Drummer Wanted.
August 21, 2013 9:20 AM   Subscribe

Drummer Wanted: Dean Zimmer (slyt) is handicapable drummer living in Southern California that will blow you away.
posted by pwally (8 comments total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
1990 LATimes piece about the guy.
posted by yoink at 9:29 AM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


That dude is an AWESOME drummer.
posted by Rev. Syung Myung Me at 10:42 AM on August 21, 2013


All three of my boys are autistic. One of them was watching this over my shoulder. Here's the conversation that we had:

Son: "That's amazing!"
Me: "How do you think he does that?"
Son: "I have no idea. I can't even make Kraft Macaroni and Cheese right!"

I guess becoming a rock god will have to wait a bit.
posted by double block and bleed at 11:02 AM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


He really is a 'musical' drummer; that second break he played had me unable to sit still in my chair. Brilliant.
posted by BigHeartedGuy at 11:08 AM on August 21, 2013


Thanks for this. There are hundreds (thousands, probably) of 'awesome' drummers out there but this one, as the other drummer in the video says, obviously pays attention and plays from the heart. It's heartening, too, as the linked LA Times article shows, that – despite all the struggles – he's been at this for a long time without giving up.
posted by LeLiLo at 12:05 PM on August 21, 2013


Zimmer gets the audition, but not the job because, he said, band members are turned off by how long it takes him to set up his equipment. By himself, it takes him an hour to set up the drums; friends often help him.

Faster than most the pro guys I play with.
posted by zephyr_words at 12:54 PM on August 21, 2013


Fuckin' awesome. Drums are kind of unique in that the drummer often gets penalized for thinking. Those drummers who can play crazy things while they map out the next bits - I'm looking at you, Neil - that ain't right. What Dean's doing here is what you want a drummer to do - get it!
posted by petebest at 6:21 PM on August 21, 2013


I am so impressed by this man and his spirit.

The piece avoided being pitiful or condescending, breaking nicely from a perhaps unintended tone that often laces these topics. People can be accounted for by how they apply their minds according to their native abilities and circumstances. In that sense, Dean Zimmer is as actualized as anybody.

His drumming chops needn't be qualified ("oh he's great considering...") because he's actually good. His touch is delicate, power is dealt well, and he's playing in the beat-space with freedom and gusto. Fuck, he's better than a lot of drummers I know (including my former self) who have fully functioning limbs.

The stick strap is a curiosity; I'm wondering if he must have used those from his early days, or whether he had more dexterity in the past, because the stick grip is very fundamental to how you play. If he relearned his grip with the strap at some point, I'd be doubly impressed.
posted by troll at 7:15 PM on August 21, 2013


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