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Ginger Baker

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Anyone see 'Beware Mr Baker', the 2012 biographical documentary about drummer Ginger Baker which was shown on't'telly last night?

I admired his work with Cream and Blind Faith back in the day. But, while I know how skewed an image a film-maker can create, I hadn't realised what an arsehole he was to the people around him. He seems to be a really unpleasant bloke, even allowing for very selective editing.
 colinakmc 08 Jul 2015
In reply to Sceptical :

Jack Bruce spoke in the BBC documentary a couple of years ago about Baker making him leave a band ( the Graham Bond Organisation, I think) at knifepoint. Made Bruce a bit apprehensive about joining Cream.
 Jim Walton 08 Jul 2015
In reply to Sceptical Bastard:

Yes I was surprised at what a complete selfish arsehole he came across as. A thoroughly sinister man.

Great drummer though.
 nathan79 08 Jul 2015
In reply to Sceptical Bastard:

Great drummer but infamous arsehole. Been meaning to get around to seeing the doc. Was it on a poor man's channel with online catch-up or a rich man's channel?
In reply to Sceptical Bastard:

I watched it last night on youtube and found it compulsive viewing. A great drummer (though I was never keen on his style) but he is a complete wanker though thoroughly entertaining!
 The Pylon King 08 Jul 2015
In reply to Sceptical Bastard:

Yeah a great Documentary. Yep, defo a prize c*nt of the greatest magnitude although the greatest often are, thank god!
Lusk 08 Jul 2015
In reply to Pylon King Against Capit@lism:

That's what I thought.
I like what he did in Africa before becoming a Polo ponce!
Need to watch it again to see why he had to high tail out of there in his LandRover.
 The Pylon King 08 Jul 2015
In reply to Lusk:

Yeah the stuff he was doing in Africa was amazing.
 dek 08 Jul 2015
In reply to Pylon King Against Capit@lism:

It was funny when Clapton was asked, if Moon and Bonham were in the same league as Ginger?!
In reply to dek:

That cracked me up too!
 dek 09 Jul 2015
In reply to Nicholas Livesey:

> That cracked me up too!

It's like the old joke ...."Who's that weird little cnut, always hanging around the band"?














"He's the drummer"....
abseil 09 Jul 2015
In reply to dek:

> It's like the old joke ...."Who's that weird little cnut, always hanging around the band"?

It reminded me of John Lennon's quip in reply to the comment that Ringo was the best drummer in the world, "Ringo? He's not even the best drummer in the Beatles...".
 Al Evans 09 Jul 2015
In reply to abseil:

I think Ginger Baker was a racing cyclist, and the rest of the band were not, hence the name of the album Disraeli Gears
abseil 10 Jul 2015
In reply to Al Evans:

Thanks for that - I didn't know that.
 graeme jackson 10 Jul 2015
In reply to Al Evans:

> I think Ginger Baker was a racing cyclist, ....
Good shout Al...I was all set to cry 'bollocks' till I did some googling.....
http://violetcrown.org/blog/ginger-baker-was-a-bicycle-racer

Removed User 10 Jul 2015
In reply to graeme jackson:

Good link, and good to see Zappa in there even if he is playing the bike rather than riding it. Here is another Zappa-cycle connection: http://lakeside-bikes.com/about/pegoretti-big-leg-emma-pg954.htm


Re the Baker film, yep, seen it, what a staggeringly bitter and unpleasant old bastard, seemingly in complete contrast to his former band mates. Cream were a cut above.
 veteye 10 Jul 2015
In reply to Sceptical Bastard:

I remember hearing of Mr Baker fighting with either Jack Bruce or Eric Clapton whilst Cream were on the road, but I was only young at the time and cannot remember much about it.
Yes a bloody good drummer, but John Hiseman was far better.
 John2 10 Jul 2015
In reply to veteye:

Watch the program and you'll learn the reality of his fight with Jack Bruce.
 veteye 10 Jul 2015
In reply to John2:

I will when I can. I'm intrigued.
andymac 12 Jul 2015
In reply to Sceptical Bastard:

Watched this last night on YouTube.

Bloody hell! What a man!

Hope know other musicians have interrupted his drum solos.

Always sad when there's bitterness and resentment between members of great bands like that (Cream).

Obviously, a lot of it probably to do with Ginger not being in on the Royalties ,and also a Titanic clash of egos.

Get the impression ,at the same time ,that Jack Bruce would perhaps not have been the easiest man to work with.

Reading Jack's wiki afterwards ,it was nice to see that when all was said and done , Ginger went to his old comrades funeral. and left a nice tribute on Facebook.
andymac 14 Jul 2015
In reply to Sceptical Bastard:

Thanks to you ,I am now studying the equivalent of a PhD on Ginger.

Factoid;

Did you know that the swordsman that is Ginger Baker enchanted the ladies so much ,that Germaine Greer went back to his place after one of his nuclear drumming performances.

Ginger Baker IS a legend.
In reply to andymac:

> ... Ginger Baker enchanted the ladies so much ,that Germaine Greer went back to his place ...

Gawd! I didn't know that. Who'd've thought it?.

But it seems to be true (at least as far as Ginger is concerned):
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/ginger-baker...

"At a 1969 BBC concert in Shepherds Bush, he caught the eye of Germaine Greer, then 30, in the audience. Unaware that he was pulling the about-to-be-published author of The Female Eunuch, he took her home...She wasn't kinky at al ... just straight, normal, man and woman... She's a really nice girl, Germaine. I've always thought the world of her."

The article also includes this: "I could always play, whether I was totally pissed or totally stoned. You either got it or you haven't." And that, all through his life, is the burden of Baker's song: he always had the talent and musicianship, while around him musical morons came and went and he never received the recognition he craved.


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