I no longer teach at the university, but I have taken on some private students. Phil Collins & Genesis Studio Rehearsals for Knebworth in 1978 The very first tour was a tour of England. yet (see the forest thru the trees) don't miss the interesting and insightful drum life Chester has led. Even though [guitarist] Daryl [Stuermer] and I werent technically in [Genesis], we toured as the band. They didnt find out until pretty late in the game that Bill wasnt going to do the next tour. [Laughs] Again, Im loving what Im doing with my band. Its very rewarding and Im involved with an organization here called the Nashville Jazz Workshop. The other guy called himself Sonship, Woody Theus. Oh, boy. Im just not going to do that.. I think try get hold of the album. Some do it more gracefully than others. And its fine. He made Frank laugh and a big part of those days was humor. Their manager was someone I knew from L.A. We had worked on a couple of things together. But at this point Id be curious to see it. The last solo thing I did ventured a little outside that format. Phil Collins Blamed His Drummer for Everything on Debut Solo Tour He must have a contract for a hundred and one sappy stereotypical songs for Disney movies. I also think that he is underrated, because he likes ballads, and not many people who likes Prog Music likes ballads. He is just a great drummer. I cant be gone the whole time. And so we were doing Salt Peanuts at like 200 miles an hour. It wasnt the same kind of luxury and stuff, which is fine., He added that Genesis was very balanced, instead of having a leader, and everybody had their say. But his first experience with Collins as boss was kind of a drag. He only truly related to drums," Thompson explained. Did you get to meet him? How was Frank as a bandleader? That happened because of ODonel Levy. I enjoyed it though. That was incredible! Phil Collins says he lost his ability to drum during 2007's Genesis reunion tour. Too bad Vinnie couldn't make it. Bill knew that world. I could not follow a single conversation. In recent years, hes taught at Belmont University in his adopted hometown of Nashville and toured with the Chester Thompson Trio. The vocalist is the frontman, he/she has to move around face the audience, etc and a drummer is normally attached to his kit. [Laughs] But Ive really been enjoying my life. Yeah. Were drums your first love as an instrument? but it was some kind of fight for the power and Tony won. That stuff smokes. I was leaving straight from San Francisco. I think that he became popular with housewives, and that was his "guilt". Chester Thompson Interview | Drummerworld Forum Steve and I always stayed pretty good friends. My wife and I went down to see his big band in Birmingham. Reading the book I get the feeling that he only felt really involved in Selling EnglandFirst he says he had a slight inferior complex as a composer, his ideas were not well recieved, his marriage ended etc. How was it for you culturally? Drummers are kept in the background because DRUMS CAN'T MOVE AROUND THE SCENARIO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JENNINGS: Phil Collins-led Genesis returning to Buffalo Im not 100 percent involved, but its really interesting, the stuff that happens here. Turns out it was purely a union thing. JavaScript is disabled. Goodness. There was no getting around it. Chester Cortez Thompson (born December 11, 1948) is an American drummer best known for his tenures with Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, Weather Report, Santana, the progressive rock band Genesis and Phil Collins as a solo artist. We had a bunch of 78s. So I am a huge fan of the bearded Collins in the 70's, especially that dance he did with the tamborine when they performed I Know What I Like live. When you heard he was going solo, did you think it would work out for him? Even Collins, Bruford (who only received a few musical lessons), Steve Howe, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, etc. Chester's performance and recording experiences have influenced over three decades of music and musicians. Its not something he did. They were doing Cloudburst and all that stuff. But after reading the (excellent) interview, I have to say I'm quite surprised at how Chester was treated by the guys through the years. So Phil did pop some good , some average and some contrived but all big selling. Hes gone., Were the dates in Australia and other markets you didnt hit the first time? I cant be gone that much at this point. Thats when Ricky [Lawson] wound up doing [the Phil solo tours of the mid-Nineties]. Let me remember: Leee Kerslake. Avatar: Photo of Solar Eclipse, Mexico City, July 1991. What happened when Jaco Pastorius came in on bass and Alphonso Johnson left? Well, probably. And of course, my mom loved music. At the very beginning, did they make it clear that youd be playing on the tours but not the albums, because Phil does all his own drumming? Id have to say, I dont think Jaco was too comfortable with that. It was this whole haunting thing that was really cool. Phil jokingly said, Well, were all together. Most surely he didn't made s much money as Phil Tony and Mike, but he has a wealthy positiobn and artistic respect, something that Genesis lost. I probably heard more Elvis than anything in the Fifties. He was a member from the beginning, when they did there really masterful work, but no one seems to mention that. Chester Thompson on Decade-Long Rift with Crab Apple Phil Collins We did most of the tracking up at Caribou Ranch in Colorado. But Phil Collins still did great things with those two albums. It was a huge deal. You did well enough that he hired you. And initially, that was so families could travel. I found out I wasnt going to Chicago and then Phil [Collins] called me himself, basically offering the Genesis gig. Billy Cobham: a very good drummer who shimnes mostly as soloist. Theres a great jazz community, too. Thats where I met my wife. Thompson called up Rolling Stone to explain how he rose out of the Baltimore housing projects, his early days with Frank Zappa and Weather Report, the ups and downs of life as a Genesis member who never played on the studio albums, and why he hasnt spoken to Phil Collins once in the past 10 years. ", Chester Thompson on His Years With Genesis, Frank Zappa, and Weather Report, Watch Billy Joel Play Los Angelenos For First Time in 42 Years, U2 Announce Sphere Las Vegas Dates. Yeah. Phil Collins (onion head) <-nickname), is a great drummer and that is where i believed he should have stayed. One tour, he bumped it up by bringing in this guy, Jeff Simmons. Yeah. Why not? And I gotta tell you, man, Barry Gibb might have been one of the most professional people Ive worked with in my life. Hed then go off to a studio and work on whatever he had in the can. I wasnt enough of a diplomat to just say, Oh, everything is wonderful. The Genesis stuff was more musically challenging and interesting to me. They limit the amount of times you can access their site. Hed then go off to a studio and work on whatever he had in the can. Well, lets see. Genesis' Reunion Tour: 8 Questions We Have - Rolling Stone That was fun, but it was a one-off. Ralph Humphrey was very helpful that whole time because I had been getting into odd times, but not at the level Frank was doing it. Do you think if Genesis come to America, youd want to go see the show? We basically tracked it with no bass. What I can't still understand is the almost in memorian picture of him in Live 73. I got back to L.A. and I called them up and said, When are we going back in the studio? They were like, Well, you dont need to go back in. I was like, Whats going on here?. He was pretty disappointed. Thread starter Vistalite Black; Start date Feb 5, 2021; Prev. Wed do eight-hour rehearsals. I didnt really know what was happening in the background. Influenced by the likes of Max Roach, Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, and Tony Williams along with the popular music . Was it hard on your marriage that you were never home? It lets me read for about 90 seconds before it yanks the article. None of that. And I dont want to ever only play one thing. He liked having a big band onstage, too. Editors picks Hed recently wrapped up stints with Frank Zappa and Weather Report that lasted about two years each, and Genesis previous touring drummer, Bill Bruford, bailed after just four months on the road. He was a guitarist that was comic relief, almost. It was this huge frame of all their albums. But the opening fill, all of that, is me. And that was the end of that. Were just dealing with Covid. Many of them are self-taught. We just did a short tour of Canada and that was that. If you did your part, it was fun. No. Chester Thompson Drum cam - Inside Out (live 1990) - YouTube Im just really enjoying life. And they had great songs. Chester Thompson, who spent more than 30 years playing drums live with Genesis, recalled how Phil Collins targeted him every time things went wrong on the frontmans debut solo tour. So I continue quite off topic! Then it got weird because they got comfortable with two drummers playing. It was perfect timing and what a fun tour. Phil Collins, Robert Colby . They were in town and Alphonso said, The guys are in town. After that, I went back to Baltimore to a community college for a couple of years. He played beautifully on that ballad Cannon Ball. I had already tracked most of Black Market. Basically, we rehearsed eight hours a day, 40 hours a week. It was just different. For lack of a better word, they are really, really British. They said to me, Youre playing it wrong. But the manager had gone out of his way to call me before we took the Christmas break since they were so happy with the tracks wed done. And theyd never had an American in their ranks. Ive done some teaching, not a lot, but at the moment I have a handful of private students at a school. I always thought he was a pretty good friend to me. They really enjoy life and love to laugh. Ill get back to you. Sure enough, he got back and said, You were right. Duke lp is OK but Misunderstanding shoud not be on that LP that is more of Onion Head solo lp song. I started playing clubs at 13. And then it got to be a little more honest. He only truly related to drums. This means nothing at all, it's almost a tradition. No one also seems to mention how great of a drummer he was (I am not sure if he still is). His disparaging remarks about prog was probably a case of being less than honest.Another point in his defense is that he was one of the later ones to "sell out". It was never a competition where I thought it should be me. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public.

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