I just met Jojo Mayer and......

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adamteasdale1407

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I have never met the man so I don't know if this is regular demeanor or not. Maybe he was just tired and used up or maybe he is a jerk. Maybe it is a cultural thing. Cannot say.

I don't have much experience with these to draw from. I attended a Keith Carlock clinic this past spring and he was a delight. He shared many useful tips with us and the playing was outstanding. He patiently answered all questions. He had everyone up on stage afterwards to view the kit and discuss drum / cymbal placement. Finally he went to a table to sign autographs and take photos. I was near the end of the line and I could see he was spent. I told him to take a deep breath because the evening was ending and he gave me a little smile of acknowledgement. In any event he showed no sign of being put-out to share the evening with us. Nice man, great drummer.
 
This doesn't surprise me much considering his Drum Department TV interview. Up until I saw that interview, I thought of Jojo as being a very nice, humble guy In that interview, he kept his shades on and he used lots of profanity. The whole time I just kept wishing that he'd take those shades off and clean up his language.
 
All I know about him is what I've seen on the internet, but I'm very surprised to hear he behaved that way in a clinic environment. You'd expect someone who does that many events to be more professional. Where was this event?

That's exactly what I thought. This clinic was in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, North East England.

So how much does he make in a year?

He desperately wanted someone to ask that, but after everyone realised he was a total jerk we decided to ask him about his kit setup and gear he uses in the studio. His answers again were sarcastic and he showed no interest at all.
 
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Todd Sucherman is the gold standard when it comes to clinics in my opinion. Nicest guy too.
 
I've been to one clinic of his during his Perfect Balance tour 2012 (that specific clinic was on November 28 - and bought that pedal right after the clinic).

I'm quite surprised of what you're describing. While Jojo does express himself in a somewhat rough manner at times there was no trace of arrogance - at least that was my impression.

We had a few youngsters in the audience but those didn't ask anything. There weren't too many questions altogether but his replies didn't leave anything to be desired. He mentioned that drumming contributes to his overall income but that he's also into a few other things but there wasn't anything resembling arrogance. I didn't make out any sarcasm.
 
Did anybody offer him a Snickers bar? If not, they should have. I know I get crabby when I'm hungry.

In all seriousness, this is pretty disappointing if true. It just shows a complete lack of professionalism. I don't expect professional musician to be the nicest people I meet, but I never expect them to be condescending jerks, either. Talking about money during a drum clinic? Lame. If this is becoming a common thing, hopefully his sponsors will find out and call him in for a little chat.
 
Oddly, I just thought to myself "damn I missed that JoJo Mayer clinic! I'll just log onto DW and see if anyone went".

I'm not feeling so much like I missed out now. I try not to judge, or at least try and reserve judgement until I meet someone myself, but that does sound pretty bad. I bet some people traveled quite far to see him; I nearly did.

IF it has all gone to his head, then that's a real shame.
 
Todd Sucherman is the gold standard when it comes to clinics in my opinion. Nicest guy too.

I really wish someone would invite Todd to do a clinic here in the UK. I enjoy his DVDs a lot on multiple levels.
 
Oddly, I just thought to myself "damn I missed that JoJo Mayer clinic! I'll just log onto DW and see if anyone went".

I'm not feeling so much like I missed out now. I try not to judge, or at least try and reserve judgement until I meet someone myself, but that does sound pretty bad. I bet some people traveled quite far to see him; I nearly did.

IF it has all gone to his head, then that's a real shame.

It is a real shame and after speaking to a few others in the audience after the clinic, outside the venue, my immediate thing to ask was "Did you enjoy it?". Not a positive opinion from anyone. I believe he embarrassed himself that night. Real shame.
 
That's weird.

I've seen him a couple times and he was pretty nice.

He stopped in at the shop that hosed the Drum Day afterwards, and even showed a buddy who was working on one of his hand techniques EXACTLY how to do it. Then he showed him how he had currently modified the stroke, and that was coming out on the next dvd.
He spent a good 5 minutes, and was cool the whole time.

This was a few years ago (5 or more maybe), so maybe he's changed since then.

Keith Carlock is very cool. Met him right after he was with Sting, and was going out with Steely Dan after the album was recorded. He did a clinic at the shop, and a bunch of us went to dinner afterwards. He was real cool. People were asking about the Sting gig at the clinic, and if they jammed, but at the dinner, he said it wasn't like that kind of a situation to do that at all. He said it was cool, and top notch pro, but not a "Hey, let's jam "X" deal at all. I think he mentioned meeting Vinnie the day before and stuff, but I don't remember.
 
Keep in mind that he is a good drummer. Period. Doesn't mean he is a great guy. Lots of assholes are good at what they do. It's a shame he is doing clinics if he is rude, but again, I suspect, his skill/notoriety is the draw, not his winning (losing?) personality. That being said, I hate that. Here are all these folks who think you are awesome and you can't even manage to be gracious? How hard is that.
 
Do I need to change my sig?

I'm never surprised anymore. Buddy was a real a-hole and he was the greatest ever.

Joe Morello told me this story:

Joe Morello and Buddy Rich were sitting at a table talking after one of Joe's gigs. A young drummer came up to them with band-aids on his hands. "Mr Rich, Mr. Morello I want you both to know how much of an inspiration you both are to me. I've been practicing so much that I have blisters. That's how much I want to be like you guys"

Buddy showed him his hands and said: "Kid look at my hands, look at Joe's hands. Do you see any blisters. Get out of here. Go play the f-in sax or something."

The kid was so crestfallen that Joe had to take him aside and pick his heart up off the floor where Buddy had stomped all over it.

Yeah, skill level has nothing to do with personality.
 
Sorry to hear that. Hope it wasn't a English isn't his first language thing. Maybe you should mention it to the shop owner. The only one i have seen that bordered on that was Terry Bozzio. First one not to hang afterward and sign autographs also.
 
Do I need to change my sig?

I'm never surprised anymore. Buddy was a real a-hole and he was the greatest ever.

Joe Morello told me this story:

Joe Morello and Buddy Rich were sitting at a table talking after one of Joe's gigs. A young drummer came up to them with band-aids on his hands. "Mr Rich, Mr. Morello I want you both to know how much of an inspiration you both are to me. I've been practicing so much that I have blisters. That's how much I want to be like you guys"

Buddy showed him his hands and said: "Kid look at my hands, look at Joe's hands. Do you see any blisters. Get out of here. Go play the f-in sax or something."

The kid was so crestfallen that Joe had to take him aside and pick his heart up off the floor where Buddy had stomped all over it.

Yeah, skill level has nothing to do with personality.

I'm sure that probably did happen, but keep in mind that we're talking about how pro drummers conduct themselves at clinics, not after gigs. When a drummer gives a clinic, they are not only representing themselves, but the companies they rep for. JoJo is representing Sabian and Sonor just as much as he is representing himself and whatever projects he has going on.

If I was head of either of those companies and caught wind that one of my flagship endorsees was pissing people off instead of developing more interest in my products, I wouldn't be too happy about it. I would want people flocking to these clinics where my products are showcased, not passing on them because word is getting around that the drummer is a condescending jerk.
 
The thing that gets me is you're publicly writing a person off as a jerk and we have no idea what glasses you see the world through. And who knows how your mind works, what anyone else at the clinic thought or whether Jojo was going through some stuff on the day. Interesting story, but I'd really hate to be famous.
 
That's weird.

I've seen him a couple times and he was pretty nice.

He stopped in at the shop that hosed the Drum Day afterwards, and even showed a buddy who was working on one of his hand techniques EXACTLY how to do it. Then he showed him how he had currently modified the stroke, and that was coming out on the next dvd.
He spent a good 5 minutes, and was cool the whole time.

This was a few years ago (5 or more maybe), so maybe he's changed since then.

Keith Carlock is very cool. Met him right after he was with Sting, and was going out with Steely Dan after the album was recorded. He did a clinic at the shop, and a bunch of us went to dinner afterwards. He was real cool. People were asking about the Sting gig at the clinic, and if they jammed, but at the dinner, he said it wasn't like that kind of a situation to do that at all. He said it was cool, and top notch pro, but not a "Hey, let's jam "X" deal at all. I think he mentioned meeting Vinnie the day before and stuff, but I don't remember.

I would say that he has changed since then. When I saw his interview by Drum Department TV, I was like "This is Jojo Mayer?!" Up until he changed his appearance like that, he always struck me as a very humble and gentle guy. In that interview, he looks to me like someone who's trying to hide. Hair all over his face, shades, and profanity. At least take the shades off, y'know? He seems cynical or something. I can't put my finger on it.
 
The thing that gets me is you're publicly writing a person off as a jerk and we have no idea what glasses you see the world through.

Agreed Dre. Need way more info before I'd be prepared to make a call one way or another.

Too many factors we're not privy to. Like the fact that assertiveness and confidence (which many top performers have in spades) are often confused for arrogance. Wouldn't be the first time. Won't be the last.
Also, what sort of questions were these kids asking? The same predictable stuff can get old very quickly. i.e how fast can you play? how fast should I be able to play? how long should I practice to play fast? I've been practising for three whole weeks, why aren't I fast yet? etc etc. One only has to check this forum for living, breathing examples.

Then there's personal attributes like how easily offended you are. I mean profanity? Really? I didn't think a few choice phrases were capable of causing such outrage. Water off a duck's back to me. We're all big boys and girls aren't we? We've all heard it before. We're not sitting in Sunday school after all. Sure it may not be to your taste but it's as common as a cold and doesn't diminish the content of what someone is saying. Still, the fact others disagree with me speaks volumes. We don't see the world through the same eyes.

I recall a similar thread where Nicko McBrain got chewed out by one guy after a clinic. Same thing happened. People piled in half cocked after reading one man's opinion. It was only after a couple of others who were there, signed up to have their say that some balance was restored and a broader understanding of events was revealed.

This one is no different. For mine, I need a few gaps filled before I jump on the 'Jojo's a profanity laden wanker' bandwagon.
 
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