How many people think drummers are just the guys who couldn't play anything else? And quite honestly, how many times is that true?
The dumb drummer stereotype has its roots in concert band. It doesn't take much talent to hit the bass drum on the beat. After all, Mr. Holland was able to teach a football player to do it by pounding time on his helmet! Drummers also tend to be the worst offenders when it comes to not reading music but rather playing by ear. In high school, I can't TELL you how many bell parts I had to memorize because I couldn't read it fast enough to hack it. Even today, I play in a community band and still make up certain parts when they're difficult to read. And I'm a music teacher!
Also, the drummer is in a much more vulnerable and transparent position. If a clarinet misses a cue, there's generally someone sitting next to her to pick it up. If a timpanist misses a cue, it's blatantly obvious. If a trombone player misses a rehearsal in most groups, it's not a huge deal because there are a few more in the row. If a drummer misses, suddenly the snare drum part isn't there. It's much more obvious and attention getting. Tempo variances are often attributed to drummers and are more noticeable by everyone in the group than other mistakes- when the drummer rushes, EVERYONE has to rush. If a trumpet player rushes, he's just ahead of the rest of the group.
Other musos think that because they have to read melody AND rhythm, they're superior to drummers who only read rhythm. They don't take into account the fact that they're reading half notes and quarter notes while we're reading complex sixteenth note sextuplet patterns, syncopated with dotted eights. I do have to admit, though, that you can often stand back in the percussion section with a pair of crash cymbals and never read a note- just watch for the director to point at you.
I find that musicians in general are flakes. I've flaked out of church services because I overslept on Sunday morning. Save for the band I'm in right now, I've never been in a band that lasted more than a few months due to musician flakiness.
Heck, even in my current band, we just hired drummer #5 in as many years. Drummer 1 moved to New Jersey 4 or 5 months after we started the band (after telling us over and over that he intended to stay), drummer 2 flaked on us after three gigs (including the audition gig), and drummer 3 never even made it to a gig because he was still so mad at us for originally picking drummer 2 over him. Drummer 4 stayed with us for close to 4 years, but when the bassist and I both moved 2 hours north (her for college, me for work), gigs became difficult and he finally suggested that we find another drummer so the band could continue. Now THAT cat was definitely NOT a flake.