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 I started drumming in 1983 or 84, can't remember now exactly when (I was 13 or 14). A school friend said "We're staying after school, to play music, do you wanna too?" I asked "Is anyone on the drums?" Nope. So that was me. 4 of us, we played Ghostbusters, learnt how to keep time (HA!), and then got to go to a rehearsal studio in Covent Garden once a week. We played a LOT in them days, and managed to compose a few songs of our own, instrumentals. After completely messing up my A levels I left school and went to a college and joined a band there on the 3rd day I think. We were called such a bad name I refuse to repeat it! Let's call them "Sausage". Anyway, we were light years ahead of my school band, and played 3 different styles within 3 years! We started off a bit baggy Wonderstuff Happy Mondays Trippy influenced - this was 1990-1992. Then we changed and went a bit noisy- Dinosaur Jr Sonic Youth My Bloody Valentine LUSH influenced. THEN we went a bit more pop rock, and at the end of our time together we went into a studio to record for posterity. This was at a studio in North London somewhere, and was mostly at night because all night sessions were cheaper- NEVER AGAIN! We were already a bit shaky friends wise for various reasons, and this all night stuff and money didn't help matters. Anyway, we recorded with various amounts of success. I learnt about studios, and I learnt a LOT about being in a band. First of all you HAVE to all like each other, or it won't last. You HAVE to want to do it. You HAVE to enjoy it. And you HAVE to start playing to people as soon as you can, because endless rehearsals to yourself can quickly become boring, especially for muggins here having to drum the same songs over and over until the band "get it perfect"! And you have to sort things like money and song writing disagreements out as soon as possible, because they'll come back later to stab you in the back if you don't! Oh and remember if you're at all taking this seriously, you'll have to go on tour with these people, in a van or a car, to stay in a room or a b&b if you're lucky! So if you don't like someone, it's going to be Hell!! The band never did more than 10 gigs and that's pushing it. Only two I can think of went well, the others were a disaster. Messing up songs, singer drunk, equipment falling apart.......etc. We never recorded the last 2 really good gigs either as far as I know. We wrote a LOT of songs, so much so that by the time we recorded in the studio we were only playing 1 song from when we first started, which was a mistake because those songs were all good, we just dropped them to do new ones all the time. And not playing to people meant no one knew our songs. I used to argue about that a lot. Still, I had a girlfriend and I was happy at the time to do it. Looking back though I KNOW we were bloody good, as good as if not a lot better than a lot of bands I have heard since. Oh well. It's kind of weird because we all split to go to University, something I had worked very hard to get to at the time and the band even though we could have "made it" didn't figure in my plans at the time. But I used to think we'd meet up and get back together maybe one day. Now it's over 15 years ago, and I met up a few years with everyone and it wasn't at all the same, sadly. I still dream about it too. Most weird. Anyway, I also wrote songs in that band, lyrics, and had the perfect song writing partner- the singer/ guitar player, who wrote music to my words. I long to meet someone else to do that with. After that, 1992, I went to University and sold my drums before I left, and didn't play for at least 5 years, maybe longer. I got the bug again I think around 2001 and joined a cover band, Trembler. Again, I have lost touch with them (I didn't leave on the best of terms, they were a teeny bit shit to me in getting a new drummer before I planned on leaving and dumped me just before the one gig we had lined up, so I was a bit annoyed at the time. Justice was served however when the gig never happened because new owners of the pub we were to play at had no record of our booking HA!). It was a good year though for me drumming wise. Personally though my life took a bit of a nose-dive at the time, and I just got tired of rehearsing other peoples songs and of the money it was costing to rehearse. And I needed to sort my life out, as I'd got made redundant too. I fucked off to America for 3 weeks in 2002 and met the love of my life, so it wasn't all bad! After that I drummed at the 2002 Ant lib convention with Gary, and we talked at the time of joining up to play in a cover band but songs WE liked just for the hell of it. A bass player never came along though and we never got it together. (We played a rehearsed B Side Baby/ 9 TO 5, and then unrehearsed versions of Lady, Physical and Antmusic.) Then in Dec 2006
Gary
called me, "we need a drummer!" I hadn't played again for a while
and knew I wasn't that great. I agreed to join after a long phone
call because: 2007, personal life took a bit of a nose-dive again and Gary provided much needed friendly therapy in a cafe before rehearsals! First two band rehearsals I have to admit I was there out of duty, I didn't want to be there at all! But I ploughed on! Then in Feb. personal life changed again, and a smile returned to my face! I'm off in November to the US for good this time. So sadly my time with Happy Millionaire has been short. But it has been mostly fun- I've learnt about my drumming again, what I am happy with and not, and got the bug back for playing, and my arms have got their strength back too yay! Well, after playing Going Down the way *I* do they NEED to hehe! We played at Antfest (June 2007) , that was good. Hopefully we will fit in another 1 or 2 gigs before I depart. The band in my opinion has become a "band" now. They still need to work on the older demos, because once they are worked on, as we proved with the 4 we do, they are WAY better. A song is only a song when the band play it. And that proves if it is good or not. And the band is now 100% better than they were before. Sadly I have to leave, but they BETTER get a shit hot drummer after me who also understands the music and wants to do what I did - work on the songs, jam, have fun, and keep the band going onto who knows where! My plans are to keep drumming, get a kit, and start a band in Oklahoma where I am going to live with my Fiancée :o) I am very interested in playing again and in getting much better than I am, and am as into music and drums as much as I ever was. I thank Adam and the Ants for
inspiring me to drum in the first place in 1981 (Stand and Deliver,
ahhhhhh 2 drummers!!), and am as ever inspired by great drummers -
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