The Early Days of MTV my development as a drummer and performer seems to continuously morph from one side of the music spectrum to the other. it was the early days of MTV when any band that made any sort of video or had recorded some live footage was played. all sorts of english bands were especially thrown at me and i sucked them all in with desire to listen to anything that came my way. from the sounds of 80's new wave and punk rock to classic bands such as Black Sabbath, Hendrix and the Beatles all were rooted in me.

what is interesting about that time was how i gravitated to bands with great drummers. stewart copeland, larry mullen jr, tony thompson, steve ferrone, mitch mitchell, terry bozzio and steve smith still influence me today. to hear just one measure of a simple 4/4 pattern and know that players signature sound was so inspirational. i was drawn to their passionate pocket playing, slight nuances and original feels emotionally moving inside a beat that was unique to each song.

as i matured into what some would say a musical snob, i found most music that is commercially viable to be contrived and boring. i have thought on many occasions how interchangeable most bands are. not just from time to time, but with in genres and songs even. production and choice of instruments seem to establish a sound but many bands nursery rhyme melodies and lyrics make even the pop boy band seem as interchangeable with most post punk bands.

local musicians seem to be my continuing education and source of inspiration. some are even on a national level, but it seems those who do not have the pressures of major corporations looking to profit from them give alot more memorable performances. looking at my cd collection and most recent purchases of independent rock and free jazz it's hard to fathom the music i grew up listening to. it appears to me now that if it isn't dangerous, i can't enjoy it, yet i am proud of my past love of early MTV.