Buddy Rich 1 The Worlds Greatest Drummer on EAUTV

Efrom Allen interview with Buddy Rich at the Manhattan club Buddies place with co-host Arnold Smith. Down Beat Magazine wrote that it was the best interview ever done with him

[@GODTHESOOTHSAYER1]

A Great Man Speaks! His interpretation of life is the truth! Buddy's about honesty and reality!

[@mag1102009]

Great interview! Buddy was the rarest of the rare, a true genius in a world of pretenders. Thanks for posting.

[@Efrom358]

thank you for appreciating the show I try to show the person as well as the talent

[@BerlinTravelApp]

Thank you SO much, Efrom, for posting. There seem to be precious few off-stage interviews with Buddy in circulation. His comments here are incredibly timeless.

[@VIDEOHEREBOB]

He hated Rock yet the Rock drummers idolized him. They still do.

[@drumsjt]

This is honest Buddy Rich, the real guy.

[@tonydir5673]

I love this man great interview

[@kahjazz]

Buddy speaks 'the truth'! Some people do not like the TRUTH!

[@DYNODRUM]

The .Mid 70's ?-Everthing, He says Is still goin On Now Only Bigger. All of it.. I ,agree w/ all Buddy is about .He, was much more Than a Drummer /Musician. "Yet the Very Best". Nobuddy proved a stride like His, as a Leader with Longevity; especially a Drummer Leading Many of His own Bands ,staying current and Hip , with amazing success. He, speaks Truths and Played Music w/ Passion Extrordinaire, On Drums . Seeing Him Live was Proof .An amazing Mind,Great Video .Thanks. New York is The Best ...

[@Drumminman4U]

Buddy, as always, talks about what I call the tyranny of mediocrity. He was right then and it just seems to be getting worse in our present culture. Thanks for posting these great clips to educate people about how real musicians feel. Like Louie Bellson used to say, "their time was the greatest".

[@bkrider19]

For years I've been hearing people say negative things about Buddy's personality. What's the point of saying that? Doesn't make sense to keep harping on his faults. We should focus on his artistic accomplishments despite his difficulties. The big band reached its highest artistic form in great part because of Ellington, Basie and Buddy's band in the mid-1960s (especially the compositions by Don Piestrup and Allyn Ferguson).

[@PJMPercussion]

Thank You, EFROM ALLEN for posting this video - - perhaps those who condemn Buddy might learn something and hopefully understand Why Buddy spoke the way he did, and where his opinions came from ...... wow !

[@Efrom358]

Hi! the show was done in the 70's. glad you liked it!

[@ericdreizen1463]

There it is! He hated Led Zeppelin, he hated David Bowie, he hated all the big rock acts earning hundreds of millions of dollars, & he hated their exorbitant lifestyles & thought they were phonies. Especially since many great players he knew were struggling. Not closed-minded. He heard them & that's what he thought! It's funny, he hated all the rock acts his daughter loved, probably w/ the exception of the Beatles! He said publicly that he liked the Beatles. But I love this interview & any documentation of him is welcome in my book!

[@cadillacdude1975]

based on how Buddy is dressed, the dogtag was worn in 1973.

[@turnitback]

I worship nothing but, as a drummer, I get close to it where Buddy Rich is concerned. However, market forces have no respect for idealism. If the buying public want what Buddy calls rubbish, then they will buy it, however good he is - and he is GOOD at playing music.

[@Drumminman4U]

Super post here! Brings back so many memories. Thanks! :-)

[@AmericaSwingsAgain]

Efrom,
Thanks for an extremely important interview i.e. harsh politically incorrect TRUTHS that are as timely today, as then. Lifelong BR fan here as a drummer/bandleader, but becoming even more so of Buddy's straight talk and wide perspective as a defender and promoter of Jazz. That he mentions Kid Ory, alone, shows a huge perspective on the history and trajectory of our great Legacy, and puts truth and accuracy and power behind his words.
Rex Allen

[@buddyrichforever]

the best interview on video. Please tell me you have part two. Its very open and candid. Important post.!! thanks man!

[@Bossrich6287]

buddy's right to a point,but most people were tired of jazz by the 70's,and rock and roll was the thing.especially for my generation,yes a lot was junk,but I still enjoyed it.

[@emilshere]

I agree with most of what he says

[@Efrom358]

there are now 3 out of 4 segments Rich posted and the fourth will be up soon

[@unwindzen]

I wish we could get his comments on American Idol, et al. Hopefully he would say it is a bunch of garbage.

[@lipnip7746]

The first minute and 25 seconds apply in 2015...

[@BigBillLucas]

+Patrick Smith completely correct sir !
He felt it back then, what the hell would he make of it now

[@bkrider19]

Very, very interesting. Thanks for posting this. He spoke many times about his concern that music was declining, and he was absolutely right. He was a deep thinker, despite - or maybe because of - a lack of formal education. Art was uppermost in his mind. He makes a key point early on here: the increasing lack of places to perform jazz. Now in 2014 local music performance venues for any genre are mostly gone. His daughter wrote something quite profound: he heard things differently from most people. I think that carried over into the way he saw society. He was one of the very few big band leaders who would perform with African Americans and hire them. Fascinating to hear him talk about social issues here. I disagree with him in part. I think he didn't fully understand the rock phenomenon. He confused the "phony" flash-in-the-pan stars with rock artists who did show longevity, who did represent the pulse of the times. But his criticism of the extreme commercialization of rock and pop was of course spot on, and unfortunately we hear too far musicians speak out about this.

[@ericdreizen1463]

"A lack of formal education..." He came from a time when many were (& often still are) successful w/o one. But he did have a formal education in the beginning. He went to Professional Children's School in NY, still operating today, on which the movie FAME was based. It is open only to young prodigies, & if they're already traveling on the road performing (as he was), their lessons are sent to them & they send them back. They boast many illustrious alumni.

[@bkrider19]

@@ericdreizen1463 I didn't know that. But my understanding is that because he was on the road from such an early age, and his parents (probably his father) were so demanding that he support their act full-time, his education could not be considered "formal". If I remember correctly in one of the books about him he is described as being deeply saddened by the fact that he did not attain what he felt was an adequate level of education. In the 1920s there is no way that the Professional Children's School would have provided a decent education to traveling vaudeville kids. The world of vaudeville was completely different from what we associate with the modern school, "Fame" and other well structured arts environments. Vaudeville was controlled by the Keith Albee booking agency, known as the "Octopus" for its monopoly of bookings and theaters across the country and its strict imposition of business-above-all standards. It was a cut-throat, harsh world and children in it, as in the circuses, really didn't have a chance to get properly educated.

[@ericdreizen1463]

@@bkrider19 They were founded in 1914, so they hadn't been open long when his parents enrolled him. They're grades 6-12 now, but I don't know if it was that way then, u'd have to call & ask them. He once said that at 14 he could "barely read & write," so make of that what u will. I don't know how far he got. But he's listed as a "distinguished alumni" on their site along with Beverly Sills, Yo Yo Ma, Midori, Pinchas Zuckerman, & Emmanuel Ax, among others. Of course, he was there B4 they were. I'm sure they're quite proud. It was a long time ago & like u say, under brutal circumstances.

[@heavyearly9924]

It's too bad that Buddy didn't recognize John Bonham as being a brilliant drummer..

[@RobertJones-hg8sd]

How odd it is that the people Buddy dismisses in this interview as mediocre (Led Zeppelin, CSN, Olivia Newton-John, etc) are now beloved by those of us who similarly despise today's pop/rock stars. Clearly he was aggravated that while all the real talent was in HIS generation's music (in his opinion), all the money and popularity had gone over to the "kids" in Top 40 and rock. Those of us now in middle age hear Lady Gaga and say "Remember how great Olivia was?!" The circle of life.

[@BerlinTravelApp]

I agree, it is odd, but as many others have observed, Buddy didn't have a monopoly on musical truth. For example, Buddy, in a diatriabe against country music (I think it was in an early 70s Mike Douglas Show) dismissed Chet Atkins' contribution to music. I think Chet Atkins was a brilliant guitar player, even though I don't enjoy country music in the least.

[@richardknowles7812]

early 70's I think

[@hihats]

Buddy smoked Kent.

[@unwindzen]

Well, at least he started on a positive, upbeat note.

[@sarabower1]

How old is this?
don't pick on David Bowie

[@Keifus666]

At least he wasn't biased on gay people.

[@tajames68]

Had the dogtag in '77 -- check out this video (drop "v0V4Aqs2D48" into the search field)

[@martinclark8162]

World's what? Errrrr John Bonham, Keith Moon, Phil Collins.....

[@Sixrie]

haha 12:13

[@lastcupofsorrow1]

He's dissing Led Zeppelin!!!??... What would he say if he heard Nickelback?