London-based journalist Tony Barrell has often been drawn to some rather recherché topics. Having previously written about The Roswell UFO incident, the celebrity look-alike industry, urban myths and lucid dreamers and battle re-enactors, he now turns his attention to that most marginalised and misunderstood of species, the drummer.
Barrell isn’t a drummer himself, but he has great affection and respect for those who wield the sticks. He portrays them – not unreasonably – as unsung heroes with more responsibility on stage than is generally acknowledged: “The sweat pouring down your face is partly the result of physical exertion required to play your instrument”, he writes, “and partly the result of a profound terror that you are going to screw up.”
Barrell reminds us that the tricky business of solid drumming is central to the efficacy of any band, and yet, the author notes, drummers are often fall guys; a breed subject to digs about their intelligence and/or social skills. It’s a point that’s disarmingly underlined by the book’s healthy quotient of drummer jokes, many of which Barrell gets directly from drummers themselves. Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason, for example, tells the author this two-liner:
Child: “Mummy, when I grow up I want to be a drummer.”
Mother: “Don’t be ridiculous, darling – you can’t do both.”
Mason is one of 40 or so drummers Barrell interviews for his book. Other notable players he talks to include Phil Collins, who tells of how he made his peace with drum machines, Clem Burke of Blondie, and Prince’s former drummer Sheila E, a musician of whom, with tongue firmly in cheek, The Purple One liked to remark “Not bad – for a girl!”
The book’s opening chapter, Into the Asylum, is largely an exploration – and thankfully ultimately a refutation – of the commonly-held notion that all drummers are in some way deranged. Consequently, it also gives Barrell the chance to trot out certain fairly well-worn anecdotes documenting the hell-raising behaviour of drummers such as The Who’s Keith Moon, Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham and Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys.
It's a section that feels just a little misjudged, Barrell moving too quickly between fairly comic social transgressions and appalling incidents such as that in which an inebriated John Bonham punched a female record-company employee because she looked at him the "wrong" way. Similarly, while it's clearly not wrong, per se, to mention Animal, the wild-man puppet drummer from The Muppets in the same chapter as you tell the story of Jim Gordon, the famed session drummer and paranoid schizophrenic who committed matricide after hearing voices, you should perhaps handle the transitions and scattershot feed of information just a little more carefully than Barrell does here.
He is better on the drummer as de facto court jester (Ringo Starr; Micky Dolenz), and I am indebted to Barrell for alerting me to US comedian Fred Armisen's funny spoof series Complicated Drum Technique, wherein Armisen plays Jens Hannemann, "a supposed virtuoso who gives earnest and utterly ridiculous video drum tutorials that smartly parody the educational clips of drum teachers that proliferate on the Internet".
Still, just when you are warming to Barrell, he disappoints again by reporting upon, but not condemning, Iron Maiden drummer Nico McBrain’s racist jokes. Perhaps in saying nothing he is simply letting McBrain hoist himself on his own petard.
Further in, Barrell feels he must debunk the notion that drummers are a uniformly working-class breed. Stuart Copeland of The Police and Max Weinberg, timekeeper with Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, both from decidedly non-blue-collar stock, are cited as contradictory examples, but the point feels moot; one that didn’t need proving.
There’s some fun digression on how various drummers got their nicknames (tired of his endless fills, Rod Stewart dubbed Carmine Appice “The Dentist”). The much-loved – and much-derided – art of the drum solo is explored, too, with Barrell blaming its “image problem” on the kind of gig reviewer who portrays any drum solo as the juncture for discerning punters to repair to the bar.
Whether it be the solo spot of Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee (actually more hydraulics and pyrotechnics than anything else), or the dazzlingly purist drum battles contested by jazz greats Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich in the mid-1960s, however, Barrell makes a strong case for the drummer as loveably flamboyant showman; the person who works hardest for the audience’s applause. They are “the panel-beaters of rock ’n’ roll”, he remarks.
While Born to Drum has an annoying habit of stating the crushingly obvious – "There is no law that says you have to be male to be a drummer", says Barrell in a chapter about female players, it undoubtedly improves as it progresses. Barrell takes the rather dry topic of recording drums and makes it entertaining, recounting how, mindful that David Bowie drummer Woody Woodmansey had complained of his drums sounding "boxy" on Hunky Dory, the album's producer Ken Scott jokingly assembled Woody a kit comprised of Corn Flakes packets when they reconvened to begin work on Bowie's next album.
Elsewhere, a chapter titled The Worst Job in the World reads like a roll call of drumming injuries, detailing everything from the blisters Starr audibly complains of on The Beatles' Helter Skelter, to the "nice little spray of blood" that Elbow's drummer Richard Jupp produces each time he catches his knuckles on the edge of a cymbal.
We slowly become aware that Barrell is increasing our respect for drummers – never more so than when telling the story of how Def Leppard’s Rick Allen managed to overcome the loss of his left arm in a car accident, using a custom-built electronic kit and performing live again just 20 months later.
The potted history of drumming Barrell provides in his chapter The Beginning of Time, is well researched and informative. He explores the role of drummers who played at the 1793 execution of Louis XVI during the French Revolution, ponders the origins of the drum kit, and muses upon the relationship between drumming and tap dancing.
There’s a slight novelty aspect to the book’s next two chapters.
From Iggy Pop to Vogue cover star Cara Delevingne to celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, Secret Drummers flushes out those who started out behind the kit and ended up doing something else, while in a chapter exploring the sex appeal of drummers, Barrell quotes one dating agency rep thus: "Ladies stereotypically fancy the [group's] front man, but they [are] often more interested in themselves. Drummers are used to being pushed aside and are therefore way more interested [in their date] without a need to boost their ego."
Like a good but not particularly great drummer, Barrell occasionally loses his groove, and is sometimes more gratuitous fill-in than solid beat. When, in crushingly obvious mode again, he begins his final chapter, “Drummers are everywhere. There are certainly thousands and possibly millions of these people…”, you want to hit him over the head with a gong.
That said, Born to Drum is thoroughly entertaining; the kind of book that's great fun to dip into. And if its chief aim is to make us think differently about those who hit things with sticks, job done.
James McNair writes for Mojo magazine and The Independent.
thereview@thenational.ae
Take Me Apart
Kelela
(Warp)
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Haltia.ai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Arto%20Bendiken%20and%20Talal%20Thabet%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20AI%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20About%20%241.7%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self%2C%20family%20and%20friends%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tips%20for%20holiday%20homeowners
%3Cp%3EThere%20are%20several%20factors%20for%20landlords%20to%20consider%20when%20preparing%20to%20establish%20a%20holiday%20home%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3E%3Cstrong%3ERevenue%20potential%20of%20the%20unit%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20location%2C%20view%20and%20size%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3E%3Cstrong%3EDesign%3A%20furnished%20or%20unfurnished.%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Is%20the%20design%20up%20to%20standard%2C%20while%20being%20catchy%20at%20the%20same%20time%3F%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3E%3Cstrong%3EBusiness%20model%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20will%20it%20be%20managed%20by%20a%20professional%20operator%20or%20directly%20by%20the%20owner%2C%20how%20often%20does%20the%20owner%20wants%20to%20use%20it%20for%20personal%20reasons%3F%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3E%3Cstrong%3EQuality%20of%20the%20operator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20guest%20reviews%2C%20customer%20experience%20management%2C%20application%20of%20technology%2C%20average%20utilisation%2C%20scope%20of%20services%20rendered%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%20Adam%20Nowak%2C%20managing%20director%20of%20Ultimate%20Stay%20Vacation%20Homes%20Rental%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
'Spies in Disguise'
Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane
Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
'The Lost Daughter'
Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson
Rating: 4/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo
Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua
Based: Dubai, UAE
Number of employees: 28
Sector: Financial services
Investment: $9.5m
Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors.
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
What is hepatitis?
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, which can lead to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or liver cancer.
There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.
Hepatitis C is mostly transmitted through exposure to infective blood. This can occur through blood transfusions, contaminated injections during medical procedures, and through injecting drugs. Sexual transmission is also possible, but is much less common.
People infected with hepatitis C experience few or no symptoms, meaning they can live with the virus for years without being diagnosed. This delay in treatment can increase the risk of significant liver damage.
There are an estimated 170 million carriers of Hepatitis C around the world.
The virus causes approximately 399,000 fatalities each year worldwide, according to WHO.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Specs – Taycan 4S
Engine: Electric
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 571bhp
Torque: 650Nm
Price: Dh431,800
Specs – Panamera
Engine: 3-litre V6 with 100kW electric motor
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 455bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: from Dh431,800
57%20Seconds
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'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Secret Nation: The Hidden Armenians of Turkey
Avedis Hadjian, (IB Tauris)
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
More coverage from the Future Forum
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ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers Henderson, Pickford, Pope.
Defenders Alexander-Arnold, Chilwell, Coady, Dier, Gomez, Keane, Maguire, Maitland-Niles, Mings, Saka, Trippier, Walker.
Midfielders Henderson, Mount, Phillips, Rice, Ward-Prowse, Winks.
Forwards Abraham, Barnes, Calvert-Lewin, Grealish, Ings, Kane, Rashford, Sancho, Sterling.
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
Uefa Champions League last 16 draw
Juventus v Tottenham Hotspur
Basel v Manchester City
Sevilla v Manchester United
Porto v Liverpool
Real Madrid v Paris Saint-Germain
Shakhtar Donetsk v Roma
Chelsea v Barcelona
Bayern Munich v Besiktas
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The%20specs
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Scores
Scotland 54-17 Fiji
England 15-16 New Zealand
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Borussia Dortmund, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
THE%C2%A0SPECS
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Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
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%3Cp%3ECory%20Sandhagen%20v%20Umar%20Nurmagomedov%0D%3Cbr%3ENick%20Diaz%20v%20Vicente%20Luque%0D%3Cbr%3EMichael%20Chiesa%20v%20Tony%20Ferguson%0D%3Cbr%3EDeiveson%20Figueiredo%20v%20Marlon%20Vera%0D%3Cbr%3EMackenzie%20Dern%20v%20Loopy%20Godinez%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETickets%20for%20the%20August%203%20Fight%20Night%2C%20held%20in%20partnership%20with%20the%20Department%20of%20Culture%20and%20Tourism%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20went%20on%20sale%20earlier%20this%20month%2C%20through%20www.etihadarena.ae%20and%20www.ticketmaster.ae.%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group F
Manchester City v Hoffenheim, midnight (Wednesday, UAE)