I met him last week in Leeds having drummed for bootleg blondie ...what a racket he makes. I was eight feet from his drumkit! He came to meet fans five minutes after the show and was still there thirty minutes later..what a gent.
Some years back I saw them twice in two consecutive nights in Dublin. On the second night, in the bar some time before the gig, he recognised me and my friend from having been right up at the front of the stage the previous night when he handed me his drumsticks. Came over to talk to us. A really good man,
As a drummer for 41 of my 52 years of life , I consider this guy one of my faves. He's fun to watch play...a lot of drumemrs these days are not. This guy actually seems to be enjoying himself....and while his style may seem basic , it's anything but. He brings just enough flash to keep things interesting but not so much that it steps all over the other musicians' toes...nor does it distract from the melody of the song. Plus I hear he's a really nice and humble person off stage.
+GitarStu Totally agree with you two. Plus hes a handsome looking man. Something drummers dont get a lot of the times.Hes an Icon..As for this gig hes flawlessley playing but Blondies not hitting those high notes no more.Not the same sadly
Queston: trying to play some Blondie songs on my e-drum-kit (appartment building) I noticed that imho Clem Burke has not the standard drumkit. He has only one big tom mounted and has two big tom on his right. Then there is also an extra snare on the left. Can you say something about the toms and the extra snare?
I never get tired of this track! turning 50 soon and it takes me right back to day I first heard it. those drums are brilliant. in twenty years I'll still be digging it.
I agree. I'm 53, been drumming in bands for over 35 yrs and I can honestly say CLEM IS A BEAST! THIS is Not easy when you get older! Clem is a hurricane!
I went to see Blondie in 1977 in Melbourne when they toured Australia, I was 14 years old and I have never been the same since. As a up and coming young drummer, seeing Clem beat the living shit out of his drum kit, and more importantly looking he was loving doing it , I remember it like it was yesterday Thanks for the memories and making me the musician i am today
Clem is an absolute beast behind the kit, absolutely astonishing skills. He lays down that groove like no other. Blessing to get to still watch him do his magic!
Clem always seems to play twice as many notes as any other drummer and I love how he energizes the music and drives it forward. So much fun to listen to!
Clem Burke is an amazingly good drummer. If you listen to their records, he adds little fills (especially on the hi-hat) that are difficult enough to play, but he's consistent throughout the song and then he reproduces it perfectly live.
@@debboo69 Absolutely. I wouldn't say he was lucky to play with them as well as Blondie because he's obviously that good, but he's got to feel happy about getting to play with such fantastic songwriters / performers. Lightning striking twice, if you will.
Sabatinitennis ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8a2BF44HwFk.html His kit is in front of Debbie. When do you ever see that in a band?? It’s for good reason 🤘🏻
The drum take they used of that song was actually not supposed to be used-they were still just setting up sounds in the studio and running through the song to see how the drum kit sounded. That’s why he’s so busy and playing so many rolls-he’s making sure to play the entire kit for the benefit of the engineer, so he can get sounds and set levels on ALL of the drums. He says that when he went into the control room to hear how it sounded, they all couldn’t help but notice the insane energy in that raw test track...and decide keep it as the master take. Cool, right?
Awesome that the camera is on Clem the whole time. Very rare for anyone to focus on the drummers and that is what I always like to see, being one. Debbie walking by towards the last part was such a plus 😍
Clem is simply still the best rock drummer around. What I love about him (and was frequently slack-jawed watching his performance with Debbie in Auckland -- including the standard performance tricks: like high stick throws & catches and spins mid-song, as well as his frequent striking the drums from behind the head -- a la Animal) is how effective & powerful simplicity, combined with throwing oneself totally emotionally and physically into every song, can be.
clem is a legend he's the reason I got into drumming saw him on telly nye 1979 playing a red sparkle premier drum kit true showman stick twirling aswell always go to see blondie on tour in the UK just to watch the man in action.One of the best pop/rock drummers in my opinion worth ticket money just to see him ..looks like he's left handed aswell ?
He is left handed. I never knew that until recently. I met him at Tearaways gig in Glasgow, had a pint and a long chat with him, he said he was a leftie. What a lovely guy he was too. Told him I used to play along to Blondie records when I was a kid, trying to teach myself to play and that he's one of my drumming heroes. He's great with the fans. A really lovely guy.
As a long-time fan of Blondie (the band, not the woman), I have always appreciated the drumming of Clem Burke . . . who pounds the songs through so well.
I have met Clem twice after gigs and he'll make time to speak (and listen) to fans, sign things and have photos with him. He is a smart and decent chap and in no way a show-off or prima-donna. His drumming drove Blondie to another level - any proof of this if needed can be seen in the video of "Dreaming" - streuth, who laid that manic drumming down? - what a superb example of the art of drumming!
Oh, she knows. I think they had a drummer in late 73 for a few gigs ,but then Clem shut the tour. Debbie always knew it. In their early gigs, you can catch Debbie staring at his drumming when she wasn't singing and post 1999, she would yell his name after exceptional drumming .
just like Copeland, always takes drumming to somewhere different instead of playing safe, clems brilliant drumming was easily evident way back in the 70s
Clem Burke is a class act all round. Amazing drummer, I saw him last month doing a tour with UK tribute band Bootleg Blondie for charity, came out and signed posters, chatted, the whole package, not a hint of ego.
Burke playing away at that weird kit back in the late seventies in NYC. He had his hair in a sixties mod style that the other bands of the era soon wore.
