Terry Keating on the Mystery, Feel, and Gear of John Bonham
About this episode
Terry Keating joins Ben Hilzinger to explore the intricacies of John Bonham's drumming style and gear in a lively discussion.
Welcome back to Drummers on Drumming, a podcast powered by Big Fat Snare Drum. Terry Keating of the Bonzolium YouTube channel joins the show for a deep, hilarious, and wildly passionate dive into the world of John Bonham. This is a re-airing of an older episode that originally centered around five less obvious Bonzo tracks. And yes, we do get there. But with Terry, the joy is in the detours. This conversation moves through Bonham’s feel, the mystery of his gear, Led Zeppelin’s live chemistry, the obsession around Ludwig drums and Paiste cymbals, the difference between human time and perfect time, and why Bonzo still feels almost impossible to fully explain. Terry is one of my favorite sources for anything Bonham-related. He brings the kind of energy that makes you want to go back and listen to Led Zeppelin with fresh ears. In this episode, we talk about: • Why The Song Remains the Same was Terry’s gateway into Bonham• Bonham’s swing, feel, and natural sense of time• Why Zeppelin likely never needed a modern click-track mindset• The difference between human time and quantized perfection• Why Bonham felt like the conductor of Led Zeppelin• The strange magic behind Bonham’s snare…
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