For practically every podcast guest, there’s a question I’m “winding up” to ask.
For Chris Coleman, it was “what’s the space for competition in music?”
Just like everybody else, I’d tuned into Chris’ viral clinic clip, discussing the origin of - shall we say - “church improvisation”, and found his description of the “pop-up”, late-night shed sessions in the church, captivating. But how does Chris reconcile this friendly competition with…well, the “subjectivity of art”?
In Chris’ opinion, the “competition” was always a misnomer.
Added for “click bait”, after people started publicizing the sheds. And as the 2001 winner of the Drum-Off, Chris doesn’t begrudge people monetizing the shed-life. After all, as he puts it, many these drummers were killer players who, were it not for Youtube, would have struggled to find mainstream audiences. But the imperative to get clicks, views, and money changes things.
Which is all only to say that, by Chris’ recollection, it was never about competition. And if somebody brought that vibe into the room, it was clear they were an outsider.
In this brief-but-action-packed interview, Chris and I also chat about how he balances tours and life, and his methodology for teaching up-and-coming players.
Know you’ll enjoy this one!