Scott Henderson Discussion

[Kevin Thomas]

Dear Scott,

I really like you as a guitarist, and as a composer, even just as a podcast host. But I heard you make fun of a certain drummer who wants to be the fastest in the world. And I have to say this is not nice of you.
I know you have your point of view (I want MY music to sound good, the drummer has to make ME sound good). Soooo selfish! Can't you understand this drummer is full of respect for the audience : if you play for 2 hours at 200bpm instead of 180bpm, then the audience gets 13 more minutes of music for the same price (ok, those 13 minutes will last only 12 and sound like shit, but who cares?). Remember we're living in a material world!

More seriously, I remember that I had noticed Queen was playing a lot faster live. I never tried to compare studio/live speed for other artist, I just found it quite obvious with Queen. And I always assumed it was to fill the concert with as many songs as possible.

Do you care a lot about the speed at which you play? Do you change it as your taste changes, not to get bored with a tune you play every night, to keep the audience from sleeping, or under the pressure of some agent?

PS : and by the way.... who was it? Charlie Watts?

[Scott Henderson]

Yes you have a point - if we play our tunes twice as fast, the audience gets twice as much music! The drummer was Ron Bruner Jr, or "Song Ruiner Jr", as we used to call him. And he's the one who said his ambition was to be the fastest drummer in the world, I'm not making that up. I've heard from many people that he plays different now and has finally matured into a real musician - I hope that's true.

Sometimes my trio plays tunes a bit faster than the record because that energy just feels right, but there are times when we know it's too fast because the tune can loose it's feel at a certain point. I think most bands have a tendency to play their songs a little faster than their recordings.

[countandduke]

When I first saw the subject of this thread I thought it was going in a different direction.

Speed for speeds sake usually comes at the detriment of something else like groove, feel, substance...etc. IMOP, since drums aren't a melodic instrument (for the most part) their role is more rhythmic in nature. Buddy Rich was pretty "fast" but also had great feel...

I don't think bands speed up their music to fit more songs in but in my own experience, it's simply nerves and adrenalin. As far as Queen goes and them playing faster live I'll go out on a limb here and guess that the bowls full of cocaine had something to do with that.

Hey Scott would you mind NOT talking to the crowd in between songs? I figure you could get 2 or 3 more songs in a night and that's s good return on my investment.

Chris

[harmonicator]

I first saw Ron play at the la ve lee several years back. He was with you, Kinsey, and I believe Jimmy Earl. In my experience, that gig was phenomenal. He was explosive, powerful, and it seemed he was lighting a fire under you guys. You especially were matching him all nite, as if to say "alright mf'r bring it!"

I saw him again a few years later at the BP with Allan. He was 45 min late and they started without him. It seemed to me Allan was digging his playing, but not digging playing 'with' him. He was so loud, Allan had to dime his rig and everything got washed out. All nuance gone. Allan was peeved.

Perhaps the dude was/is just young, and immaturity and ego come come along with that. Unless he is going to be a bandleader and focus the tunes around 'lead drums'...yeah, bulldozing the gig aint gonna work. Hopefully some things are occurring to him in that regard.

That said, the twice I've seen him, I have never heard any drummer do some of that wild shit he does. He's like a prize fighter behind the kit. Just needs to harness it and understand when is appropriate I guess.

And yeah, saying "I want to be the fastest drummer in the world" has the same effect as a guitarist saying "I want to be the fastest shredder in the world"

[Scott Henderson]

I'm sure the gig you saw seemed fun from your point of view. Actually, on the break, I told Kinsey if he didn't tell Bruner to cool out, I'd pack up my gear and leave. It was the first and only time I threatened to walk off a gig. Kinsey went up to him and said "half the volume, half the notes, or we'll end the gig and not play a second set.

Fuck Ronald Bruner Jr, at least the guy he was back then. He had no respect whatsoever for what anyone else was playing, no sensitivity, no dynamics - one of the most unmusical drummers I've ever played with. BTW, on that break, I saw a very famous drummer who's also a good friend of mine, grab Bruner by the throat and pick him up two feet off the ground - this was by the rest rooms and I just happened to walk into the conversation. I don't need to mention what was said, but it wasn't pretty. Apparently my friend was less than impressed by Bruner's playing.

I also saw Bruner playing with Landau - I listened to him play and thought to myself, what an amazing drummer! Did his drumming have anything to do with the music being played? No. Would I want to be Mike right now? No. But listening to him and only him - yeah, he's a bad-ass.

[harumph]

Had to chime in for the same reasons. 5 years ago saw him with Allan at the BP and wanted to throttle him as well. Couldn't believe what I was hearing. Strange vibe as well, at one point between songs he says to Al, "Are you mad at me?". Allan replies, "What, are you kidding?". I thought, wow, Al is really cool to not unload on the guy for butchering the night. That was after the guy rushed "Non-brewed Condiment" to an extent that there was no way Al was going to make the head...embarrassing. Anyhoo, if anyone thinks that there's an out-of-line call-out happening here on this guy, think again.

[harmonicator]

Point well taken Scott. Trying to play alongside a drummer ego-tripping that hard would indeed be a drag.

As a credit to you guys, you were able to make something out of it and salvage the gig.

I guess he's like the Greatest American Hero drummer. All these superpowers, yet keeps flying into walls and shit, haha.

[Kevin Thomas]

Scott,
Is your story the bare truth, or did you try to make it sound more exciting? (I mean your friend picking up Bruner off the ground). It's scary!

I can understand that you don't like someone's playing, that you tell him so, that you shout at him or threaten him to leave (if you're the one playing with him), that you badmouth him if your opinion is required, but take him by the throat... You know, I love music, I really do, good music makes me high, and bad music makes me sick, but for God's sake, it's ONLY music.
How could your friend get so angry about him? As I understand, he was in the audience (unless you play with 2 drummers, which I haven't heard about), so Bruner was not ruining his music. You had to be angry, not your friend.
Did he do that just because he didn't like his playing? In that case, you have friends who are really taking good care of you (you know, the Don Corleone kind of friends)

[Scott Henderson]

I wouldn't make that up, and my friend is obviously very tight with Ron in a mentor/ godfather type way - someone who Ron respects very much, otherwise I'm sure he would've fought back.

Music can be very emotional and I know many stories of physical altercations between famous musicians. No reason to spread that around for no reason, but I had a very ugly dose of Ron Bruner Jr. and he totally pissed me off. I sincerely hope he's changed his ways and plays music instead of just showing off his chops. From what I've heard lately, he's a much more mature player than he was on Kinsey's gig.

[Kevin Thomas]

He came to watch his protégé play, and he was disappointed. It's a bit tough, but then I understand.