The artist Ginger Baker thought was a complete moron
Asking someone which four people they would invite to a dinner party, dead or alive, really says a lot about them. And you may think, as a music journalist, my picks would be populated by the likes of Mick Jagger or Elton John, but you would be wrong. No, I know that the musicians I hold dear would most likely be people difficult to break bread with, so I stand by my choice of Roy Keane times four.
Because in music, greatness requires some level of ego. Let’s face it, standing in front of tens of thousands of screaming fans is no ordinary experience. After several shows experiencing that sensation, it’s inevitable that your brain’s hardwiring will alter and you will become somewhat twisted, fuelled by an inescapable sense of self-importance.
Truthfully speaking, it’s that ego that makes the very best performers. They reach something onstage that we mere mortals, trapped in the insecurities of normal living, could never understand, and through them, we understand what confidence feels like. That’s what made James Brown so irresistible to watch, but borderline unbearable to tour with.
On one fateful night, Mick Jagger stood on the side of the stage, watching Brown move around, commanding his band and the crowd with mercurial ease, inspiring the young Briton down a path of performative immortality. When Jagger grew into himself and became a more confident performer, he took the blueprint of what Brown laid down and made it even more rock and roll, becoming one of the most captivating frontmen in music history.
But in the world of music purism, Jagger’s moves didn’t fit. Sure, the fan screams grew louder, but the mutterings of traditionalists grew a little more irritating. But for Cream drummer Ginger Baker, it wasn’t mutterings so much as outright criticism. The legendary musician was well known for his dislike of the Stones, once saying, “I won’t go within ten miles of a Rolling Stones gig”.
His dislike for the band was largely rooted in what he thought of as a lack of musicianship, but don’t get that mistaken for a drummer-on-drummer attack. In fact, Charlie Watts was the only member he liked.
“I like Charlie, he’s a good friend since the old jazz days, and he’s perfect for the Stones. He got me a gig with Alexis [Korner’s Blues Incorporated], and I recommended him for the Stones. But I hate the Stones and always have done. Mick Jagger is a musical moron.”
Baker was the sort of musician who bridged the sensibilities of the past and present. His drumming style was deeply rooted in traditional jazz, helping to fuse it into a more modern brand of rock music. But he wasn’t doing that for anything other than his deep love of music.
However, the Stones came in and sent the idea of anti-establishment music to the moon, commercialising it through their captivating performance style. And Jagger was the epitome of that. He was great for how lovable and hateable he was in equal measures, but it just so happened that Baker invested more in the latter.
