I turn 30 tomorrow. Except that's 31 in Korea (you're 1 when you're born, here). Tomorrow's also Chuseok, the Korean Harvest holiday (sorta-Thanksgiving) and I'm going to my boss' mother's house for feast-o. That's good, because Lilly's gone and I don't know very many people here.
Gino Robair interview:
I'e been unlearning my drumming technique for about 10 years now. Eventually, I won't remember how to hold the sticks or do a roll. It took a lot of effort to be able to play sloppy and not try to show the audience that "hey, I'm really a drummer!?" Now I'm at the point where I can leave most of my drums at home and play on stuff I find in the hall. I'm free from needing to convince anyone that I really can play the drums. When I travel to Europe, I just bring a suitcase with junk (motors, broken mallets, sticks, towels, sucker balls, metal things), and hope that the venue will provide something to play on as they agreed. Often they give me something really strange, usually with the excuse that all the drummers in town were busy and couldn't spare any gear. I kind of enjoy this: I end up having to do a solo performance on things I have no prior knowledge of and no control over. It's a far cry from the normal drummer who is so precious about every piece of gear. And, if something's not quite right, they can't play. I've been trying to get to the point where I can do a solo concert on anything, anywhere, in any situation. I feel like I'm almost there. Granted, it's not always musically successful, but that's the thrill of free improv, isn't it? Sometimes, we crash and burn. Other times, we disappear into the aether. The most extreme gigs have included a radio performance using only a zipper and a coke can, and a gig in Oakland where the audience brought things for me to play which included a condom, jello, a pickup and amplifier, water, and some junk metal. I don't even know if it was good.
It doesn't matter.
Exactly! I once played drums with a cane (I'd sprained my ankle), once with some pieces of string, chopsticks, a rubber mallett. Matthew Voga usually rearranges his trapkit every time he plays to keep himself off-balance.
posted by Brad Larcen 9/20/2002[edit]
