About.com Heavy Metal Guide's Chad Bowar has issued a new interview with legendary drummer Gene Hoglan (FEAR FACTORY, MELDRUM, ex-STRAPPING YOUNG LAD). The following is an excerpt:

Q: When did you start drumming?

A: "I was banging on everything as a child. When I was 8 or 9 I became the baddest air drummer around. I was air drumming to bands like KISS and RUSH and CHEAP TRICK and AEROSMITH. If you can air drum a Rush song, as soon as you get a kit it will be pretty easy for you. When I finally got my first kit at age 13 I just had a natural aptitude for it. A lot of kids just bang on drums like Will Ferrell in Stepbrothers. They don’t know what they are doing. I felt like this was a calling."

Q: What about playing drums appealed to you?

A: "I didn’t have to learn any notes. You can just pound on things (laughs). In a beginning music class I was forced to take they only had violas and oboes. So I learned how to play the violin and viola, but it sucked. I just wanted to play drums. Most humans have an innate sense of rhythm. Rhythm has run my life.

My favorite rockers in all my favorite bands were drummers... Peter Criss and Alex Van Halen. Drums were just cool to play and guitars seemed intimidating. You can air drum the hell out of everything and then get on the kit and play it well. You can’t play a guitar like that."

Q: When you got your first kit did you start playing with bands?

A: "I was playing by myself for a few years. We lived a block from the junior high and I’d come home after school and start playing to Rush and ANVIL and RAVEN. A lot of other kids were just playing AC/DC drum riffs. So the kids that walked by would think ‘that dude’s not bad. He’s doing alright.’ It was trial by fire. You know half the school is walking past your house so you better get good. That’s how I developed, just jammed tons by myself.

My style was unorthodox because I’m ambidextrous. My main leading hand is my left hand so anyone that would try to teach me would say “you can’t play like that.’ And I’m like ‘why not, there don’t have to be any rules.’ It just fueled my fire."

Read the full interview here.