Solid Gone

A witty rock'n'roll friend from Tucson, Arizona, has written to me suggesting that I might submit my CV in connection with a vacancy that has arisen in the Rolling Stones. "You have that jazz background. And you’re in their age group," he observes.

In fact, I'm not quite that old... yet. And I can't say that the post appeals – even if it were on offer.

No one can really fill Charlie Watts's drumming shoes. Not because he was the "ultimate" or the "greatest" drummer, as the media and various tribute-givers would have us believe – but because he was the perfect man for the job.

Perfect, because he was happy to have a back seat and just take care of the business that was required.

That's not to denigrate his talents. But those saying what a brilliant drummer he was are really saying that he knew his place – i.e. keeping time and nothing too fancy.

He wasn't Ginger Baker or Keith Moon or Buddy Rich or Gene Krupa – genius drummers who actually defined and directed the bands that they played in. That's why the Stones will roll on and still sound pretty much the same.

Charlie Watts was a solid drummer who knew what he was there to do and did it. He also seems to have been a truly decent bloke. And in the world of rock'n'roll that counts for a lot.

A Lot Of Front

Russ, dynamic frontman with Russ Payne and the Shark Dentists (www.sharkdentists.co.uk), pictured above, hit the airwaves yesterday to talk about our latest venture — a monthly blues night at the Port Mahon, Oxford, at which we're inviting local players to come and sit in with the band.

I set up the interview on BBC Radio Oxford, but Russ did the business in the studio. He's a great front man. And, like most drummers, apart from the likes of Buddy Rich, Keith Moon and Ginger Baker, I'm mostly happy to be in the background.

Wasn't it a bit arrogant, asked the BBC interviewer, for Russ to put his own name in front of that of the band? "Yes," said Russ. "But I'm a guitarist."

Animal Versus Animal

As I was saying yesterday, there's a bit of Animal in every drummer. And I've just been reminded that there was no clearer evidence of that when the late and possibly greatest Buddy Rich took on the mighty Muppet in a TV drum battle.

If you want to know who won, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erE8WTngaAY. If you want a clue, there's a story that Buddy, who was not averse to drum battles with anyone, once agreed to take on a less confident drummer who begged him to "go easy" on him.

Buddy promised he would sit back and take it steady to make the contest look more even. The other guy went first and played so well that the audience clapped their approval. Then Buddy played and wiped the floor with his opponent. Afterwards the loser said to Buddy, "But you promised... " And Buddy said, "I know. But I just couldn't let you get more applause than me."

There was a lot of Animal in Buddy.