If appearance alone was a true indicator of life
expectancy, Ginger Baker would have beaten Keith Moon
and John Bonham to the afterlife. Instead, the last
living member of the legendary trio of Gonzo drummers continues to
beat the odds while remaining as offbeat as ever. A wild
interview in Rolling Stone (8/20 issue 1085)
done on his South African estate conveys a good sense of how
remarkable it is that Baker is still alive. Clean living,
risk avoidance and a good disposition have nothing to do with it.
He remains as cantankerous, confrontational and hell-raising as
ever. His third wife, who divorced him about a decade ago when he
moved from Colorado to South Africa, says, "He's not evil. He has
great intentions. They just go wrong." You don't have to like
him to love the playing of the man Neal Peart of Rush
says influenced every rock drummer "...even if they don't know it."
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