Art Because Drawing Is Cool

Drummer Interview With AU Karl

You wouldn't believe how much of a Karl kick I've been in. I decided on a way to get my Karl fix.

I made him an interview!

Questions 1-5 are from a website, and 6-10 I came up with myself. This was so fucking fun, I won't even lie! I may do a little doodle to go with it... 😉

Anyway, without further ado, this is Karl's drummer interview!

(Also, this is the AU Karl. Not the canon one. So, uhh, yeah.)

1) How long have you been a drummer for?
I've been drumming since the garage band days of fifteen. That's damn near half my life. I started out in my music career at age five when I had to play a snare at me school's Christmas pageant. Me first real show was at a bar in Salford when I was around sixteen. The crowd loved it. Me parents did not. They kicked me out of the house.
2) Do you play any other instruments?
I also play guitar, bass, piano and harmonica. Sometimes when someone is sick or something and can't make it to a recording I fill in for them. The magic of multitracking. Back in my day we had to play altogether, and if one guy was gone we were fucked.
3) Do you have any experience with writing songs?
I've written quite a lot for [RiSK]. Some of our greats are penned under me name. But I won't brag about it, Ricky and Steve are much better songwriters than me. I'm lucky to have had my song ideas approved by them.
4) How well do you manage with improvisation?
When has a concert happened where I didn't improv? The fans love it, the band loves it, I love it. Sometimes it's good to change the beat up a little.
5) Who are your top five favorite drummers?
My main drumming influence is Dave Grohl. He is a fucking beast. I also really love Neil Peart, John Bonham, Keith Moon, and the double-kick legend Alex Van Halen. The ones that are no longer with us will be missed. Man, I loved watching Led Zep as a boy.
6) Can you play with double kick drums? Do you play this way often?
Man, right when I talk about Alex! [Laughter] I mostly play that way in my spare time when I've got nothing to rehearse and I'm in an experimental mood, but in recording and shows, not really, no. I've been looking to improve on using two kicks, though. Maybe I'll whip 'em out soon.
7) How often do you rehearse? How many times a day? When?
Absolutely whenever I can. If you want to get technical, I try to rehearse once a day, usually in the early afternoon. We've got neighbors, and they have jobs, so I try to get 'er done whilst they're out and about. We've gotten noise complaints before, which is why we're considering moving to somewhere quieter.
8) What gear do you use? What would you recommend?
The set I rehearse with is the Gretsch Renown four-piece kit with a 20" kick. It sounds kick ass, I totally recommend it. I typically play with the same kit but with a couple of pieces added on. Like a gong. And two kicks. And more cymbals. And more drums. [A smirk] Fuck yeah. And as for sticks I use just a typical pair of Vic Firths. And no, I don't actually use the gong. Just for show. We haven't needed it yet. Yet.
9) What is your favorite song to cover?
Oh, man, there's so many of them. I like playing songs that many would consider challenging. My absolute favorite is Hot For Teacher by Van Halen. Just the intro. Not the song. I also quite enjoy the vibe of This House Is A Circus by Arctic Monkeys.
10) What are the most comfortable clothes you wear while playing/rehearsing?
Nothing. [Laughter] Naw, naw, I'm just teasing. I usually wear an old t-shirt with the sleeves cut off for a nice breeze. Sometimes I get carried away when fixing them up and make the holes way too long, but oh well. As for pants I typically wear ripped jeans or something like that. I'm not talking ripped a little bit, I mean destroyed jeans. My favorite pair of shoes of all time are my Converse high tops, and I wear them almost every day.

There ya have it! Should I make other interviews for Ricky and Steve? I totally should! I'll update this later with the other two interviews with their respective RiSK positions. Bye for now!