“Hard to figure out”: Tool drummer Danny Carey discusses his favourite John Bonham parts
Like many musical aficionados growing up, Tool’s Danny Carey listened to The Beatles. There was something in there that tapped into his internal love for the art, but its perceived maturity failed to strike a chord. One day, one of his friends’ older brothers put on a Led Zeppelin record. From that moment, the drummer forged a connection with John Bonham that would last a lifetime.
Whether or not the career-defining “light bulb moment” is a myth, Carey undeniably experienced his upon hearing Zeppelin for the first time. Listening to The Beatles signified his first foray into the musical realm as a form of art, but hearing the stadium rock pioneering quartet showed him what a real trailblazing drummer could be.
Loaded with a brand new drum kit, Carey absorbed everything Bonham had to offer like a primed school kid, taking in the genius at the core of albums like Psychical Graffiti and Houses of the Holy and, of course, songs like ‘When the Levee Breaks’. Although the drummer would eventually graduate to bands like Yes and Genesis, it was Bonham’s talent that laid the groundwork for his forthcoming successes.
In his relentless search to emulate the late great drummer, Carey would listen to parts of songs, tirelessly trying to pick apart the different aspects of their structure. ‘Four Sticks’, according to the Tool drummer, stood out particularly “because it was really hard to figure out.” However, the album that showcases Bonham with “stuff that hit me harder than anything else,” consequently “my favourite Zeppelin record by far,” is Physical Graffiti.
Discussing the album, the drummer singles out ‘Custard Pie’ and ‘The Wanton Song’, explaining to Ultimate Guitar that these were real “hard rock” tracks that “really hit home for me.” The album also became guitarist Jimmy Page’s favourite Zeppelin record, who described it as the band at the peak of their creativity. As a group that pioneered the expansive nature of the album and stadium rock, it’s no surprise at all that Physical Graffiti left a lasting mark on Carey and countless other aspiring drummers.
During a time when grunge, pop punk, and alternative music were taking off at unprecedented speeds, Tool’s approach to hard rock and heavy metal ensured that these genres still had a place among the industry’s newest contenders. Taking influences from bands like Zeppelin meant that albums like Undertow could flourish, opening doors for other acts to follow suit.
Tool may have encountered their share of controversies, but this reinstated metal’s ability to be aggressive and intelligent. Earlier rock provided the tools to reach the next level, but bands like Tool injected this with a new kind of creativity that went against the grain of what was popular at the time. It might not have been everybody’s cup of tea, but that was precisely the point.
Listen to the remastered version of ‘Custard Pie’ below.
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