How Clem Burke demystified the relationship between drumming and fitness
We’re all regularly reminded how much partaking in regular exercise is hugely beneficial not just to our physical health but also our mental health, and whether it’s going for a jog a few times a week, chasing a ball around a field or hitting the gym, we’ve all noticed how our bodies react to putting them through light or rigorous fitness routines. However, while it might not involve quite as much movement from A to B, being a rock drummer is said to have an equal amount of positive impact on the human body as playing a full 90-minute football match – and Blondie’s Clem Burke helped to prove it.
Of all instruments, drums arguably involve the greatest amount of physical exertion due to the fact that all four limbs are put to the task of keeping in time with one another and are constantly required to be moving. Of course, some drummers may take a more casual and laid-back approach to their craft, rarely ever entering the higher thresholds of beats per minute, but players such as Burke display huge amounts of stamina and energy in their performances, never missing a beat and keeping a fast-paced rhythm going at all times.
When Burke participated in Blondie’s reunion in 1998, one of the band’s first UK shows took place at the London Lyceum, and in attendance was Professor Marcus Smith, a doctor of Applied Sport and Exercise Science from the University of Chichester. He may have only initially attended the show as a fan, but he came away from the performance in awe of Burke’s ability to maintain an energetic backbeat and couldn’t help but compare it to studies completed in his own line of work, having just recently conducted a study with the Great Britain Olympic boxing team.
Smith reached out to Burke after the show to see if he’d be interested in participating in a study exploring the psychological and physiological effects of drumming in a rock band, specifically comparing the demands of a one-off performance to those of a full tour. Burke agreed and went on to dedicate the next eight years to assisting Smith with the research.
His heart rate and breathing patterns were monitored across several dates of Blondie 1999 tour, and revealed that his heart rate could range from anywhere between 140 and 190 beats per minute over the course of a 90-minute performance, which is comparable to that of a top athlete. Similarly, the exertion involved in drumming for this amount of time meant that Burke was able to lose approximately 400-600 calories per hour.
These figures may seem high, but when you consider that at the highest level, athletes such as professional footballers are only ever playing two or three games a week at most, to think that Burke was doing this every night for four months, it suddenly puts into perspective just how high his fitness levels needed to be.
After the study was completed, Burke would continue to collaborate with Smith and another professor in the field, Steve Draper, and formed the Clem Burke Drumming Project, which continued with further scientific research into the health benefits of drumming.
He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Gloucestershire in 2011, commending him for not only his illustrious career in music but also for his outstanding contributions to helping understand the relationship between drumming and human sciences. Not only that, but the university set up the world’s first ‘drumming laboratory’ with Burke’s assistance, which has been used to monitor other professional drummers and the physical and psychological effects that their profession has on them.
While Burke was celebrated for having been an incredible drummer and songwriter, it’s often forgotten that his contributions to the craft went far beyond his achievements on record and live, and this example of how he spent the latter years of his life involving himself in pioneering research is testament to how important he truly is.
