In this episode, Rich and Jim sit down with drummer, composer, and educator John Wackerman to talk about the Wackerman dynasty, from their band-director dad Chuck to brothers Chad, Bob, Brooks, and John’s own genre-hopping career.
John shares stories from the road and studio with Frank Zappa, Maynard Ferguson, Alan Holdsworth, Family Matters, Vegas headliners, and more. He breaks down his all-star drum duets project with Steve Gadd, Alex Acuña, Ronnie Tutt, Steve Smith, Terry Bozzio, Taylor Hawkins, and others, plus the origin story of DW Drums, a private masterclass with Stuart Copeland, and why discipline and reading still matter in a click-track world.
Timed Highlights
0:00 Show and sponsor intro
1:00 Jim on his son’s musical talent and parenting a creative kid
2:12 Rich on being an “overeducated rock drummer” and closet rocker
5:18 Mapping the Wackerman dynasty: Chuck, Chad, Bob, Brooks, and John
7:56 How the drum duets project was born and why Alex Acuña went first
12:12 The real DW Drums origin story: Drum Workshop, Camco, and the double pedal
16:00 Vegas era: Mandalay Bay, Zumanity, and drummer coffee hangs
21:12 Moving from L.A. to Vegas to Nashville and lifestyle tradeoffs
26:01 A half-day film-scoring masterclass at Stuart Copeland’s house
33:30 Recording Steve Gadd in Rochester when the SSL console dies
40:48 Maynard Ferguson’s band: 300 dates a year, buses, clinics, and survival
48:02 Growing up in a house full of drums, vibes, and serious practice
54:20 Their dad’s pioneering jazz program and what “passion” meant at home
1:03:00 Brooks’s journey from Bad For Good to Bad Religion to Avenged Sevenfold
1:10:20 Charts vs memory: how different drummers approach complex gigs
1:18:30 Drummers and cars: classic 911s, Audis, and gearhead confessions
1:32:40 John’s vegetarian routine, health, and daily fuel
1:40:52 Letting go of CDs and DVDs and living in a streaming world
1:49:05 John Wackerman Drum Academy plans and Rich’s clinic/tour schedule
1:52:10 Closing plugs, mugs, and where to find John online
Links:
The Rich Redmond Show site:
therichredmanshow.com
Rich Redmond:
richredmond.com
Podcast production:
itsyourshow.co
Drum-tensive study with Rich:
drumtensive.com
Guest:
johnwackerman.com