Tuesday 2 September 2014

Love Over Gold


I've been away... for a long time... I'm back. And I'm still playing drums. In fact, thanks to the musicians I play with, I suspect that I'm generally drumming my best so far.

I'm lucky too to have the trusty DW kit which has now many times over repaid the major investment that it represented. No, I'm not going to say how much it cost...

Some drummers are not so reticent about mentioning the value of their gear.

Mick Fleetwood (above) - a seriously under-rated drummer who has always been a master timekeeper and band-driver - also plays DW drums. But they sound as though they are a tad more expensive than mine.

"All of my drum kits are coated in 18-carat gold," he explained in a recent interview. And he has a new kit made up by DW every time he tours. The end result, apparently, is a warehouse full of gold-plated drums and stands.

Much as I love Fleetwood's playing, I find it difficult to get my head round the need for such excess.

Why so many kits? And why the gold?

One perfect Collector's Series DW kit is enough for a lifetime, I reckon.