Season 5 Episode 8 | John Lingan | Marching to the Beat of Many Drummers

Had the pleasure of sitting down with John Lingan on Some Things Considered to talk about his new book, Backbeats: A History of Rock and Roll in 15 Drummers — and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

A few highlights from our conversation:

* Drummers are the perfect lens for understanding rock history: feel, time, culture, and collaboration all live at the kit.

* John Bonham vs. Charlie Watts isn’t about better or worse — it’s about how radically different approaches shape a band’s identity.

* Ringo Starr remains one of the most misunderstood musicians in rock history: subtle, musical, indispensable.

* James Brown’s drummers, especially Clyde Stubblefield, changed music forever — while also exposing some of the industry’s deepest moral failures.

* Unsung innovators like Moe Tucker expanded what rock music could sound like by breaking rules that didn’t need to exist.

* Great drumming isn’t about flash; it’s about feel — sometimes the most restrained performances carry the most emotional weight.

* Writing about music well means honoring mystery while still making craft accessible and joyful.

Backbeats isn’t just about drummers. It’s about rhythm as storytelling — and how music history is built, one beat at a time.

MORE ABOUT JOHN LINGAN

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