Legendary Cream drummer (and equally legendary old grump) Ginger Baker says playing with Gary Moore “finished rock’n’roll for me”. In an interview in the latest issue of Classic Rock, Baker calls Moore “the Pampered Pompadour Of Pop”, reckons his playing is “contrived” and says he once recommended that the six-stringer should see a psychiatrist.
Baker formed BBM in 1994 with Moore and Cream bassist Jack Bruce.
“The sessions we did delighted everyone,” Ginger recalls, “even though he [Bruce] was acting like my boss again and treating me as a session player.
“A tour was suggested; I’d get £50,000 a gig. What I didn’t realise was that Gary Moore was playing so loud that he blew his ears – just as Jack had done to me. More gigs were cancelled than played. And they were awful anyway.
“Unlike Cream, everything with Gary Moore was contrived. Every solo he played was the same. I like to improvise.
“Unbeknown to me they organised a rehearsal at Brixton Academy, and when I got there I could hear Gary Moore’s guitar outside on the street. We played it note-perfect, as usual – should have been the fucking gig.
“The next day his manager phones me and says Gary’s blown his ears again and they’ve taken him to the doctor. I said: ‘Why don’t you take him to a fucking psychiatrist, cos that’s what he needs.’ That wasn’t the right thing to say to Mr God Almighty.”
Fifteen years later, the BBM experience still throws Ginger in a rage.
“That was a terrible time, playing with the Pampered Pompadour Of Pop. One gig was cancelled when he [Moore] cut his finger opening a fucking tin. Eric [Clapton] would have put a plaster on and played. Oh no, not Gary.
“And, again, it was so loud I had to have baffle boards on either side. I hate volume. Why does rock music have to be so loud? That was rock’n’roll finished for me.”
4 comments:
Interesting article you got here. I'd like to read more concerning that topic. The only thing I would like to see on that blog is a few pictures of some gadgets.
Alex Trider
Phone jammers
Hey ginger i hear the salvation army are looking for tamberine players,cause your clearly not cut out for rocknroll you sad old fart.
Yeah Ginger you need to really dont get rock and roll, It should be loud and in your face but hey, I heard Take That needs a drummer
ginger baker..what a git..gary and jack have played together before..and played well..his comments are perhaps jealousy on his part?..they got together to play the music that eric jack and ginger created..music that gary loved ..and to make some new music as bbm...if he was so upset maybe he should return the money..man of principle that he is?..or perhaps he didnt get the spotlight on the tour as much as he deserved as a man of his stature in rock n roll..no group is perfect..but sometimes the muse of the imperfection can bear fruit...seems his fruit is bitter and rotting..rest in peace gary ...rest in peace...
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