Читать книгу Mad, Bad and Dangerous - The Book of Drummers' Tales - Spike Webb - Страница 11

Don Powell of Slade is looking forward to a couple of gigs at a large arena in the Czech Republic. Slade are sharing a two-night bill with an American band currently enjoying a lot of success, as they are responsible for the theme tune to a very big American film. It should be a good night.

Somewhat unusually, the promoters have arranged for him to use the other drummer’s kit. Don’s OK with that because Slade are on first and he can have the kit set up the way he likes it. Anyway it always makes sense to reduce the changeover time wherever possible and, hey, we’re all grown-ups. After all, it’s not as if he’s going to go mad and destroy the other guy’s drums.

So when Don arrives at the arena early afternoon for a soundcheck, he is more than a little surprised to learn that the drummer is not going to let him use his kit. What’s more, he’s not particularly friendly about it. It’s almost like: ‘How could you have the audacity to assume you could?’

There’s no point in pleading with the guy and, anyway, Don has no desire to do so. However, his own kit is in another country and there’s nowhere open within practical distance where you can hire any drums. He is, unbelievably, up there without a paddle, so to speak.

Then someone has an idea.

It turns out that one of the event organisers knows someone with a drum kit who lives round the corner. Don feels a sense of relief, although he still has his doubts as he has no idea what the kit’s like and, more importantly, will the person hire it out?

‘Don’t worry about that,’ says the guy in the know. ‘He’s only a young kid – he’ll be chuffed to lend it to you!’

Alarm bells are ringing now because the whole thing seems a bit bizarre. Nevertheless, 10 minutes later Don is walking down the street where the young lad lives, looking for the right house. Suddenly it hits him:

‘Hang on! I’m in a band, which has sold millions of records. We’ve had 16 Top 10 UK hits and toured the world umpteen times. Our Christmas song is the most well known Christmas pop anthem ever. They’ve been playing it every year for 34 years on every radio station, in every shop, at every party! And here I am a few hours before a capacity gig, walking around trying to borrow a small boy’s drum kit?’

Eventually he finds the house and, strangely nervous, knocks on the door. A middle-aged lady answers the door and looks surprised. ‘Can I help you?’

‘Sorry to intrude on your afternoon but…’

‘Don’t I know you?’

‘I don’t think so. I’m Don Powell from Slade, we’re playing round the corner tonight…’

‘Oh! My God! I don’t believe it…’

Then a man, presumably her husband, appears in the hallway:

‘Everything OK, Olga?’

‘Yes darling. I can’t believe it – this is Don Powell from Slade…’

‘Well, I never!’

Don explains awkwardly: ‘Hello… it’s a bit embarrassing really. I’ve been let down at the venue we’re playing tonight and need to borrow a drum kit. I believe your son has one?’

A few minutes later Don is standing in their son’s bedroom looking at the drum kit in the corner with a measure of relief because it’s not at all bad. What he hadn’t known is that the parents have always been huge Slade fans and their son seems to have followed suit because there are Slade posters all over the walls. In particular, there’s a huge poster of himself right above the drum kit. Don arranges to have the kit picked up a bit later and invites the whole family to the gig and backstage afterwards.

For Don, what began as a slightly absurd situation has turned out to be a pleasant encounter and a happy reminder of how generous and refreshingly genuine people can be. Unlike the other drummer who wouldn’t let him use his precious kit.

During the gig Don takes care to show the utmost respect for the young boy’s drums and not play too hard. After all, kids in the Czech Republic don’t always have a lot of money to spend on replacement skins.

However, the next night is a different story. The drummer of the American band has been persuaded by the promoters to let Don use his kit. Given the way things have turned out, he decides to give that guy’s drums a bit of a bashing. In fact, you could say he has the ‘eye of the tiger’, because he completely annihilates the kit, which doesn’t go down too well – even with the drummer of a supposedly ‘rocky’ band. But Don figures he had it coming.

And anyway, all’s fair in rock n’ roll.

Drummers may appear to be an awesome race, but we are, of course, essentially human. And, like all other humans, we are sometimes subject to fatigue and irritability…