JOHN LONGSTRETH – Fighting a combination of anxiety and boredom

Denne karen er en trommis som sinnsykt mange ser opp til og beundrer. Han er mest kjent fra sin tid i Origin, men har også vært med i band som Angelcorpse og Skinless. Han er et teknisk vidunder i formel 1 klassen og her kan du lese hans minimalistiske bidrag til vår Blast Beast serie.

 

ET – When did you start to play the drums?
JOHN – I can’t remember…….it was off and on till around 1990.  By then it had stuck.

ET – Why did you start playing drums?
JOHN – Because it made more sense than the guitar I was playing around with at the time.

ET – How old were you when you got your first drums/drum set?
JOHN – I got my first kit when I was in kindergarten

ET – How often do you practice?
JOHN – As much as possible, ……3 days a week is about the minimal.

ET – Which drummer did you look up to when you were young and is there anyone today that you admire more than the rest?
JOHN – Reinert, McBrain, Van Halen, Lombardo, Bostaph and Tempesta I remember most commonly.

 

ET – What kind of equipment do you use? Which equipment is in your ears the best?
JOHN – I currently have 2 kits, one is a carbon fiber, Rocket Shells kit that stays in Kansas for the Origin tours, and the other is my old Premier kit that I’ve had since the 90's. I don’t really believe in one specific company, I think they all have their strong points. However, I do prefer non wood drums.

ET – Which qualities do you think is most important to succeed as a drummer today?
JOHN – One really has to explore multiple styles of music. Try to learn as much as you can. In the end it really depends on the drummers idea of success.

ET – Have you ever played a solo during a gig?
JOHN – Once, with Skinless………….and it was horrible.

ET – If you haven't become a drummer, what would you most likely been doing?
Hell if I know…….I’m not so sure I’d be doing anything good,  I wouldn’t have this outlet.

ET – Do you workout a lot?
JOHN – Not this year……..usually I mountain bike a lot, for some reason I just haven’t gotten into it this year.  Too hot!  🙂

 

ET – Do you have any special rituals you have to go through before you enter the stage?
JOHN – Aside from stretching out, warming up, drinking coffee………..on tour it involves fighting a combination of anxiety and boredom.

ET – Which releases have you been a part of so far? (Band name, title, release year)
JOHN –
Angelcorpse – Hammer of Gods
Angelcorpse – Nuclear hell 7"
Angelcorpse – Wolflust 7"
Angelcorpse – Exterminate
Angelcorpse – Of Lucifer and Lightning
Origin – Origin
Origin – Informis Infinitas Inhumanitas
Skinless – From Sacrifice to Survival
Dim Mak – Knives of Ice
I was also on the Call to Irons, vol 1 with Angelcorpse (Ghengis Kahn) and
vol 2 with Posession (Reavalations)
…………….I guess that’s 11 releases

ET – Before we end this, you now have the opportunity to challenge another drummer to take part in this series. Pick a drummer and explain why?
JOHN – Marco Minnemann……………..I think its great that we have such a talented, world class drummer involved in the scene, raising the bar so to speak.