Rock drummer, fit as a fiddle
A few years back I heard about a that concluded that rock drummers are are 鈥渢op athletes.鈥� I made it a point to make my wife aware of this since it sounded like an excellent excuse for me to pick up a drum kit some day. Since she often reminds me that we should start exercising soon, I thought this would be a great way for me to exercise and have fun at the same time.
Since it鈥檚 been over twenty years since I鈥檝e even sat behind a set of drums, I don鈥檛 know how my stamina is these days, but if 58-year-old Neil Peart is any indication, I鈥檝e got a good shot at getting back in the groove when the circumstances are right. Peart, regarded by many as the best rock drummer of all time, is a fellow that takes fitness very seriously.
There鈥檚 no doubt that every musician that spends hours on stage performing for fans has to be in pretty decent shape, and although I don鈥檛 want to take anything away from singers, guitarists or bass players, it鈥檚 easy to see that drummers are the ones that are expending the most energy during their performance. With all four limbs busy just about constantly, drummers are probably burning more calories than anyone else on stage.
Recently interviewed by the , Peart revealed that he honors a pretty rigorous fitness program that includes cross-country skiing when he gets a chance to spend some time in his native Canada during the winter. At his home in Southern California, he swims, lifts weights, bicycles and does yoga. Although this may sound like more than an adequate amount of physical activity to keep someone ready for just about anything, Peart has to ramp things up significantly when preparing for a tour.
鈥淧laying a three-hour Rush show is like running a marathon while solving equations. My mind is as busy as it can be, and so is my body; full output all the time,鈥� Peart says. Anyone familiar with 搁耻蝉丑鈥檚 body of work is likely to be in complete agreement with that statement. Other rock bands may rock as hard as Rush does, but few of them can match the technical expertise and musicianship that Rush is so well known for.
Even when he鈥檚 on the road, 笔别补谤迟鈥檚 tour workouts don鈥檛 keep him from taking on physical challenges like climbing 14,000-foot mountains. The man might be compared to a perpetual motion machine!
Admitting that he was a kid with 鈥渟pindly little ankles,鈥� and wasn鈥檛 able to skate (kind of a big deal for a Canadian), Peart has certainly made up for his youthful lack of talent on the ice or athletic field since then. I wonder how many of his former classmates and childhood friends could even come close to keeping up with him these days while he cycles, swims or hikes up a 14,000-foot mountain.
Perhaps a lot of musicians wind up where they are as a result of similar circumstances. Since I was never anywhere near the top of the list when it was time to select team mates during gym class, I can relate to 笔别补谤迟鈥檚 childhood lack of athletic ability.
Unfortunately, I haven鈥檛 followed in Neil 笔别补谤迟鈥檚 footsteps where physical fitness is concerned. Although I was just in the doctor鈥檚 office a few weeks ago for my annual physical and worked out my BMI or 鈥淏ody Mass Index鈥� at about 23 according to the chart hanging in the office wall (that鈥檚 a pretty good number), where exercise and physical activity is concerned, I鈥檓 pretty-much a sloth compared to Neil Peart.
Peart also took time to point out that drumming is excellent physical activity for kids and helps them develop stamina and blow off some steam without the risk of injury that comes with other sporting activities. That is something else I might consider pointing out to my wife when the time comes to plunk down the cash for a drum kit. Unfortunately, I 鈥榤 pretty certain the only reply I鈥檓 going to get from her is, 鈥淣eil who?鈥�
While I鈥檓 on the subject of Neil Peart, I would be remiss if I did not mention that recently reported that 笔别补谤迟鈥檚 next instructional DVD is scheduled for release in October. Taking Center Stage: A Lifetime of Live Performance is set for release on October 14th.
Is that guy busy, or what?
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