Article
Barry
Pike:
A rock and roll band is just a whacking great rhythm section
 Barry
Pike plays drums for Fumble, one of Britain's best and most authentic
rock and roll revival bands. Some years back, he played in a blues/soul
band led by his brother Jeffrey - who is now, as it happens, Assistant
Editor of our sister magazine Guitar. We thought it would be a good
idea for Jeff to interview Barry: guitarist/journalist Pike talks
to drummer Pike.
JP: Care to blind me with the technical specifications
of your present kit?
BP: It's a black Slingerland kit, the first plain black one
they made, apparently. They called it Black Beauty. It was
also one of the first kits with a 24" bass drum they
exported to Britain. The small tom-tom is 13" x 9",
the floor tom-tom 16" x 16", and I use a 6"deep
Ludwig metal snare drum. I've made a few changes to the drums,
fitted Hayman legs to Ludwig - they're very expensive but
very good. All my pedals and stands are Hayman. My hi-hat
cymbals are Paiste and I've got a 16" Paiste 2002 as
a small crash, a Zildjian 18" for a large crash and a
20" for ride. I use Hayman 'C' sticks, because they're
cheap; I buy a dozen pairs at a time and throw away any duff
ones. It's still a cheap way of buying decent sticks.
You've got a new Slingerland kit on order: what does that
consist of?
Basically, it's two inches larger all round, a 26" bass drum,
etc. the floor tom-tom is very big, 18", in fact it's got four
legs. I'm getting a drum board made, so that my kit is set up exactly
the same every night. Chris (one of Fumble's two road managers)
knows it fairly well, but even he sets it up with one or two things
slightly out - if the tom-tom angle is 1" out, I have to change
it. So it will be all marked out on the drum board - just a great
lump of 7-ply or something, hinged in the middle so it will fit
in the truck, with holes in it for the bass drum legs and raised
bits for the cymbal stands. The whole thing will be so solid that
you can set up the kit on the side of the stage - if the stage is
big enough - and I can sit on it and make sure everything is right;
then it can be wheeled on when it's needed. Among other things,
it will stop bass drum creep: on some rickety stages, even the Hayman
legs with those points on can't hold it steady.
Do you still use that old mail-bag to set things on?
Oh yes - that thing with the metal rings at the corners. The legs
go through those and the stool sits on the bag. That's a great anchor,
I've lent it to so many drummers. It's got a great hole in it now,
where the pedal goes - and that stuff takes ages to wear out. I
only once had trouble with it at the Customs: it still had GPO on
it and the fellow said it was Her Majesty's property. I think he
was going to confiscate it and send it back to her.
It's not usual for drummers to change to fewer drums on their
kit: when did you change from having two small tom-toms, and why?
That was when I got my present Slingerland kit, 2 1/2 years ago.
I missed the two tom-toms, but at the same time, it was nice to
have a ride cymbal in really tight - it comes up from the bass drum,
where the second tom-tom used to be, and really low. I've got a
lot more things out of that. I'd still like to get back two tom-toms,
because the ride cymbal has grown in height over the last year.
I don't know if the new Slingerland fittings will allow two tom-toms
be close enough together for me. I might end up with one fairly
central on the bass drum and the other on a snare drum stand by
the side of it. I've always liked a tight kit, everything close
together. I've had the snare and the floor tom-tom close to each
other: that's why I wear out 'my trousers at the knee - my right
leg is always sandwitched between two drums.
I'm looking forward to my new kit arriving: I'll be able to set
up a double kit and experiment. I can get to rehearsals two hours
before everybody else, because they're always late unless something
really good comes out of it. If I had a couple of hours every day
just to think it all out, I'm sure I could work things out with
two bass drums. Once you get used to it.
It doesn't matter whether it's something I've used before, or something
I've nicked, as long as I've decided it's right for that song. That's
the real satisfaction. Then there's the satisfaction we get on stage
from a good gig; it's a great outward-going thing. Sometimes on
stage I just sit there and watch the people bopping and smiling,
and I get a hell of a kick out of that. That's why I sit there with
a grin on my face (as confirmed by the photographs, taken by Jeff
at the Marquee: Ed.) Then we go into another number, and I think
to myself, 'Ah, I enjoy this one,' and I play some nice drums on
it, I try to think of new things for that number. Whenever that
happens, I don't just gaze at the audience, I lose them a bit, though
I'm still aware of them being there.
But it must be limiting on a musical level to work always with simple
rock and roll material. You may think of a fantastic fill, but it
just won't work with Fumble...
You're only efficient as long as you're beneficiary to the music,
as long as you're complementing it and adding something to it. Anything
very tricky just wouldn't coplement the music the lads are playing
unless it was very, very well worked out. If I could do it in this
framework, I'd be a very good drummer.
So isn't it frustrating to work in this framework?
What I'm doing now is a rhythmic thing that I enjoy. It's nothing
to do with improvising and throwing ideas backwards and forwards
- if I tried to do that, I'd be a bad drummer in this band. There's
a great basic satisfaction about playing such a pure rhythmic thing
as rock and roll. And playing the same song every night especially
the simplest ones, it's not exciting to me just to play it. I have
to make it exciting for myself, to give it that push and drive,
without necessarily filling in a lot, but just by the way I approach
it. It's important that I enjoy it every time.
But... you've been playing 'Take Good Care Of My Baby' for
three years: surely you can't do anything more with that, can you?
No I can't. But I just accept it as 'Take Good Care Of My Baby'.
I play the drum part and I sit there thinking, 'Here we are, playing
Take Good Care Of My Baby.' If you like, the drummer in me leaves
off and I'm sitting on stage enjoying watching people enjoying 'Take
Good Care Of My Baby'. And then on the other hand we do 'Party',
which gives me a nice chance to do drummy things, and I'm a drummer
again.
Are you playing anything more on drums than you were three
years ago? Have you learned anything new as a drummer?
It's like learning a language. You suddenly find yourself saying
something you didn't know you couldn't say. You put sentences together
and maybe use words that you've never used before, although you
knew that they were around. It's like that when I jam with anyone
else. What I do on stage is what I see in my role with Fumble, I
do what's needed for Fumble. But when I'm just messing around, like
in rehearsals, I find I've learned the language and I can say
new things that I'm not called upon to say with Fumble.
With you, actually playing the drums is just a part of belonging
to that band, right?
Yes, the social thing is very important for me - obviously, since
we've played together for 6 1/2 years. I've got to be in the right
social surroundings. Fumble to me is not just four other people;
there's probably 200 people connected with the group who are very
good friends. There are some bands that I see on stage and I think,
'Great!' Then I go backstage to see them and I think I could never
in a million years play with those guys. On stage it would all be
happening, but off stage I'd have to come out and get a taxi and
leave. I couldn't exist with those people socially.There are a lot
of good musicians, guys I'd like to play with...but it's got to
work out on a social level as well.
Because that comes across in the music.
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More
articles:
Success for Weston Group in beat championship
(Local paper, 1967)
Baloons flying
high behind Iron Curtain (Local paper, 1968)
Fumble (Record Mirror,
1971)
FUMBLE (Beat Instrumental,
1972)
American Press (1972)
Fumble gain a firm hold (1972)
Nancy
finds out all about....
(date unknown 1973)
There's no flies on Fumble (NME,
1973)
Fumble flies to fame and fortune
( 1973)
Rumble, rumble...here comes
Fumble (Record Mirror, 1973)
Fumble begin to feel good (Evening
News, 1973)
Fumble US Tour (Record Mirror,
1973)
In a class of their own
(Sounds, 1973)
Under the influence: Des
Henly (NME, 1973)
Rollin' and Fumblin'
(Melody Maker, 1973)
The Raver
(Melody Maker, 1973)
Back
in time - Nutrockers! (Reading Rock 73)
Accident Prone (Music Star,
1973)
An
interview with Barry Pike (Drum Magazine 1974)
Rock'n'Roll band signs up (St.
Albans Midweek Recorder, 1974)
Record and Popswop Mirror (Record
& Popswop Mirror, 1975)
Robin Katz talked to Sha Na
Na and Fumble (Sounds, 1975)
Pop goes GLC decibel dosage
(Daily Telegraph, 1975)
Concert reviews:
Playhouse Theatre
(supporting Bill Haley) (date unknown)
Newcastle,
City Hall (supporting David Bowie) (Jan 7, 1973)
Philadelphia,
Tower Theatre (supporting David Bowie) (Feb 17, 1973)
London,
Greyhound (May 17, 1973)
Paris
(May 31, 1973)
London,
Speakeasy (June 7, 1973)
London,
Marquee Club (July 14,
1973)
London, Rainbow Theatre
(supporting Chuck Berry) (Sept 7, 1973)
London, Marquee Club
(March 1974)
Bristol,
University (Apr 27, 1974)
London, Kings Road Theatre (Dec
15, 1974)
Burton-on-Trent,
76 Club (Mar 29, 1975)
London,
Roundhouse (supporting Dr. Feelgood) (Apr 20, 1975)
Festivals:
The Reading
Festival 1973
Alexandra Palace
Music Festival 1973
Roskilde
Festival, Denmark 1973 (Sounds)
Roskilde
Festival, Denmark 1973 (NME)
LPs and Singles:
Fumble
(Sovereign) 1972 (Melody Maker)
Poetry In Lotion (RCA) 1974
(Disc, Melody Maker)
Alexandra
Park (Sovereign) 1973 (Disc Magazine)
Million
Seller (Sovereign) 1973 (Melody Maker, NME, Disc, Sounds)
Not Fade Away (RCA) 1974
(Record Mirror, Melody Maker, NME)
Don't
Take Love (RCA) 1974 (Sounds)
German / Danish articles:
 Fumble
ride the oldie-wave (fans magazine, 1973) translated
Fumble
- Nostalgischer Pomaden-Pop (Flash magazine, 1973)
Success through persistence (BRAVO
magazine, 1973) translated
 FUMBLE
(GO, 1972)
Sjoveste LP i lang tid (Some
Danish paper, 1972)
Kendt
beatgruppe i Diskotek Limelight (Danish paper, 1973)
Roskilde-festival en stor succes
(Berlingske Tidende, 1973) |
