Fogerty can still rock with the best of them and as Aronoff we said in an earlier interview , is a concert that puts you through the steps, because as he said , " this kind requires the power and edge. " Aronoff brings power , especially edge and dedication to every situation that collects sticks and that's a big reason why it is still highly in demand as a player at 60 years of age. Things are not slowing down - they're just busier .
Again, Aronoff conducted in the house band for the annual Kennedy Center Honors , this time in tribute to the music of Carlos Santana and Billy Joel . His talents of percussion also boosted the recent Gregg Allman star tribute that included a number of special guests, including Jackson Browne, Dr. John , Vince Gill and the Allman Brothers Band performing these long outstanding career Allman.
But it was probably a triple -play opportunities to play with Ringo Starr that meant more to Aronoff as he had the opportunity to play alongside Starr in a tribute to former drummer of The Beatles presented by the David Lynch Foundation. Later that month , he appeared again with Starr , first in the Grammys and then found himself sharing the stage with the two surviving Beatles in the main event 'The Beatles: . The night that changed America '
It was a career milestone for Aronoff , who told Classic Rock during a recent exclusive conversation earlier this week was actually the battery that Starr was the catalyst that inspired him to become a drummer. He shared his perspective on recent events lit the fuse on your own Beatlemania again.
Your world has had a lot of Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney in it recently . How much experience he had with any of these guys before this recent spate of events?
Well, I found two of them before, but I've never played on the same stage with them. 'Meet The Beatles! "It was my first record , but you know , I saw ' Night A Hard Day " and even said to Ringo , I was like , "Man, I do not know if I should tell you, " and went, " No, tell me " I said , "Dude, you've heard a million times and it's so cliché, but true. you're the reason I 'm playing drums . you're the reason I'm in a band. Thou art the reason I decided to be a musician ! "
I mean , it's so cliché , but true ! There was nothing to watch on TV when I was a kid , so me and my twin brother played sports and then we would be in the middle of the lawn and we would have 10 minutes to find a gun in the woods to fight with each other , you know, logs, sticks or anything that could be done in 10 minutes and it was boring . My mom took us to the theater to see " Night of a hard day ' and that was it - . Next week I bought a snare drum and cymbal and I stood up because I could not afford a battery Then I started a band and the first album I bought was "Meet The Beatles! " I have in me a fat tire bike speed was too small for me and I went three miles from the next town, bought 'Meet The Beatles! ' And I was a big fan of the Beatles.
I always thought , " Oh , I wish I could be in the Beatles! " He wanted to be in the band is so bad. So to finish the stage playing double drums with Ringo and almost all the songs I knew , but had never used to play at the level he was playing for these shows, because I was trying to honor what I was doing Ringo - was amazing. There is nothing more profound , because that was the beginning for me. That was the beginning and the band and [ his] music has never disappeared . That music and the importance of coming to the United States was far beyond music. It's where the world was in America where it was. We were ready for some major changes. After the Second World War, after the Depression, it was time for the world and in America, especially to blossom and come out of his shell.
We went from black and white to color and the Beatles were a big catalyst [ for ] the change . They were the musical part of it. They made the change , they were part of the change - what was happening anyway - that was in the air . They were the musical ingredient. So they are very significant in my life and in the life of America. So then be performing those songs have a deeper meaning than probably any other music I 've played .
I've only had the opportunity to ask this question to a few people : For you as a drummer , what it feels like to go out and pick up a pair of sticks and go out to play drums in front of Ringo and Ringo . What's that ?
[ Laughs] Well , I'll tell you what. I'm at the point in my life where I have a job to do and I'm very, very on top of my game , so I'm focusing on doing a perfect job, like being in the Olympics. You know, you've been training and training and working and I do not have time to fuck because I left a concert to another in the past six weeks. I'm making charts and I'm thinking way ahead , how am I going to tell off and these letters better be right , because I will not have much time to redo them. So yes , it is definitely a bit more [ intense ] because it is Ringo Starr, but I have to be focused on my work.
There's too much responsibility and too many songs - played 10 songs in the David Lynch benefit honoring Ringo Starr Foundation and it was the first time I've had to face the fact that I'm playing double drums with him and I was focused on doing a great job . When I played double drums with him, I was making sure I closed with him , becoming the leader. But I'm also trying to read music, so I do not want to lose my place and I will not dwell on that , " Holy - s , I'm playing with Ringo Starr and you remember when you were a kid .. " and all these things. I kept it at a distance.
Then last night when I was watching the show , that's when I did not have to play and I had no responsibility , I completely enjoyed the excitement . I do not feel and look , I was standing and a kind of ... I do not want to call it dancing , but I was moving to the music. I turned on full blast in my hotel room in Utah on my night off from the tour Styx . It has been very interesting, I telephone calls Tommy Shaw and Ricky Phillips saying , "Man , that was awesome!" Tommy could not stop talking about it - you have received it and really appreciate how cool this show was .
After talking with Paul before the show was, at that time I was not playing , so I'm talking to Paul and Ringo . Paul tells us about how they had no idea. When they arrived here , it was just another TV show - they had no idea what was going to happen or what was happening . They were surprised . Actually they were both stunned. Every time his name was mentioned in front of that audience , the kids go crazy and could not believe it . They could not believe there was a crowd outside "The Ed Sullivan Show" - the police were riding all over the place . They could not believe that the meaning of everything.
Just before the curtain opened , someone said, " You realize that 72 million people are watching this" and then the curtain opens . He said remember smoking cigarettes and thought they were old . Paul said : "I remember I went to a music store with John [ Lennon ] , " and a guy older sitting back there was probably a kind of jazzy showed them a sixth minor chord and thought, "Holy s - , let's remember how to do that, "and put it on 'Michelle' and another song .
They were so into music. They were totally committed musicians and very real workers who were really passionate and Paul is still that guy. It's still really into it . It 's the same with Ringo . The way they were talking about her , were talking about the kind of s - we used to talk about when we were in bands when we were 18. That's what was cool .
Hearing Paul says that story was learned that 72 million people watching his appearance on Ed Sullivan - Is there a time that is comparable to you when you look back at the time you were going to come and play with Mellencamp ?
It was 'Saturday Night Live' for me. The first time I was on 'Saturday Night Live' , we were doing 'Jack & Diane "and" Hurts So Good " . Both songs were in the Top Ten and then, when you were in the Top Ten or were not . 1 could not [ miss ] being played on the radio are not all of the different formats was or Album Oriented -Rock (AOR ) or the Top 100 hits There were all these divisions - . . . could be No. 1 on a graph at this time and sell ten records - that's an exaggeration - but back then when you were No. 1, everyone knew who you were and MTV was just starting and we were one of the first bands to be promoted on MTV. - they were huge .
So when I went on 'Saturday Night Live' with as a seven-second delay if you said, "f - " s freaked me out , I have to admit . I'm there and I know you , you come to the stage while in trading and are like, " Two minutes , everybody " and people are running around like crazy and suddenly a lady comes running through the audience and onto the stage and tassels my head, because there's too bright . The entire audience bursts out laughing and you know , I was so embarrassed. Right now, I love it. If they did, I ripped clothes and dance a jig or something. But back then , I felt humbled me , because all I was thinking was hearing the click, get the right tempo, get the right tempo and I'm playing lefty . Everyone is watching. Everyone . Make no mistake - no mess ! That was a very heavy time for me .
How did things change for you after an experience like that . As an artist , how much do you see the movement of the needle after you're in something like 'Saturday Night Live' .
Well, for a while it just got bigger and bigger . When that album came out, I had only been in the band for two years and suddenly John on the cover of ' Rolling Stone ' and we are the best album of the year and then continue to succeed - we were not 't a flash in the pan . The next album was " Uh- huh" and had Down ' Crumblin ', '' Authority Song , "" Pink Houses are not making records in LA " and one single That was the first time John decided that . " - F -LA "
Groom your sister had a house on a pig farm , a little tiny shack. We took him up , renovated and built a studio and brought a mobile unit based on criteria Studios in Florida , we did that album and the next album it was ' Scarecrow ' and now we filled arenas. Became larger and larger only . We were selling out arenas and there was no opening act for us. As soon as ' Scarecrow ' came out, we did a three-hour show with no opening act , that was it. It was us [ playing two games ] with an intermediate . By the time we got there , we were ready and it was time .
We had arranged ourselves and developed a great live show and was basically a two-year cycle of trying to make a record , arrange it in a room , go and make a record, do promotion for it and go on tour for a year , take a month off and start again . We did basically the first eight years of my life with him. It was like private jets and madness, kidnapping chicks in our aircraft and hospitality rooms . We invite people to join them and try to convince them to sleep with us - all kinds of crazy things. I was living the dream of rock and roll. So he was very comfortable, because we were doing a lot, you get used to it and became a way of life .
What were some of your favorite moments of tribute to the Beatles?
[ Playing with ] Stevie Wonder was quite heavy. He walked in the day of the show and playing with Stevie Wonder, it was great. Each song is really serious fine and important , rhythm and feel, each song is difficult in its own way. One of my favorites was doing 'Hey Bulldog " with Dave Grohl singing and playing guitar, because it was heavy and that's certainly where I am. [ Playback] double drums with Ringo , which is quite heavy . Eventually, he could not see me but I was on stage singing the end of ' Hey Jude ' and I 'm on stage now with Paul McCartney and Ringo and Paul to within 15 feet of me and it was amazing.
No comments:
Post a Comment