A separate posting prompted me to ponder this ,as I have done on occasions in the past – you’d reckon, with all that flailing about, that drummers would be reasonably trim. But it seems it is not always the case.
Take this porker from Brinsley Schwarz whose name I cant be bothered researching. Note also the slick moves by Nick and co somewhat undermined by their colourful sweaters.
The fattest drummer I can think of with an ego to match. Great singer and could play guitar too.
Tsk. That be William Hector “Billy” Rankin III that be. Also drummed with Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers and Ducks Deluxe.
you saying that is not Buddy – looks like him.
It is Buddy. Billy Rankin is the drummer in the OP Brinsley Schwarz
Aaah gotcha
Thanks for mansplaining it to Junes, JC!
Who says men cannot multi task? Bun E. Carlos drumming AND smoking at the same time.
One more before I do some work Questlove drumming off against Beiber. Fat is a bit harsh- more a chubster.
Wow! Go Bieb!
There’s the wonderfully-named Abe Laboriel Jr. with Paul McCartney’s band
Senior is arguably the most prolific session bassist the world has ever seen…
When Dodgy release their novelty Christmas single guess which member will be wearing the Santa outfit…
(You have to wait til 2.00 for the money shot)
Pleeeeeeeeease don’t make me watch a Dodgy clip!!!!! (*wrings hands, writhes on floor*)
Can remember Max & The Meteors Drummer Stewie Spears being a little on the rotund side – he did suffer & survive serous car crash.
The only slightly portly Rick Finlay, drummer of Just East.
Henry Spinetti is somewhat rotund, playing with some guitar-strangling bloke called Eric.
Henry (seated) looks a bit like @beany here
http://i.imgur.com/mx5clO3.jpg
Steady. I have the figure of a racing snake.
Beany has the figure, Henry has the looks.
Looks suspiciously like Ken Bruce, also carrying a few extra pounds and a drummer on the side
The best drummer of all time in the history of ever is, of course, Mr Bernard “Pretty” Purdie. Legendary skinsman and possibly not averse to a pork chop or too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOWdp1sOxvA
John Bonham must have been force feeding himself pies to actually put on weight while doing this every night
I cheated. Searched for “fat drummer” in YouTube and hit this tub o’lard head on.
what a prosaic title – fat guy plays drums- yep exactly what it says on the tin.
Someone remind me who Brinsley Schwarz is?
They make those little jars of herbs and spices.
Well, it’s like this mini. Back in 1969…
Oh.
I thought that was Bart Simpson?
I think we have a thread where non-baby boomers (i.e. the Afterword’s “younger” members) try to guess what 60s and 70s artists that get talked about round here actually sound like.
I’m going to have a go:
Brinsley Schwartz – A bit like Dr Feelgood
Humble Pie: Like Free, but a bit heavier?
John Martyn: Nick Drake without the string arrangements?
Little Feat: See Humble Pie
You’d think Brinsley Schwartz would sound like Dr. Feelgood, given their pub rock background, but they had a distinct country rock sound, with a hint of The Band.
Humble Pie were more like Bad Company than Free. They had two guitarists which made all the difference.
John Martyn. Hmmm, same acoustic folk gene pool as Nick, but different vocal approach and much more aggressive guitar style.
Little Feat. American, so were much funkier than any British band could hope to be (except Average White Band).
No ‘t’ in Schwarz, guys. Come on.
We’ve fallen at the first hurdle…
I saw the Humble Pie at the Fillmore double LP on Sunday for two quid. It was scratched.
*sobs into Emitex cloth*
Every time I see that album I’m compelled to look for the Zappa reference on the sleeve.
Humble Pie were full-on stadium rock by that point, but their first couple of LPs on Immediate were strangely rustic and proggy
Eponymous, Town & Country, As Safe As Yesterday Is. I like those first albums. The later ones, not so much. Or at all, if I’m honest.
You see? I had no idea Little Feat were funky. I thought they were blues rock.
I don’t think Emitex cloths are that absorbent, mini. Polyester, aren’t they?
Thank goodness our good friend was available to Conch-splain it to us.
Emitex cloths are impregnated with, er, something or other, so watch out!
According to Wiki “Little Feat were eclectic blend of rock and roll, blues, R&B, boogie, country, folk, gospel, soul, funk and jazz fusion influences”
They just about covered everything, then
To be honest, they lost me at “eclectic”.
It just means “electric”, Hawkers. Typo. Don’t worry about it.
PS Kudos to mini for coining a valuable A-Word in “Conchsplaining” (but no hyphen required, thinksme.)
The hyphen was intended for clarity of meaning, lest I have to Minsplain it.
Mini’s work has improved dramatically this term, although she will insist on hanging around with the HP gang, which does her no favours in the long run.
Using “good” twice in the same sentence is lazy though. Otherwise very well done indeed. Keep it up.
See me.
If anything, JC, it’s me hanging around the Mrs B collective. I see her as a safe pair of hands (albeit in Marigolds).
Sorry JC, I’m in a bit of a dither this morning. The new gas man is here at the moment, and he’s a bit of a dish, with GREAT hair.
He’s giving my system the once-over.
And how about the Fairport-lite folk rock outfit Eclection (one of only two UK 60s bands on Elektra, fact fans)?
Who knows what they sounded like?
I heard they were halfway between a watered-down Fairport Convention and a fortified Incredible String Band.
Most of the members ended up in Fairport. But I’m not sure about the ISB comparison.
Plucked out of the air Johnny, I’m spitballing here. How about a “revved-up Trader Horne”? Or “Fresh Maggots on Special Brew”?
I had the album on original vinyl, and now I have it on mp3. It’s like a softer version of Jefferson Airplane, sorta kinda. I like it, because it’s very typical of the era. George Kantremembernameitz went on the form Sailor, if memory serves.
Went on TO form Sailor. WE NEED EDIT FACILITY COW!
I’ll go with Trader Horne to a degree (*cough* my best mate Paul Winter designed the cover for that, you know) but Fresh Maggots (who sounded nothing like their name) were much lighter and fey, if not terminally whimsical.
I’d go as far as saying that Eclection sounded more like Jefferson Airplane than early Fairport were alleged to do. They had a big sound on their only album.
I’ve got the Trader Horne album on CD and think it’s brilliant. Kudos to your friend for the sleeve design.
I kept this Xmas card he sent me in the early 70s. Pen and ink work was his specialty. The front cover of the LP is photographed Plasticine models, but the inside gatefold is just like this:
http://i.imgur.com/gxFsPh5.jpg
Well how about that …
And that description tells you nothing, really.
So basically they were like Elvis plus soul, funk and jazz fusion influences?
I’m starting to warm to them.
THEY ARE woops – still shouty caps from last comment – absolutely wonderful. Start with Sailin’ Shoes.
yep they got funky when they added sam clayton on congeas. Lafayette railroad is a good example.
I love the fact that our only points of reference for the sound of acts of the sixties and seventies are other acts of the sixties and seventies. Kids of today will know exactly what we mean immediately.
I looked at JC’s list of “X is a bit like Y with a bit of Z” and the only crossover with anything I’ve heard is “All Right Now” (that was by Free wasn’t it?)
Not entirely sure I count as a kid though 🙂
Precisely!
“Fat” Larry James of fat Larry’s Band of course
Chic’s current drummer is a big guy, and has a good voice, too. Here he is with them singing Let’s Dance.
Live at The House, Sidney. Where’s that when it’s at home?
It’s what the in-crowd call the Sydney Opera House, Johnny.
I’d lik a job riting YouTube capshon’s, its a peace of pis’s by the luck of it
Slightly off-topic, but there’s something not quite right about the drummer’s moves in that original video. Worst drum-miming ever?? What he’s doing bears little relation to what we’re hearing – good example, his full use of the kit at 00.27, which looks great, but makes no sound whatsoever. Maybe he’s not actually their drummer – roadie stand-in?
Paul Thompson’s not exactly the lithe young thing that once adorned Roxy sleeves.
Gilson Lavis out of Squeeze may have dodged a few salads, as well.
Weren’t the rest of the band scared of him? I remember reading that, probably in Mojo. I’ve got Argybargy and he does look like he could take care of himself if you know what I mean.
I remember on the old site we had an excellent thread about musicians who could take care of themselves in a fight. And Gilson Lavis certainly fits the bill there – you’re right.
I seem to remember Henry Rollins was a popular choice among Afterworders for a guy who could probably handle himself in a fight. I think my vote went to a couple of the beefier guys out of Los Lobos, who’d probably fare pretty well if a huge ruck started down the pub.
Rose Tattoo -as tough as they looked
These days lead singer Gary “Angry” Anderson is best known as the public face of the Australian Liberty Alliance, a new political party that is probably mostly known for its policy to “prevent the Islamisation of Australia.”
Never heard him referred to as Gary ever
He’d probably be Angry if you did.
He’s just Mildly Pissed Off Anderson these days
I’d suggest that, on his day, Alex Harvey could have taken them all on…
In 60s London there was a regular act on the pub jazz circuit called Fat John’s Band, led by drummer Fat John Cox. They made only a handful of recordings, so nothing I can post here. But he may have started the trend…
Better than Fat Cocks John, I suppose …
Oi! That was my Mother’s name!
Clem Burke, the guy who is more responsible for Blondie’s distinctive sound than anyone else bar Debbie, took part in a medical experiment. His heart rate went up to 190 beats a minute and he burned 600 calories in a ninety minute gig. What, with all the practising they do, these fat drummers must consume as much fuel as a heavyweight boxer!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7518888.stm
Yebbutt he spends half his time stick-twirling and grandstanding.
A brilliant drummer, but a total and complete pillock.
Better watch out for the string beans
excellent
Saw Lucinda Williams’ at the weekend and her tub thumper is a huge Texan in a white stetson who battered his kit into submission.
Billy Cobham is a fantastic drummer but I think he needs to go back to Mahavishnu boot camp.
Bill was remarkably muscular back in the day. Playing machine-gun speed Maha-solos for 20+ minutes at a time is mind-bogglingly athletic.
Er, that’s Ian Wright.
Joe “Mama” Besser.
This lad with Buddy Guy.
He’s very good.
https://youtu.be/n_rPswKG870
The drummers got some competition in this mob….
Michael Bland, the ‘sticksman’ in Prince’s New Power Generation, is a big-boned fella.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Lmq6RDn5O8
What a joy it has been to revisit this old thread! Such a wealth of musical knowledge you had back then! These days, the thread wouldn’t have got any further than Buddy Miles. Maybe Dai would have suggested Ringo.
And a significant larding (SWIDT?) of the Conch.
Isn’t that something that happened in Lord of the Flies?
Sounds like Lewis Carroll – “The Larding of the Conch”
Top jazz drummer, composer, conductor and lecturer at Columbia University Tyshawn Sorey is a pretty big lad.
Slightly surprised to see Clem Cattini never merited a mention in this thread – not fat exactly, but when you’re played by James Corden in the Joe Meek biopic, it’s a clue to how you’re perceived by others.
Hamper for Junior – better late than never, eh?
Scoff the lot and buy a drum kit.
Your new avatar is very distracting, fitter. Is that an old photograph?
Yeah, that’s me showing my secret side…[SWIDT?]