Walking on Planet C – Big Time!

Last night while I slept, I had crazy cancer nightmares that were suddenly interrupted by high-pitched screams. Justin Bieber was on NBC’s Today Show and the screams were his fans freaking out. He told his story about being into music since he was a very young and that he’d started out playing drums. My first thought was his music is current big time pop. Drums and drummers are very important in big time pop. My brain cycles were seriously oscillating as I left the house.

Power Station – Robert Palmer, Andy Taylor, John Taylor, Tony Thompson

I went walking in today’s brutally cold 17º F wind chill factor obsessed with big time pop drums. The Surfaris’ “Wipeout,” Bonham’s “Whole Lotta Love” solo by Led Zepplin, “Love Rollercoaster” by the Ohio Players, Tony Thompson’s “Some Like It Hot” opening by Power Station and many more as I my legs whisked me along. After singing a bunch of distinctive drum riffs I started thinking about my friend Narada Michael Walden, one of the greatest multifaceted drummers with a keen sense for pop.

Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” – my biggest selling album

When I produced Madonna’s Like A Virgin album, Narada was the only other producer she was seriously considering. Like A Virgin is my biggest selling big time pop album and Madonna, Narada and I all came from the underground. Before any of us made it, we put in many years trying to make it. It was hard but struggling artists used to be able to eek out a living working in the underground. I wondered if artists today have an easier or harder time making it?

It seems like if you make it, you really make it big time – but is there a way that you can play your own music and just get by? Strangely, this gave me a new point of view about how I looked at cancer. Regardless, of how difficult it is, I don’t want to just get by, I want to really make it big time!

Tony Thompson
John Bonham
Narada Michael Walden
The Surfari’s – with Ron Wilson (Drummer)

(taken from  http://nilerodgers.com/blog/ )