I could match the music column. I grew up a drummer, and even though I already had a BA in Poly Sci from Arizona State, I played all through college to the detriment of my grades. (Grades aren't everything: I ended up with a Ph.D. and a college teaching position!). Literally the weekend I graduated, I was in a van going to play in . . . Peoria. I spent years on the road, and soon had a good band doing all (good) original music. We opened for Steppenwolf, Savoy Brown, the James Gang, and the Who sat through our set at the Troubadour with a very drunk Pete Townsend slapping me on the back and saying "Good show, wot!" Although I was straight ahead hard rock, I nevertheless was most influenced by Joe Morello of the Dave Brubeck Quartet; then drifted into Beach Boys Music, then, of course, the Beatles where I really learned drumming from Ringo. He and I would (figuratively) play together for hours every afternoon as I put on Beatles albums and played along. By far, Ringo was the best rock drummer ever because he not only could "play a song," but was so innovative he played new ways of playing a song. Anyway, Carmine Appice of Vanilla Fudge was my next influence---best drummer ever next to Ringo. But the whole time I was still looking at weird outsider bands such as King Crimson (Bill Bruford), Captain Beyond, Bloodrock, and of course Yes. When disco came, I didn't reject it but learned to play it and play it differently. So I loved K.C. and the Sunshine Band---and our group almost signed with them (woulda been a big mistake---we were "Allman Bros.). Later still I got into the big hair 80s bands at which time I stopped playing, but didn't stop listening. I loved Mister Mr. and Rick Page (another Phoenix native), Autograph, Bon Jovi, but also Brit acts like Howard Jones and Alan Parsons, whose "Gaudi" remains one of my top 10 albums of all time. Eventually I added great Christian groups to my listening including Avalon, Michael W. Smith, Mark Schulz, Point of Grace, and Andy Hunter. But one always has to make room for the talented Weird Al Yankovic---a genius---and of course the titans such as Michael Jackson, Boz Scaggs, and my current fave, a great jam band, Goose. If anyhone is terribly interested they can find my autobiography on Amazon as "The Rhythm of History." (In the meantime I managed to write a NYT #1 bestseller and make 2 movies).
Thanks for sharing Larry!
I could match the music column. I grew up a drummer, and even though I already had a BA in Poly Sci from Arizona State, I played all through college to the detriment of my grades. (Grades aren't everything: I ended up with a Ph.D. and a college teaching position!). Literally the weekend I graduated, I was in a van going to play in . . . Peoria. I spent years on the road, and soon had a good band doing all (good) original music. We opened for Steppenwolf, Savoy Brown, the James Gang, and the Who sat through our set at the Troubadour with a very drunk Pete Townsend slapping me on the back and saying "Good show, wot!" Although I was straight ahead hard rock, I nevertheless was most influenced by Joe Morello of the Dave Brubeck Quartet; then drifted into Beach Boys Music, then, of course, the Beatles where I really learned drumming from Ringo. He and I would (figuratively) play together for hours every afternoon as I put on Beatles albums and played along. By far, Ringo was the best rock drummer ever because he not only could "play a song," but was so innovative he played new ways of playing a song. Anyway, Carmine Appice of Vanilla Fudge was my next influence---best drummer ever next to Ringo. But the whole time I was still looking at weird outsider bands such as King Crimson (Bill Bruford), Captain Beyond, Bloodrock, and of course Yes. When disco came, I didn't reject it but learned to play it and play it differently. So I loved K.C. and the Sunshine Band---and our group almost signed with them (woulda been a big mistake---we were "Allman Bros.). Later still I got into the big hair 80s bands at which time I stopped playing, but didn't stop listening. I loved Mister Mr. and Rick Page (another Phoenix native), Autograph, Bon Jovi, but also Brit acts like Howard Jones and Alan Parsons, whose "Gaudi" remains one of my top 10 albums of all time. Eventually I added great Christian groups to my listening including Avalon, Michael W. Smith, Mark Schulz, Point of Grace, and Andy Hunter. But one always has to make room for the talented Weird Al Yankovic---a genius---and of course the titans such as Michael Jackson, Boz Scaggs, and my current fave, a great jam band, Goose. If anyhone is terribly interested they can find my autobiography on Amazon as "The Rhythm of History." (In the meantime I managed to write a NYT #1 bestseller and make 2 movies).