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"I know how to hit without killing myself. That's the difference"
Vater 5B sticks; Tama Iron Cobra Power Glide pedal and hardware; Heads - Evans Onyx on toms, EC1 on snare, G2 on kick
“I refuse to be any other way,” he says. “I feel I hit harder now than I did when I was 23. I know how to hit without killing myself. That’s the difference. The last European tour with At The Drive-In I was taking steroid shots in my right arm because I had damaged it so bad from the way I play.
“I still have pain - I have horrible neck pain now but it’s not even from drumming. I got involved in a hit and run a week before we left to do Lollapalooza. I hit my head on the steering wheel and slammed it back on the headrest, so that’s more painful than what I’m doing to myself drumming.
“I feel that I can still do it. For us, we’re never going to pretend. We are what we are. I’m playing the way I’m playing because I can still play that way. Will I always? Probably not? But right now I can play just as hard.”
Now check out Rhythm’s current Issue 210 for interviews with Jason Bonham, Brian Blade and Two Door Cinema Club’s Ben Thompson. Or subscribe to Rhythm here for a monthly dose of new gear reviews, kit buying guides, pro drum lessons and all-star interviews.
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