interview with Ginger Baker

Hope it's better than usual. He thinks he’s the greatest drummer in the world, that John Bonham was a “****”, Mitch Mitchell was a “bit of a joke” forget what he said about Moon, but none of them were any good, according to him. He’s clearly bitter about their popularity. Last time I saw an interview with him he cackled insanely that they were all dead and he was still alive, which proved something or other.

******* = ****

ffs


Paul Anka

will look out for that. Loved Cream but could never get into his stuff with Gurvitz

tt

Good cartoons

Recall going to the Albert Hall around 1970 to see Ginger Baker's Air Force.  Comprised him and about 30 odd West African Drummers.  I - and many others - went because we thought the rest of Cream would make a guest appearance.  We now know they hated him and would rather have eaten whole porcupines than turn up.  I almost certainly didn't go to the best live concert ever (though Simon and Garfunkel at the same venue must be close) but GB'sAF has to be single-figure odds for the worst concert ever.  Every ****g drummer did a solo - some two.  Quantum theory suggests the concert is still continuing somewhere - in front of cob-webbed skeletons who bit their own veins out to end the hell.

And now I shall watch Billie Piper, Eva Green and Helen McCrory rub nipples in Penny Dreadful until 12.10.

You won't learn much watching that.

A man can dream.

I think you'd call Ginger an eccentric. Then again it could be he's just a cantankerous old bast@rd

He's what's known as a character. Getting to be fewer and fewer of them in music, sport, acting and life in general, Imo.Enjoy these people while you can for they may soon be extinct.

Yep.

His Dad's death at 4 year old had a big affect on his life I would say....tried to find peace of mind using drugs and alcohol.

Hey crags.  Actually 'characters' are becoming more common but becoming more thinly spread.  And they all have agents.  Except for you and I.

I remember laughing when I read some years ago that a fraudster had stolen most of Ginger's money.  That must have been a one-off for thieving banksters.

Not sure that I'd think of them as true characters, bodil, but know the sorts that you mean. They are on TV all the time nowadays opening boxes or voting against each other on BB.

How are you?  Quiet moment.

He transported 20 Polo ponies from Argentina to Africa by plane and paid for all the musicians fees living expenses etc in Air Force....lost a bit on that.

....plus didn't get royalties as a drummer much.

Nobody shall ever surpass Buddy Rich imo.

I'm fine except for painful heels. Why me God, why me

Ginger did pretty much what he wanted to do, not many of us can get away with that all our lives. Fair play to him.

Just ... painful ... heels?  You lucky (whiney) bastard.

Buddy Rich was great.  When I was an undergrad a friend bought us all tickets to see some Jazz legends at that west London place.  Dave Brubeck, Gerry Mulligan, Paul Desmond ...  And finally, the Buddy Rich Big Band Orchestra.  And more bloody drum solos ...

I'd love to go to Ronnie Scott's, but guess I never will now... not with these feet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yID8Xb7qKM

loved the programme, pity about the young guy getting a whack on the nose.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3GATYXJy_4&list=RDO3GATYXJy_4

Beats me where this is going.

Huh ...  Places to go.

Quite frankly I'm amazed Ginger is still with us. Back in the day, he used to look dreadful, stick thin and almost always out of it on drink/drugs. Even when playing. I remember reading at the time, that he always had a bucket by  his drums, so he had something he could be sick into he must have the constitution of an ox.

crags   
08 Jul 15 01:10 
I'd love to go to Ronnie Scott's, but guess I never will now... not with these feet.

It's a shame there are plenty of second hand shops, but no second feet shops.

"Nobody shall ever surpass Buddy Rich imo. " Correct.

Ginger Baker looks like a cross between David Moyes and Bez from the Happy Mondays.

As Ginger is 75, not sure Bez would be too happy with that !

Only getting round to watching this now. Brilliant doc!