John Wackerman - The Wackerman Dynasty :: Ep 250 The Rich Redmond Show

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