Possibly my top pet peeve on a gig... (what's yours?)

Oh man that one gets me. The one thing I can’t do is get drunk and play, I can handle the stoned part but if I’m being paid to play I feel I have to have some respect for those paying me and give a good account of myself. One of the best drummers I ever played with was pretty much a drunk and he started playing with us straight. It came to a big Festival gig - supporting Buzzcocks and Lee Perry - and he obviously couldn’t handle it without a drink. We get a few songs in and all ok then BAM. Started playing double time. Why, we asked afterwards, would you do that? He grinned and said the crowd looked “kind of bored” so he’d jazzed it up a bit. We covered it up ok, but that’s not the point right? He was gone by the next gig. It seemed a shame to me and a real waste of talent.

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