sank millions into that reunion, only to have it blow up in their faces. The old feuds happened again, between Eddie and Felix.

Felix just won the right to use the Rascals' name for his band.

By the way, Dino was from Jersey City, and Johny Barbata was from Passaic. Both Jersey guys, and very similar in terms of style.

Enjoy some of what once was, including the stick whirling:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXW02Xcbjgk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXW02Xcbjgk

Dan, I think this is Dino at his height. He was such an influence on me. It hurts to know he can't play anymore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhYwxRXu0nI

Here are some interesting Dino facts:

His real name is Robert Bottanelli. Don't know where he got Dino from.

Dino and some friends stole parade drums and cymbals from a local school in Jersey City, and that crude setup was Dino's first drumset

Dino's big influences were Gene Krupa, Sonny Payne, Lionel Hampton, Cozy Cole, Buddy Rich, Al Jackson, Jr, Gary Chester, Hal Blaine, Bernard Purdie, and a crippled drummer named Bobby Coleman, who taught him the basics of rock drumming.

Dino left home at age twelve, quit school, and lived on the streets of Jersey City and Manhattan, playing drums wherever and whenever he could. He eventually moved into one of the dressing rooms at the Metropole Club in Manhattan, where he was befriended by Gene Krupa and Cozy Cole.

Dino and Felix Cavaliere toured with a lounge singer named Sandy Scott, who dressed the band up in Scottish outfits, including kilts. They played Vegas.

Dino spent a year in New Orleans in 1963, learning the drumming traditions of that great city.

King Curtis's drummer took a shine to Dino, and gave him some odd drums that replaced the parade drums he'd been using. One drum was black, another was white, a Heinz 57 Varieties set, but Dino loved them, and used them until Cozy Cole got him the red Rogers set. Dino called his first oddball drumkit, "The ugliest drumset you ever saw!"

Dino's custom painted Yosemite Sam kit was given to a fellow drummer who fell on hard times. Eddie Brigati supposedly has one of Dino's old Ludwig sets. Eddie and I have a mutual friend, Frankie Galardi, who gave me a broken Speed King pedal, sticks, and a gong mallet, all formerly owned by Dino.

Thank you so very much, DrumBob!!!

Anecdotes like this are truly appreciated! All I can say is thanks again!!!

Brian

You're welcome. One of the perks of writing my book was, I got to meet a lot of well known 60's rock drummers, Dino included.

DrumBob - thanks for the stories. You need to write another book. Though I know you said "never again!" :) So, was Dino going to throw the Rogers snare out for trash? AM I miss something about the garbage bag?

I believe he put that snare drum in a garbage bag outside because he had nowhere else to store it. I'm sure he wasn't tossing it out. He just had nowhere else to put those things.

Dino lived in a small studio apartment in Manhattan. He had some living room furniture, a kitchenette, a bed and a bathroom. That's it; very little closet space, no gold records, no rock star trappings. He lived a spartan lifestyle. He also made a living doing graphic art and design.

As mentioned, Dino was enigmatic and a bit hard to figure out. I asked him to show me his stick twirl, and he couldn't, because he didn't have a pair of drumsticks anywhere. That blew my mind.

Why has Dino stopped playing with latest incarnation of The Rascals? I'm sure the reason is out there somewhere. The Rascals Ft. Felix Cavaliere & Gene Cornish "Time Peace Tour 2022" is currently running.

The answer is in this thread, post #6.