This question is for Roger.  Firstly, I’d like to thank you for teaching me to play the drums.  How’s that you may ask?  Well, when I was a wee lad (about 10), banging on my mum’s pots & pans, my parents spotted the budding John Bonham in me and sent me off to join a Marching Band.  That didn’t really work, ‘cos I wanted to be a PROPER drummer.  The problem was I didn’t have a clue how to play.  So, with the aid of the 1981 Hammersmith Odeon concert I had on video, I just watched and listened to what you did and copied your moves.  I watched and tapped along to that video almost every day until my parents finally gave in and bought me my first real kit.  So, a couple of years latter, after further tuition from the Arena concert video, and without ever having a lesson, I passed my Grade 7 Percussion in School.  I ended up doing the usual jamming and youth-club gigs with my friends when I was about 16 or 17, but when I moved away to University, I had to leave my kit at home.  While I was at Uni, I played several times at the Acid-Jazz Night (free-for-all) at Poo Nah Nah in Oxford.  Now, I’m a 31 year-old Civil Engineer, but I still play and it makes me very happy that I can.

Thanks, for the inspiration and the lessons; I hope you don’t want to charge me for them?  Anyway, to my question – At the concert at the CIAin Cardiff back in April, did you notice the 20-foot shadow of you projected on the wall by one of the lights behind you?  It was there during most of theconcert and we could watch you playing in detail; it was cool.  Also, those Tama SC drums you were using sounded superb, especially the toms; do you use any affect on your drum sound or is it natural?  If it is natural, I’m going to trade in my Premier APK for set of Star Classic’s!  Great to see you back!  Leigh,
from Barry, South Wales.

"Thanks Leigh....yes the Starclassic is a great kit and I would definitely recommend it... i didn't notice my shadow during the Cardiff show but then again I do miss quiet alot of whats going on around me during the show as I try to remain completely focused on my playing throughout the performance as I find that drummers mistakes are very noticable and can tend to completely throw the rest of the band so I try very hard not to make too many! as far as I know our sound man Snake Newton uses the natural sounds of the kit for most of the show but he tells me that he does use lots of gated ambience and reverb on the kit for 'View to Kill' to replicate the sound on the record.RT"