That time Alex Van Halen told me which drummer first blew him away with style and feel

By Steve Newton

Everybody has their favourite all-time rock drummer.

Mine, for example, was the Who’s Keith Moon, who won me over forever with his frenzied work on Quadrophenia.

Many others point to the precise timekeeping of Led Zeppelin skinbasher John Bonham.

When I interviewed Alex Van Halen back in 1995 he told me that Moon and Bonham were two of his early drum gods, but that it was Cream’s Ginger Baker who really turned his crank.

Have a listen:

To hear the full audio of my 1995 interview with Alex Van Halen subscribe to my Patreon page, where you can eavesdrop on 500 more of my uncut, one-on-one conversations with musicians since 1982.