Virgil Donati - drumtalk [episode 40]
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- Опубліковано 16 сер 2018
- If you like this episode please consider supporting me on patreon: / drumtalk
more info on drumtalk: www.drumtalk.eu/
more info on Virgil: virgildonati.com/
Finally after years of schedule problems Australian drummer extraordinaire Virgil Donati sat down with me one evening on the banks of the river Main in my hometown Frankfurt/Germany to discuss his approach to drumming. This was shot while he was on tour with fellow drummer Thomas Lang. I loved every second of this intimate chat and I'm very glad to call him a friend! Thank you Virgil and Oliver Laux for making this happen!
![Dave Lombardo - drumtalk [episode 31]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RmFtSubwEBI/mqdefault.jpg)
![Dave Lombardo - drumtalk [episode 31]](/img/tr.png)
![Tomas Haake (Meshuggah) - drumtalk [episode 50]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ba2X4r12lv4/mqdefault.jpg)
Those drumtalks are the crazy shit. The questions, the sourrounding, the lightning, atmosphere. This dude should make films, pub clips, music videos. Absolute outstanding work. The best interviews I have ever seen everywhere. This is big cinema. Congrats.
Hey Dave, thank you so much for your comment! I'm really flattered to say the least. Being an art historian and film scholar I'm still struggeling to get a proper film network where I live. Not the easiest thing obviously but I'm working on it...
Agreed these are incredible quality both in content and presentation!! Thank you for allowing us to witness the wisdom given by all these masters.
I got to see Virgil with Planet X sometime back around 2003 and my best friend and I snuck in early to see the soundcheck. After 20 minutes or so of the band working through a few songs they all stopped but Virgil kept playing for another 20 minutes by himself,just shredding time and space. My friend and I stood mouths agape at the most impressive display of mastery on an instrument I had ever experienced. After smacking his last hit he proclaimed "these skins sound terrible" and started removing them, catching my eye and asking me if I wanted them. Ya I'm f'in serious, how awesome is this guy. I split the 6 skins with my buddy and Virgil proceeded to sign all of them with a personalized message. Still got them all to the day and the concert that followed that night was mindblowing (this was Macalpine/Sherinian/Fierabacci era).
Great to see that same humble and introspective Virgil I saw on that day here in this interview!
This video feels like I climbed up the hymalaya and finally found the wise man at the top.
I Idolize this Man's Style of Play! He is, Hands Down The Best Technical Drummer I Have Ever Heard. As are Many More People I Am Sure I Haven't Heard Yet...Maybe? This Man has To Be Almost OCD about his Notation and it's Translations to His Drums .....This man is nearly a Drum God, To Me Anyways... Good Sir, I Bid You Good Day Speed,Rock On ..
"I'm prepared to take the risk" - this is THE MOST important thing for being successful at pretty much any craft and definitely shows in Virgil's career. If you always just stick to what you know or what you're comfortable with, how can you possibly ever learn anything and grow?
The greatest drummer alive! His approach and strength as a drummer still blows my mind to this day. A complex mind and style that strikes fear in the hearts of musicians of any instrument
What an interview. Virgil is in a league of his own. It's rare to see someone with such skill be humble ebough to listen to an interviewer ask questions and not simply be "waiting for his turn to talk". He has a lot to teach us but is so down to earth about it.
Additionally I love your B&W videos, It makes the focus on what they're saying.
Playing for 56 years! I thought for sure he was in his late 40s.
A truly inspiring musician - I just love his approach to life and music. Thank you again, Philipp, for the wonderful interview.
That's higher thinking & drumming awareness, all together in the realm of true philosophical intelligence. It also shows in all these wonderful people commenting. Brilliant. & A++ for this fantastic interview production.
Virgil Donati 30 years ago was insanely talented. Can't imagine now. We used to go to the Grainstore in Melbourne and just freak out.
I went every weekend to the grain store to see him play. Awesome
There's no way Virgil legitimately could have lost the beat during that Dream Theater audition. This guy is a fucking beast, that audition was a paid reality show.
it was rigged for mangini from the start. just a stupid marketing stunt. hated it.
Dream Theater creatively is on much lower level. All I saw in their eyes, when they played with him was fear.
Loved this!
What a great interview.
Virgil seems to be one of the most down to earth musicians I've seen talking
Not gonna lie... kept waiting for his eyelids to blink horizontally... like at the beginning of Men in Black 1.
Lol!!! 🤣
"Sometimes I'll play a bad solo just because I don't want to play the same thing again"........BAD SOLO........hahaha NOTHING is bad that comes out of that man. A truly musical and dynamic drummer. Or as I like to call him.....an ALIEN. So smooth and flawless in my book. One of my faves. Great interview Drumtalk!
lol I thought exactly the same thing when he said that XDD he's truly flawless
What a guy... this guy is such an inspiration even if Im not playing drums anymore; his mindset can be applied to every aspects of your life!
I think Virgil's idea of playing a bad solo may well be my idea of the best solo I could ever manage to play ;)
you seem to think quite highly of your skills
5:11 Yet ironically spoken by one of the beastest drummers out there. This is kinda like when your extremely good looking friend tells you that the secret to women is "just to be yourself."
This is the best drummer of all time right here.
The camerawork and lighting in this one are just brilliant. Also love how you captured the background murmur in the park. These are little things but they have a profound effect on how the interview feels. Keep up the great work!
thanks a lot Mansur! I like how moody the whole piece finally turned out. in postproduction I tried to aim for the look of early European urban photography like Atget etc. And since Virgil talks about his life here in great detail, the people in the background undermine this "life" perfectly. One very remarkable shooting for many reasons
@@drumtalkofficial amazing.!!!
This interview with Virgil is excellent. Everything from the atmosphere to the inspirational words. It really makes you like the guy that much more.
There’s so few people on the entire planet that are as good as Virgil is, in any discipline. In terms of cognition, internalising concepts and muscle memory and unique inspired in-the-moment expression, and sheer perseverance, so few humans even have the level of insight into human processes and can comment on them in the way Virgil can, which actually makes his perspectives very valuable beyond the drums.
Australia's own. Great interview. Thank you.
Virgil... SUCH an AWESOME drummer... legendary drummer! An inspiration! The concept of sacrifice, about take off your ego... it's incredible true! Thanks for this wonderful interview!!!
I think Virgil is to drums what Allan Holdsworth was to guitar. Never satisfied with where they are/were on the instrument. Always wanting to get to that next level. Virgil is miles ahead of the average drummer. He's a treat to listen to and to try and figure out! Great interview. Thanks for sharing!
yeah, i play both instruments and i can't understand most of what these two are doing so that makes sense. loved to see virgil in allan's band. only seen holdsworth live once but at least i managed to catch that tour
Spot on = you can't run a Melbourne cup every Day thank you for your contribution+ work of your instrument 🥁🥁🥁👍✌️
Inspiration!!!! A true genius, artist and warrior!
Pousser aussi loin le développement de la batterie représente un énorme travail ! Virgil et quelques autres batteurs font progresser l'instrument et le font évoluer ...on leur doit beaucoup , tout simplement l'existence continue de notre instrument ! BRAVISSIMO CHER VIRGIL ! FRIENDSHIPS !
What a great interview. Virgil is so articulate and humble. What he says makes so much sense.
The effort he has put in to get where he is today is incredible. He is a truly amazing human being.
I enjoyed this very much, Virgil is out of this world. Thank you! Cheers from Argentina! 🍻
I hope THOMAS LANG will also be interviewed :)
Thanks to Drumtalk for all these interesting interviews of great drummers.
thank you so much Andrey! the next season is in postproduction right now!
I love this guy.
His brilliance comes out through his humility and ability to communicate as well as his expressions on drums.
The very first thing about strength worth the whole video. Beatiful.
Awe inspiring musician,when I see him play live,I am full of positive energy and always want to race back home and practice.
What a great interview, one of my favorite drummers. Thanks for sharing!! Beautifully shot too :)
thank you David! I absolutely love how it's getting darker and darker in this one
this is maturity! big inspiration
real talk is, virgil has reached the alien mode level of drumming. the guy is a living legend among us and he who knows music will tell that his approach is from another planet. there is non out there who can match him in complexity terms. I'm definitely following his steps and studying him constantly, he's got so much to teach us.
That opening song is the kind of music my brain comes up with but I don't actually understand it
After spending some time with Virgil Donati in Port Elizabeth, South Africa during his SA tour, I was truly inspired by him and his ideas. This interview just confirmed all those talks I've had with him. What an insightful human being he is. And great sense of humour. Thank you for this interview and many others in the past and future. Looking forward to many more.
Amazing drummer, Amazing Musician and Truly an Amazing person!.... He is such a beast in the drums!... Thank you drumtalk for another great interview as always!.. Cheers from a venezuelan drummer!
What a great interview with a genious drummer. If I already considered him a fantastic musician, now after this interview I see him as such a great person too.
Virgil, you da man!!! Probably the finest drummer alive. Ring of Fire was insane. Cheers!
Thank your for this great interview !
Moonbabies is still one of my favorite albums
mine is In This Life
Just as Buddy Rich set the standard of what is possible on drums for the last generation, Virgil is expanding the limits for this next generation. Some young drummer is going to take these ideas as a starting point and set the standard for a future generation.
Virgil is the emperor of polyrhythm.
Nurhachi is the emperor of mantšu dynasty
Thanks again, drumtalk, for interviewing yet another of my many heroes.
I absolutely love this interview
Man, the production on this is great. Content is awesome as well. Very Cool
So inspiring to see Virgil keep evolving as a musician and as a person... Virgil over the past few months watching your videos of recent performances and projects has totally re-lit a fire inside me.. thank you!
Oh my god what a gem of a channel I've stumbled upon *.*
thank you! what took you so long? :-)
I blame UA-cam algorithms.
I'm just glad to be here now. Those talks are so good to just relax and listen and have your mind blown vigorously by how awesome these people are.
What a great interview! Congrats!
hey Alex! Danke vielmals!
Doofes Timing als Du letztes Mal in Frankfurt gespielt hast, wäre echt gerne gekommen! cheers/Phil
I watched you at Little Drummer Boy in Shreveport, LA many years ago. You were amazing back then also. You really inspired me to actually get good at drums. Listening to you, it almost brought tears to my eyes bc it was so good. You will always be one of my favorites.
Subscribed! Unbelievable work dude! These vids are the best! Thanks 🙏
thanks a bunch James! There's more great stuff to come, I promise!
I was expecting a interview about drums and music, but it is so much more than that. It's about life.
check out that piece with him on his Dawn of Time record. it's equally interesting what he has to say
Wonderful interview, great material guys! Congratulations!
thxalot Jack!!!
This guy is a true artist in so many ways what I am learning as I try to improve my musicianship the spirit within is universal regardless of background culture the search is the same who dares win may the search continue ❤️
awesome channel, you are doing a great job.
thanks man! love to do this!
Great comments ,thank you.
Vigel your awesome, what a mega musician and human being. ❤️
Great interview. He is for sure one of the most technical drum set players on this planet. He is an alien.
David Michaelsen he is not o ly an alien but he also looks like one🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾
This guy is from another planet!!!
very nice ,thank you
Finally. Virgil one of the best
Una vez don famularo dijo que virgil era un ser de otro planeta que había llegado a la tierra en una nave, 10 años después sigo pensando que es la mejor de las definiciones. Thanks drumtalk.
You ARE a beast...of a musician
Phenomenal drummer
Key Point: Mental Strength 1:05 His mind is key
Very inspirational Interview, thank you!
The clinic in frankfurt was great. And very powerful.
Imagine Virgil and Thomas rimshotting unisono, amplified, in a small room.
I still feel it in my bones.
thanks a lot Marcel! that clinic day was indeed incredible to witness
to fucking wholesome for this earth
Mental strengh. That's it.
+ Genius vision
Virgil Donati monstro eita pegaaaa toop lembra-se bateras unidos jamais serão vencidos 🥁👍
Awesome!!
brilliant
virgil a great musician
Virgil is the man.
thanxxx friend
Thank you so much for your work at Drumtalk. I was wondering if these live clips edited in of Virgil are on UA-cam?
In this Life, Eleven & Kingdom are on this channel. The footage with Thomas Lang is the only bit I was allowed to release
Such a genius
News flash Virgil - you are THE BEAST - even in ppp cymbal jazz cymbal fills. Not A beast. THE beast
Beautiful. Virgil looks great for a 60 years old. I`m not even gonna go into his playing....
this man is a genius
Genius.
greaaaat intervieeewww!!
Would love to ask Virgil a few questions sometime
He's like an alien with a beanie in the thumbnail 👽
Me thinks the world is starting to catch up to Virgil....and it's about time.
I first became aware of Virgil donati in 1987 when he had a mullet so I tried too grow one but it didn't quite work out instead of business at the front and a party at the back mine was business at the front and chaos and confusion at the back
I first saw and heard him around that time, at a drum show in Orlando of Tampa. No one had heard of him and everyone was there to hear Tony Williams. Unfortunately for Tony, Virgil played first. People were stunned by Virgil's playing. A year later I saw him again and he had improved, and another 2 yrs. later, he'd improved again. It's like there are no limits to his playing.
Would love to ask Virgil a few questions
Virgil Donati. One of today's best drummer, musician and technical minds still consider the OGs like Allan Holdsworth as one of the best (best of all time). This makes him a beyond omega (otaku reference) human being for being such a humble person but also, at the same time, a monster musician/drummer.
Very well conducted, insightful interview. Kudos!
thanxalot!!! very much appretiated
❤
This may seem a bit intrusive but I 'm curious. Does Virgil and Jo Jo Meyer, sort of pursue their craft and no have family , partner as their craft is so demanding? Both have recently talked about getting older and making changes and I wondered if this meant wanting more of a personal life?
Personally I think sometimes greatness involves huge sacrifice and I wonder if Virgil sees it this way. Steve Wilson the Prog musician talks about sacrifice for his art. Great interview.
I'd like to know when he got his his first drumset ? Was he in school band ? Etc. 🇺🇸
He was 3
👍
VIRGIL IS THE GOAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Virgil's the "hardest" drummer in the scene.
Virgil is like listening Jug Judas Priest album . Or nostradamus in a different style , but the approach and even the guitar work is still fresh and advance. .
Drums obviously ...
Most comments , Virgil is one of todays drummers , but the guy is over 60 and active since 1976 as professional . He is from the old school .
Like Priest is from 1969 , not the 1980's or Nwobhm.
But like they improved , people mistaking some things .
Virgil still one of the best today is a better formulation .
To me is even always 2 th centuries ahead us haha
What band is he drumming in at the very start?
Virgil Donati Group 2016 from his solo record "In this Life" -- check out plenty of songs from that show on my channel
If there is an alien with high IQ and musical instinct in drumming world, then Virgil is it.