Quote:
Originally posted by Groovemeister:
I too can't believe my eyes at what I'm reading here....
"Though Blackwell is undoubtedly entertaining to watch (though only a few times since you know exactly what you'll get each time) and most definitely has a pocket, he really had no business making an instructional DVD set."
Who in the name of the Lord are you to say that!!! Who are you to judge who is "allowed" to make a DVD? Personally I, (and doubtlessly tonnes of others) gained something from the DVD that I could find nowhere else, and that was showmanship. That in itself warrants the making of the discs. I don't know exactly what Buddy would have made of some of the frankly emotionless technicians around today (although he'd no doubt be impressed by how far their limbs went) but I'll bet he'd applaud someone for trying to keep the glitz and glamour of SHOWBUSINESS alive.
If I want lessons I'll buy a different DVD or better still, go for lessons, but to say he's got nothing to offer is just plain silly. I've got to say, I can't agree with his attitude of not replacing sticks and heads (if that was the case), and I've never met John so can't comment.
To be honest, who cares how he plays in clinic, he's playing with Prince, one of the grooviest men who ever lived. That Leno performance just SMOKED!!! He's played with Prince and Patti LaBelle, none of us have... he must be doing something right.
Drummers care about clinic performances and DVD's the rest of the living care about music, and everytime I've seen him play with musicians, (the MD festival was again, a clinic to show off technique so doesn't really count for me) he has done his job, very well...
MP
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Who am I to judge an instructional DVD that in my opinion should not have been made??? A PERSON WHO BOUGHT IT AND GOT NOTHING OUT OF IT....that's who I am. Do you think I bought it with the intention of saying all that I have about JB?? I think not. I bought it expecting him to really give insight into his 2/4 backbeat, and came away with nothing. (admittedly, maybe I was expecting the wrong thing) That isn't to say that someone else won't get something out of it, but when a musician buys an "instructional" piece of material, they expect to get something out of it, do we not?? John IMO is strictly a performing drummer, and a very good one at that (as I CLEARLY stated in my earlier post), but he is NOT an instructor, and had no business (once again, IMO) making an "instructional" video. I have watched the whole thing three times all the way through, and objectively came away with nothing except an enjoyance of the MD2000 performance, which was not worth shelling out the cash for the set. John talks about how he tries to stay "humble", and yet repeatedly toots his own horn in subversive ways. If you want a SMOOTH and flowing backbeat playing monster (IMO) with good technique, go with Omar. I personally would MUCH rather learn from him than JB. (I'm sorry to sound a little childish comparing guys, but I'm letting my thoughts flow (so to speak)) [img]wink.gif[/img] AGAIN, John is an entertaining and very good drummer to watch, but I hold true to my judgement about the DVD set.