When Alex Deller interviewed David Yow and Duane Denison of The Jesus Lizard about last year's comeback album Rack, one of the details that caught my attention was Yow's admission that he'd been working with a personal trainer to ensure he could still deliver the goods on stage. Despite the fact that more bands than ever seem to be reuniting, and others soldier on into decades-long careers, there's very little discussion of the toll that touring and performing takes on the body, and of whether and how ageing members manage to meet the challenge.
It was interesting, then, to read this article by Michael Hann detailing the thoughts of Paul Cook (Sex Pistols), Rat Scabies (The Damned), Ian Paice (Deep Purple) and David Kendrick (Sparks/Devo/Xiu Xiu) on continuing to play that most physically demanding of instruments, the drums, into their later years.
On the one hand, there's a measure of frustration that while the mind is still willing, the flesh is increasingly weak - and a grudging acceptance that, even if you look after yourself, you need to adapt your playing style accordingly.
But on the other, the enforced change in approach may actually be productive, with Cook adopting a critical perspective on his contribution to Never Mind The Bollocks, and Scabies and Paice both discovering that restraint can sometimes add value.
Of course, for some drummers, it all becomes too much, or they acknowledge the need to relinquish the stool because they feel they can no longer do the songs justice. Credit to Iron Maiden's Nicko McBrain for bowing out with dignity. A few other veteran musicians could arguably take his lead.
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