Thank you, STEWART, for allowing me to drum with The Police.

[Maud138]

WAKE UP (and type) pleeeeeeeease?

[luddite lady]

[quote="Maud138"]WAKE UP (and type) pleeeeeeeease?[/quote]

You're still a little early Maud. It's 2 a.m. in NYC and here in Toronto. But as usual, I'll take your post as my cue to go to bed.

It was an honour and a blast to meet you last week.

Hugs and all that stuff!

[Maud138]

[quote="luddite lady"][quote="Maud138"]WAKE UP (and type) pleeeeeeeease?[/quote]

You're still a little early Maud. It's 2 a.m. in NYC and here in Toronto. But as usual, I'll take your post as my cue to go to bed.

It was an honour and a blast to meet you last week.

Hugs and all that stuff![/quote]

Hi luddite lady: Yes I'm very aware of the time in NYC , but that can't keep me from yelling Who knows, maybe someone will wake up I saw you this morning online, faaaaaar past your bedtime.
It was really nice meeting you! I think you are still far out the most coolest teacher. I hope we can meet again some time!

[BABA]

Chapter 2

I’m surveying this absolutely unbelievable percussion rig and considering launching into “Radon Balloon.” But let’s face it -- I don’t know how to play this very personal contraption and now is not an ideal time to learn (memo to self and all readers: try this stunt again the next time Oysterhead comes to town). Anyways, “Can’t Stand Losing You” begins as you knew it would, so I turn to something I think I can handle at the stage right entrance to the rig: a small tom tom mounted over what I believe is a Gong Bass with a medium-sized cymbal of some sort nearby. I grab the adjacent mallets and make some noise. It’s a loud and heady environment, and under these slightly unusual circumstances a slight fog seeps in. But not for very long.

Almost immediately Stewart shouts over his shoulder “You’re speeding up.” Or perhaps he said “Speed it up.” I’m not sure which (I’m guessing the former), but there’s obviously a significant discrepancy that needs to be sorted out pronto. But can he really hear me? I’ve got no monitor so I have no idea what is going through the system. And is he really talking to me? Well, who else is he going to say that to? Ergo, logic suggests the conclusion that Stewart Copeland, in the midst of playing with The Police, has just corrected my tempo. Cue “Twilight Zone” theme.

I pause for a moment to reboot, give a good listen, and jump back in. I’m playing on the Gong Bass what would have been my chosen hi-hat pattern, with some emphasis where either foot would have participated. Backbeats on the tom tom. Occasional color on the cymbal. I’ll admit my fair share of mistakes, but (s)he who hesitates is lost. Nevertheless, it's all pure fun.

After what is probably about 20 seconds of this, give or take, the incomparable Jeff Seitz must be down below wondering what kind of major malfunction is occurring upstairs. And so, just above the horizon of the Gong Bass, a face emerges from the darkness.

To be continued . . . .

[bella]

I have the biggest smile on my face reading this, baba!! I hope you don't get in trouble with St. Jeff. Can't wait to find out.

[Maud138]

ooooh weren't you tempted to hit his head with a mallet?

[Spec A!]

Oh I hope he said speed up! :p


Edit- I feel for ya- having no monitors sucked, I remember that. Not sure what it was like on the Aux kit, but at least I could hear a little bit of bass and guitar when I was sitting on The MAN's throne.

[bella]

[quote="Spec A!"]Oh I hope he said speed up! :p[/quote]



I was thinking the same thing, Anthony! SPEED UP! Maybe Stewart wanted Sting to turn around and give him a stare down so he could innocently look over his shoulder and blame BABA! lol.

[DirtyMartini]

[quote="BABA"]
After what is probably about 20 seconds of this, give or take, the incomparable Jeff Seitz must be down below wondering what kind of major malfunction is occurring upstairs. And so, just above the horizon of the Gong Bass, a face emerges from the darkness.
[/quote]

Hahaha.

[BABA]

Chapter 3

Jeff appears curious about my absurd situation but not particularly upset by it. Pointing towards The Rhythmatist, I yell something like “It’s OK. I asked permission. I won’t break anything.” Jeff mercifully accepts my plea and I resume crash-boom-banging away. However, when Stewart returns to this scene during the show (I think it was “Wrapped Around Your Finger”), Jeff appears in a white hard hat and seems to me to be adjusting/repairing the very items that I promised not to break. D’oh! (In the unlikely event that I actually caused any damage or loosened something up, please forgive me.)

Pretty soon “Can’t Stand Losing You” shifts to “Reggatta de Blanc” and we all move one beat to the right. This transition has been one of my favorites for more than half of my life. It’s not particularly complicated, but it’s neat. Until this tour, for the lifetimes of many fans, it’s been confined to recordings. Now it’s the real thing right there in front of me, and it happens, and I know that I nailed it. And at least for a little while, I’m in serious sync with my favorite drummer, crashing and bashing one-and...three! one-and...three! in some form of unison. There’s no doubt that I baked his influence into my approach to drums, but here and now I’m not trying to copy him. I’m just playing and getting a very happy result. Hmm, I wonder -- was my favorite drummer in sync with me?

Please allow me to sentimentally digress for a moment. I think that everyone at some point has probably been an air drummer, and it’s cool if it never goes any further than that. But then some of us get some sticks and start banging on pillows or tupperware or phonebooks or maybe even some kind of actual drum. Some of us get passionate about it. Some of us hear a compelling song and work hard to solve it and feel a pleasant sense of accomplishment from that. And some of us are fortunate enough to attend a live performance of that song by the original artist and an experience occurs so that we never hear or play that song the same way ever again. Well, I am never going to hear or play “Reggatta de Blanc” the same way ever again, because somewhere deep down in my mind it is now etched that when the moment of truth arrived, I nailed it. If I could put this feeling in a bottle I promise I would share it with you, because it rocks. I hope that you’ve had your own singular version of this feeling, and it is not fair that maybe not everyone has.

To be continued . . . .

[Divemistress of the Dark]

(And this guy has 15 posts? Talk about your major malfunction. Think you got some catchin' up to do, mister. Thanks for sharing!)

[bella]

You just made me cry at work, BABA. What the hell!?!?!?

[nancyrose]

Fabulous, Baba!! Hope that feeling stays with you forever!!

[smax]

[quote="BABA"]
I calmly inquire with Stewart Copeland as to whether I can play along on his percussion rig[/quote]

what a great quote...and odd use of the word 'calmly'.. if you don't ask you don't get.

[DirtyMartini]

[quote="BABA"]However, when Stewart returns to this scene during the show (I think it was “Wrapped Around Your Finger”), Jeff appears in a white hard hat and seems to me to be adjusting/repairing the very items that I promised not to break.[/quote]

HA!

This sounds like such an incredible experience, BABA -- I don't know how you were containing yourself the other night.

YAY.