If Buddy Rich was alive today

Mukund

Senior Member
Hey everyone !

So I just came across this video of Buddy Rich where he is being interviewed.
Towards the mid section of the segment, he just insults country music. I don't exactly agree with what he said but he has a few points here and there.

Well, if he was alive in today's modern world,do you think he would have appreciated the pop and DJ culture or slammed just like he slammed country music? And do you guys agree or disagree with his views?

The video -
https://youtu.be/g67-LyG6JBY
 
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1. Which video are we talking about?
2. Buddy Rich did not really appreciate anything except his bigband stuff (He had a HUGE ego). Okay, he admitted that Ringo was some kind of good drummer (maybe because Ringo earned more money than him while doing less on drums). But that's about it.
3. Buddy Rich is dead. Why do you pull him out of a grave?
4. Buddy Richs opinion on anything is not really relevant. Not more relevant than the opinion of anybody else on this planet. ;)

Just my two cents
 
There's a video clip of BR on a tirade, berating his band like a Lil' boy who didn't get his Lil' way while playing in the neighbours sandbox. I've met 8 year olds who possessed more maturity and self-control than he did. He was a mouth-piece.

Anyone who lacks the maturity to the point he displayed in that video, using expletives so freely because he wasn't articulate enough to express himself like a real man, tells me he didn't have much between his ears, but even more importantly, it's a shame someone didn't stand up and shut his big mouth for him.

So if he were alive today I'd cherish for someone to shut him up.
 
I saw that video a while back. I think it was from an old Mike Douglas show. Man...that was a long time ago. Buddy was certainly an opinionated, egotistical and impetuous guy. Great drummer though. Best ever? That's been debated forever. Possibly the best ever on a snare drum however.
 
Possibly the best ever on a snare drum however.

There's plenty of drum corps guys who have more chops, but Buddy had more touch and musicality than any of them. He said Billy Gladstone had a better buzz roll than he did, but nobody else came close on the roll. So I don't know. Maybe best snare drumming overall.
 
Oh I'm sorry for not adding the link.
Added it.
@Wave
I just had this thought in my head after watching the video ,so I decided to share it and get your views on this topic just for fun :) .
 
....he'd be chiming in on every traditional vs matched thread that came down the pike.
 
He would probably hate everything. He would also call us all hacks for belonging to a drum forum and wasting time instead of practicing.
 
If it's the one I'm thinking of, where he also called Chet Atkins a talentless hack, I'd say not only is he wrong but he embarrassed himself on national TV.
 
Buddy was IMO a very tunnel visioned guy. His opinion of Country Music is sad. He is tunnel visioning on the music only. He is missing the major attraction of Country Music, the stories. But he can't see past the drum part when it comes to other types of music. Not a very healthy attitude, but I give any great musician a lot of leeway.

I've come to the conclusion that anyone who gets that great at an instrument...is lacking in other areas, a lot of times social. It's just the way it seems to work.
 
I give Buddy somewhat of a pass on some of the stories I've read. He was child star at an extremely young age (4 years old I think?). Basically exploited by show business when he should have been home playing with his toys like a normal kid. How many child actors have we seen who's lives have been damaged by the pressure and atmosphere of show business at an early age? Walk a mile in Buddy's baby shoes and see how you would have handled it. impetuous, temperamental, selfish... absolutely. My gut tells me he was damaged at a young age. Not an excuse for his lack of maturity, but perhaps an explanation. A complicated man, for sure.
 
I think he's had the best technique of anybody, ever. He really is something to watch on drums. But being great at anything is never a pass to be an a$$.
I can admire his drumming and ignore when he speaks. ...especially on the Mike Douglas show....yaaaawn.
 
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