Ginger Baker, the legendary drummer for Cream, has never been accused of being short-winded. Listening to live jams, or Music Times' particular favorite, his epic solo during supergroup Blind Faith's "Do What You Like." Many look to Baker as the originator of the extended drum solo (even if it began with jazz percussionists much earlier). Baker's also notorious for not suffering fools lightly, a common theme during 2012's award-winning documentary Beware of Mr. Baker. Rolling Stone's Patrick Doyle had to deal with just that when interviewing the drummer last week.
Most of Doyle's questions, regarding why Baker does what he does or how something came to be, were answered with simple "because I do" or similar responses. Probably the most interesting thing to come out of the interview is the drummer's disrepute for just about every musical act, including some held in high regard by the rest of society.
The main victim: The Rolling Stones. Baker acknowledged that he was a good friend of Stones drummer Charlie Watts, but not to the extent that he thought he, or any of his bandmates, were good musicians. Instrumental talent aside, he also disagreed that they were good songwriters. He summed it up with the quote "I won't go within ten miles of a Rolling Stones gig," a fact that Watts seems to have acknowledged.
Other artists to take Baker's disdain? The Who, including Keith Moon, who according to Baker is not a very good drummer, despite Rolling Stone ranking him no. 4 all time (right behind Baker). Although not outright admitting to disliking Bob Dylan, he answers the yes/no question with "I'm not a big anybody fan."
Of course, Baker was even less merciful on modern acts. Some musicians were spared his insult however. Legendary jazz drummer Max Roach got Baker's approval, if offhand, and he admitted to enjoying the voices of R&B performers such as Kelly Rowland and Emeli Sandé.
