How much we miss you, bonzo
The rankings almost always leave the time they find. Especially in music. The artists, the bands, the songs you have to enjoy them, without too many discussions on who or what is better than one or the other. Sometimes, however, making rankings is easier: some names are cardinal points for anyone. And John Henry Bonham, in the ranking of the best drummers in history, is a cardinal point. It is a question of technique, approach, groove, spirit and iconicity. When you are incisive in all five these fields, six A drummer destined to go down to history.
Self -taught – Detail that only increases the size of his flair, as in the case of Frank Zappa -, his rhythmic adventure begins in front of a DIY kit consisting of coffee cans, at 5 years old. At 10 he receives the first roller, at 15 the first complete set. No lessons: he asks for advice to drummers in the city, in Worcestrshire. When he is not together with his father as carpenter apprenticecarries out the musical activity with some local bands. We admire and thank the young man today Robert Plant For not having sold to the diktat that begins to spread to the premises of the area: “The entrance to groups with John Bonham on drums is forbidden”.
Too noisy, too irremant according to the managers, who do not understand their genius – as often happens to genes. Even if, in hindsight, avoiding success would have likely saved his life. Country boy, John is so attached that he earns the nickname “Good -natured“, synonym for Buddhist monk. When fame with i Led Zeppelin It overwhelms him and forces him to live away from the family, the emotional system goes in short circuit. Begins to live excess, to get drunk, to destroy dressing rooms and hotel rooms in the grip of a violent personality disorders. So much so that the nickname from “Bonzo” becomes “The Beast”: the beast. The morning of September 25, 1980the band’s manager and John Paul Jones find him suffocated by his own vomiting.
“We want to make known that the loss of our dear friend and the profound sense of respect that we nourish towards his family led us to decide – in full harmony between us and our manager – that we can no longer continue as we were”. Led Zeppelin die together with Bonham. Irreplaceable. The reason is very simple: Nobody He can faithfully replicate that deep and dynamic sound. Deep, because from his Ludwig, from the iconic transparent orange transparent kit and from the tall tom ton manages to bring out a toning and monumental stamp. But also dynamicbecause there is no other word to describe Bonzo’s rhythmic sense, capable of going from ghost notes just mentioned to devastating blows, keeping the groove constant; capable of melting blues, hard rock and funk in a language that still today inspires generations of musicians.
His big drum sound – that of “When the Levee Breaks”, recorded in the atrium of Headley Grange, to be understood – becomes a subject of study. A modern battery manual. Amazing balance between traditional rudiments and creative application, between visceral and technical approach. He is not just a “powerful drummer”: it is a force of nature, with an orchestral vision that allows him to revolutionize the role of his instrument in rock. His live performances speak for themselves: solos of over twenty minutes, Naked hands on the drumspure energy that overwhelms the audience as well as the stage companions. A cyclone.
Bonham’s blows are fundamental bricks in the Zeppelin sound wall and nine albums are there to prove it. His battery is never simple accompaniment: it is sound architecture. Whoever believes that John Bonham was only “Led Zeppelin drummer” lacks compared to a legend, the power of his instrument and the history of all music. Because there is a certainty in life: Rock, after Bonzo, has no longer been the same.
