Ginger Baker: The “terrific” drummer who inspired Nick Mason to become a musician
For too long, people absent-mindedly labelled the drummer as the resident ‘dumb one’ of every rock band. Sure, in the hedonistic days of rock music, some drummers seemed like airheads compared to the rest of the band, but since then, there are intellectual people behind the skins who could probably go toe-to-toe with the most impressive musicians in the world. While every member of Pink Floyd was already known to have some musical experience under their belt, Nick Mason said that he got everything he knew by listening to Ginger Baker of Cream.
This is strange, considering Baker never even considered himself a rock and roll drummer. He had the chops to play any kind of music that anyone threw his way, but his approach to rock and roll seemed to be closer to jazz music most of the time, usually being found having that signature swing you would hear on big band arrangements.
He had the experience and chops of a seasoned pro, but when he got onstage, he seemed like a wild animal. John Bonham and Keith Moon have had their reputations of being wild men, but no one could touch Baker in his prime. He had his lighthearted side, but seeing him up onstage, leathering the crap out of his drums, he looked like a feral dog being let loose half the time.
For Mason, that kind of recklessness was wildly exciting, telling Planet Rock, “Absolutely terrific character. I wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for Ginger…I’d heard records, but I hadn’t seen them. The curtains went back, and there was Ginger, front rather than the back (of the stage). I think they started with ‘NSU’. And I just thought, ‘That is drumming. That’s what I’d like to do”.
Then again, maybe the fact that he set up his drums right at the front was one of the causes of friction between the power trio. Cream never claimed to get along famously, and the disagreements between Baker and Jack Bruce made them look like an old married couple that resorted to domestic arguments onstage rather than in private.
Although Mason may have adopted the drummer role in Pink Floyd shortly after this gig, his drumming was much more expansive than Baker did. Baker could lay down something tribal on ‘Sunshine of Your Love’, but the subdued performance Mason gives on ‘Set the Controls For the Heart of the Sun’ is far more interesting than hearing him play a sultry blues jam.
That’s not to say that Mason couldn’t throw down when he wanted to. Just look at his performance from the Live at Pompeii performance, and you will see a man completely unhinged, especially on the song ‘One of These Days’ where he loses a stick halfway through the song, grabs another one, and comes right back in on the beat without breaking a sweat.
While Mason would play with Pink Floyd off and on throughout his time in the band, Baker’s influence is present every time he sits behind the kit. The rest of Pink Floyd may not have been able to see the potential in Mason all the time, but his musical capabilities come down to the fact that he had an amazing teacher to learn from.
