AEROSMITH Substitute Drummer JOHN DOUGLAS Says He Had "Six Hours To Learn About 16 Or 17 Songs Before Joining The Band On Stage"
June 16, 2020, 4 years ago
The first time John Douglas drummed with Aerosmith, he got a call at 2:30 in the afternoon letting him know that he had six hours to learn about 16 or 17 songs before joining the band on stage, reports Houston Chronicle.
“Time can sometimes be your enemy,” he says. “Having a lot of time can make you obsess about something like this. So having little time is an upside.”
Douglas has spent years working as a drum tech, and Aerosmith wasn’t even the first time he had to step behind the kit to help a band in need. When Frank Beard underwent an emergency appendectomy in 2002, Douglas stepped up from his work as drum tech to be the drummer in ZZ Top.
With Aerosmith, the gig ran a little longer: Drummer Joey Kramer was injured, and Douglas subbed for weeks, even playing with the band at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards.
“So that’s me,” Douglas says, “this drum tech guy from Montgomery, Texas, who played the Grammys with Aerosmith. Obviously I didn’t grow up wanting to be a drum tech. I wanted to be a drummer. So I was honored to fill some famous shoes in an iconic band.”
Read the full story at Houston Chronicle.
