Forbes contributor, Jim Clash, has released an interview conducted with legendary Cream drummer Ginger Baker - who passed away on October 6, 2019 at the age of 80.
Says Jim Clash: "In 1997, I had the opportunity to interview the late, great and sometimes cantankerous drum legend Ginger Baker. The chat occurred at Baker’s then-horse farm, in Parker, Colorado. Baker died in 2019, of course, but what he had to say back then is still relevant, and an important part of rock history.
We spent the day discussing the supergroup Cream, the band he is most famous for; Led Zeppelin and his disinterest in its drummer John Bonham; how Americans don’t know how to make a proper cup of tea; his volatile relationship with Cream bassist Jack Bruce; the power trio’s induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1993; the possibility of a Cream reunion (it did happen, in 2005); his disdain for heavy metal music; and more.
This interview has been published in bits and pieces over the years, but for the first time appears here, in its entirety, with light edits. Baker was on good behavior the day we met, which was not always the case. Take the 2012 documentary, Beware Of Mr. Baker, where, in a fit of rage, he threw his crutch at the director, breaking the guy’s his nose."
The following is an excerpt from the interview...
Jim Clash: "What is your take on heavy metal?"
Ginger Baker: "These people that dress up in spandex trousers with all the extraordinary makeup - I find it incredibly repulsive, always have. I’ve seen where Cream is sort of held responsible for the birth of heavy metal. Well, I would definitely go for aborting [laughs]. I loathe and detest heavy metal. I think it is an abortion.
A lot of these guys come up and say, 'Man, you were my influence, the way you thrashed the drums.' They don’t seem to understand I was thrashing in order to hear what I was playing. It was anger, not enjoyment - and painful. I suffered on stage because of that [high amplifier] volume crap. I didn’t like it then, and like it even less now. That whole Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame thing - at least half the people in there don’t have a place in any kind of hall of fame anywhere, in my opinion."
Read the interview in full at Forbes.com.
