Yep that's a funny one.

I always thought that up until the 60's the ultimate stereotypical drummer image was a Gene Krupa looking guy with a tux playing jungle floor toms.

And from the 60's til now the ultimate image has been Animal on the Muppets.

If you could wheel out a cage on stage and a wild animal covered in hair, spitting and snarling came out and did a drum solo and then totally destroyed the set and then a trainer with a whip made him go back in a cage, you would have the image that many people see as the ultimate drummer.

i love this vid..i have it on my myspace page. it's amazing to think that buddy rich and gene krupa et al did what they did back then with less equipment than today's drummers... Soap Box

AMEN!!! I had drummer inspiration impart to me a very simple rule of thumb that I've held onto for most of my life.

If you can't groove on a four piece kit and make it sing, take up another instrument.

There are MANY drummers today that would have trouble in this area. Recently, I was watching YouTube vids of some young cats stretching on their kits. Most all of it was made up of single strokes around lots of toms and popping an array of cymbals and sounds. There was nothing more than that. It was disheartening.

Here is a direct quote (minus the nasty mouth) taken from a YouTube comment on a Buddy Rich vid.

" i dont see the big f***ing deal here he is just sloppy and all over the f***ing place i would rather see lars or barker solo they are much f***ing beetter than this dud"

I'm an old geezer. I'm only 47, but evidently I'm old. Dang. I just don't get it. Where the heck are the drumming leaders in this country? These kiddos need some guidence and direction. Just my dos centavos.

PS - I had an Animal pillow case on my rack while I was in the service.

great post. buddy is a bad ass! I read a biography on him recently and he has a very interesting story.

mcjnic, I think lars and barker would agree with you and shake their heads at the post you quoted.

Anyone know who the drummer behind animal is, was? He plays some great stuff.

I think his name was Ronnie Verrell. He was an English guy if memory serves me. You are correct...he was quite a drummer. Listen to some of those old Muppet show performances...dang. I've got most of the shows. He was a very sensitive player when he backed up Rowlf the dog. Nice stuff. He is missed.

You are correct sir! Ronnie Verrell was Animal....

http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Animal.html

Ronnie was top - he was also part of the English chat show host Jonathan Ross's previous house band a few yours ago, I remember he had Ozzy on and Ronnie was banging away at 'Paranoid' - class!

All time favorite Animal drum solos... It lights me up every time!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8aGlOj2VFo[/ame]

That's the beginning of Judas Priest's Painkiller Keep on Pl