The 10 Douchiest Drummers of All Time

Dennis210

But you can bet that I won't be reading the OC Reg anymore anytime soon becaise of that paywall. That was a stupid move. Not that it has anything to do with drumming. I bet thier subscribers head for the hills after that one.

Bat Boy

Animal is literally based on late career Keith Moon.

epac666

Correction..."James Hetfield HAD a voice that just about changed the face of metal." Ever since Bob Rock got a hold of him, he just sounds annoying.

mrmartye

This list is very frustrating, much like your similar list re: guitarists.

You did hit the nail on the head with Lars Ulrich, although his drumming on the first 3 Metallica albums was pretty damn good.

You seem to put Steven Adler on this list because of his drug problems. But you didn't mention his drumming at all. When Gn'R came out, Adler was the antithesis of 80's excess (and what would likely qualify as "douchey" at the time). He had a 4-piece kit, and played simple parts that were perfect for those songs, and right in the pocket. He effectively kept Gn' R from being a heavy metal band, as opposed to the pure Rock n' Roll band that they were. Sure, he fucked up and lost the best gig in the world, but he certainly did contribute to the band's original greatness.

I think that Blink 182 are terrible, but the only good thing about it is Travis Barker. He deserves credit for giving any shred of coolness to that band. He's also a damn good drummer.

There's nothing wrong with Patrick Carney either. I don't agree with everything he says, but I don't agree with everything anyone says. Sure, he's simple, but he plays in a minimalistic, 2-piece band, and the music he's playing calls for simplicity (just like the music that Adler played). A good drummer plays for the song. It's not about complexity. At all.

Tommy Lee was certainly a great drummer. Sure, he's made some missteps, but his playing on the first 5 Crue albums speaks for itself, very loudly. He had an identifiable style, with a LOT of power and groove. I can't condone violence towards women, nor can I endorse his Methods of Mayhem album, but he's still a great drummer, for my ears.

I think, again, with some more knowledge of what you're talking about, you could have made a much better list.

ocweeklymusic

@mrmartye Some valid points...

But in Adler's case, it wasn't his problem with drugs that makes him a douche. I mention that in the first sentence. I mean, c'mon, most of the people on this list had a drug problem at some point (Animal was probably the worst!). It was his career as a reality show star in rehab that makes him a douche. Just watch the show(s), that's pretty much all I can say.

You're right, Barker is the coolest thing about Blink 182. And that...is sad.

I actually like the Black Keys somewhat. But again he's not really on the list for being a bad drummer (even though he's not that great). It's more about him mocking celebs as if he isn't part of that club now. I venture to say that he is. And I don't have a huge problem with musicians coming out against companies like Spotify, but when its the guy that really doesn't need the money, it comes off rather Ulrich-like.

I don't really care how good of a drummer Tommy Lee was, I just see him as a douche will jump on any bandwagon that he thinks will keep him relevant for five more minutes.

Were there plenty of honorable mentions and people that could've been on this list? Yeah. This is one opinion, hopefully you're inspired enough to, I dunno, create a tumblr account and make your own.

ryanjohnsmith1013

1) Can you come up with an adjective besides " douchebag " ?

2) Travis Barker is a beast as is Tommy Lee ( Personalities aside; and, I'm sure you've sat down with both and gotten to know them personally )

3) Call me whatever you want if I can have Steven Adler's bank account.

ocweeklymusic

@ryanjohnsmith1013 1) Why, when that's one that fits? 2) A beast in what way? How personally do YOU know them? Yikes. Don't answer that. 3) As long as you're willing to chase it up his nose to get it.

andreihp42 topcommenter

You're an asshole for putting Animal on this list. That skit was hysterical.

Everyone knows Animal is one of the top 5 drummers ever.

1. Ginger Baker

2. Neil Peart

3. Bill Bruford

4. Animal

5. John Bonham

ocweeklymusic

@andreihp42 Wow, strong feelings! I actually contemplated putting Ginger in Animal's place on the list, then I realized that well, they kinda looked and played the same back in the day, so whatevs.

andreihp42 topcommenter

@ocweeklymusic @andreihp42 whatevs? Are you a twelve year old girl? Show some pride in your writing. You missed the comma in front of well btw.

leon_polzowski_lxvii

@andreihp42

Seriously dude, you're the one whining like the little 12-year-old girl that you're accusing the author of being, basically calling him a hack writer for saying "whatevs," an altogether common slang. LOOK OUT EVERYONE, ACCORDING TO ANDREIHP4, SLANG IS FORBIDDEN AMONGST ARTICLE WRITERS! Oh, and nitpicking about commas? Someone clearly needs to grow up. It won't be you, I'm sure, but somebody needs to.

...Let it be known to all that andreihp42 is THE authority on writing. None shall question his knowledge thereof, lest they suffer his UNHOLY WRATH...the wrath of someone who bitches about grammar and yet seems to forget to capitalize the first letter of his sentences now and again. OOOOOH~!

Now please proceed to bitch at me about my caps lock. :D

andreihp42 topcommenter

@GustavoArellano @andreihp42 @ocweeklymusic nobody is whining. Your attack and your colleagues back and forth just prove my point. Your rag sucks because you guys have no idea what you are doing. The proof is in the pudding, your rag gets smaller and smaller, and the "talent" writing it gets worse and worse. Believe me, I keep reading in hopes it gets better, but it is looking pretty hopeless these days. You guys are more interested in trolling your own articles than actually improving your writing skills.

good luck with your careers. You'll need it.

GustavoArellano moderator editortopcommenter

@andreihp42 @ocweeklymusic ...And yet you're here. Spare us the whines, son!

ocweeklymusic

@andreihp42 @ocweeklymusic Peace out dawg...see you on the next listicle.

andreihp42 topcommenter

@ocweeklymusic lol, unfortunately for your bosses and their advertisers not nearly as much as I used to.

Peace

ocweeklymusic

@andreihp42 @ocweeklymusic Original...yet you keep reading it.

andreihp42 topcommenter

@ocweeklymusic lol, and there you have the reason why this rag blows these days.

ocweeklymusic

@andreihp42 @ocweeklymusic nah...I don't think I will.

andreihp42 topcommenter

@ocweeklymusic @andreihp42 nope, not mad. I was teasing you. But I was serious about you being more diligent about your writing. Using "whatevs" and getting into these types of "discussions" does nothing to build your credibility. Think about it for a bit before you answer.

ocweeklymusic

@andreihp42 @ocweeklymusic I think we both are if you read this post and were still mad by the end of it.

andreihp42 topcommenter

@ocweeklymusic Brother, You're in trouble if you can't tell sarcasm when you read it.

ocweeklymusic

@andreihp42 @ocweeklymusic 12 year old girl? From the guy/girl/dog who thinks Animal is one of the five greatest drummers of all time?

bandiniarturo04

Please create a top ten un-douchiest list and make Dave Lombardo #1

Why didn't Rick Allen, whose douchiness cost him a limb, not get included on this list? I think he is more deserving than Animal.

ocweeklymusic

@bandiniarturo04 Damn, guy loses a limb and still gets called a douche? Cold blooded, lol.

unabauer

Meg White was a minimalist drummer. That was the whole point of her drumming. Simple.

hideaway159

@unabauer you're being generous by labeling Meg as a minimalist drummer. That's like saying Mili and Vanili where minimalist singers.

Candy Medina

I agree with all of these (maybe minus Animal :D), but what about Ringo Starr? Let us not forget the fact that he made a video explaining how he wasn't going to be accepting fan mail or signing autographs after a certain date. All while randomly saying "peace and love peace and love" various times to the point that it was annoyingly nauseating.

man_utd

Surprised to not see Neil Peart whose disdain for fans is so legendary he wrote a song about it. I would also include Mick Fleetwood for banging Stevie Nicks behind Lindsey Buckingham's back.