 |
Web Exclusive Interview
McFly's Harry Judd
 McFly’s Harry Judd
MD: When did you start playing drums?
Harry: I started when I was sixteen, so I’ve been playing for four years now. I tried playing guitar when I was fourteen, but the teacher was only teaching me nursery rhymes. But two of my friends had a three-piece punk band, and when their drummer left, I went down to where they rehearsed and there was a drumkit, so I just sat down and sort of started tapping the snare and bass drum. They were really good friends and they thought it would be cool if I played drums. [laughs]
I can’t remember how many people were in my school, but out of like sixty or seventy people there were only one or two drummers. So, literally that night I emailed this guy I knew that played drums and I said, “Can you show me some things?” We used to have chapel on Sunday night, and just before chapel we would go up to this drum room and he’s teach me beats. I got obsessed quickly and I practiced a lot. But I spent the first year teaching myself, and just listening to music and trying to copy it. It wasn’t until I started proper lessons that I improved.
MD: Did you play along to records?
Harry: Yeah, sometimes, but mostly I’d just play the drums. And I used to go out and play with this band. Then later I joined another band at school where we started playing Red Hot Chili Peppers songs. At first it was kind of punk, just simple stuff, and then we started playing Rage Against The Machine, more of that kind of thing. I really enjoyed it. I have to admit, up until then I wasn’t very disciplined. I lived in a flat in London, and it was hard because I couldn’t have a drumkit, so I had an electronic kit, but I don’t find that to be the best thing to only practice on. Now I might sit in front of the TV just tap on a pillow for three or four hours.
MD: Can you read music?
Harry: No, I’ve never read drum music. I have a slight idea when I look at it, like, Okay, that’s the hi-hat. But I can’t sight-read.
Often kids say, I really want to play the drums, but then they get bored because their teacher teaches them really boring stuff. That’s what happened to me with the guitar. I wanted to start off rocking out.
I can teach a beginner some beats, and I find enjoyment in that. I always think that one day, hopefully, I’ll get to a point where I can be someone’s mentor. I love to teach people. Even at school, after I’d been playing, there was a friend of mine who I would show stuff to. I wasn’t the best teacher in the world, but I really enjoyed it. Recently I met this guy through a friend who just came out of Music College, studying jazz drumming. When we were rehearsing, he came over and we played for a few of hours, and he was breaking it all down for me. Since then I’ve been able to understand a little bit more.
MD: Who were some of your influences?
Harry: Before I played it would just be the melody of a song that would catch my attention. After I started to play, whenever I would go and see a show I would watch the drummer more. Travis Barker with Blink 182—I was a big fan of his. He’s phenomenal…. Chad Smith I love—also John Bonham, and I enjoy Ringo Starr’s drumming.
MD: Your band has some Beatles influence. How does it feel to break a Beatles chart record? Do you understand the impact of that here in America?
Harry: Yeah, I know. It’s weird. It is an honor and it’s amazing, but the thing is you want to be careful, because when they say that…
MD: …It’s almost a curse and hard to live up to.
Harry: Exactly. And the thing is, when we go places and do a TV show, or radio, they present us like, “The biggest phenomenon in England since the Beatles!” and it’s like, “Oh, man.” And then we find ourselves putting ourselves down, saying, “We’re not as good as them.” It’s ridiculous. You shouldn’t be compared to other successful bands.
MD: You’ve accomplished a lot, though—two number-1 records in England, a few Brit Awards, the movie with Lindsay Lohan. I’m happy to hear that you write your own songs, and you seem very tight as a band. Is it hard to balance everything?
Harry: It’s hard trying to position yourself. Do you kind of insist, “Hey we’re a rock band,” or the stick to the image of trying to capture a very young audience? We’re still young looking guys, so we’re not going to appeal to guys our age or older. So it’s a hard one.
MD: And you want to grow with your audience.
Harry: You do…and the thing that’s frustrating is that we’ve been out in England for two and a half years now, and people still think we don’t write our songs or play our own instruments. And every time we do a live show people are always coming up and going, “I can’t believe you guys actually play.”
MD: How did the whole thing come about with the movie?
Harry: I think the director was looking for a band for the film, and he happened to come to England when we had a number-1 single.
MD: How did the band come together?
Harry: Our guitarist and singer, Tom, auditioned for a band called Busted, who had huge success in England. They were the first pop boy-band with guitars, and Tom got in. They were going to be a four-piece band, but at the last minute they decided to be a three-piece. So Tom was in the band for twenty-four hours and then politely got asked to leave. But the management stuck with him because they believed in him.
So Tom started writing songs, and became close friends with one of the guys in Busted. He used to go around with them on tour, and the whole time the manager was saying, “Look, Tom, we’re going to get you a band.” At the same time, the management was auditioning for another band, which Danny, our other guitarist and singer, turned up to. He wasn’t right for the band he was auditioning for, but management introduced Tom and Danny, and they got along well and basically wrote an album together. They started showcasing the songs to record companies and got offered deals by pretty much everyone who saw them. They eventually signed up with Universal/Island and then held auditions for a drummer and bass player.
MD: What were you doing at this point?
Harry: I was at school doing my exams and playing in bands. This guy Josh, who was in my first band, had been going down to London like Charlie, trying to get in a band. While he was there he met our management, and they said, “Sorry, we aren’t looking to manage anyone at the moment, but do you know any drummers or bass players?” So he rang me up at school and was like, “Dude, you should audition….” So I did.
MD: Did you leave school at that point?
Harry: Yeah, I was seventeen. It was just coming to the end of the summer term, and I had to make a decision.
MD: Were your parents supportive?
Harry: Yes. I went to private school, so obviously my dad had invested a lot in my education and wanted me to get good qualifications. But whether it was sports or music, I’d always loved performing. I’d only been playing drums for a year and a half, so I wasn’t experienced. But I just knew. Dad wanted me to stay in school, but I just gave a little speech and said, “Please just give me this chance.”
MD: Are your parents happy with how it turned out?
Harry: They are very happy. [laughs]
MD: Do you see a difference between English and American drummers?
Harry: Good question… I think so. At the moment in England, all the bands that are coming out are real indie, and every drummer’s got a snare, bass drum, maybe a floor tom, a hi-hat, and one crash. I know it doesn’t matter how much gear you’ve got, but they’ve got that really weird kind of style—this kind of edgy, indie sound. I’m just not into that. Basically a lot of the English bands at the moment are kind of safe. But there are some English bands that imitate the cool American Emo bands, which I love the best. For instance, the drummer in The Arctic Monkeys has some cool beats, but it’s not like someone like Chad Smith, who’s got a really solid groove. I also like Dashboard Confessional, with Mike Marsh. I really like his drumming. It’s got a real kind of structure to it and a real individual sound. When we’re making a record, I like to structure it.
MD: I like the way your song “I’ve Got You” goes back and forth between the verses to the chorus; it’s structured well.
Harry: I think that’s important. It’s a dynamic chorus and then for the verse the song drops down. I tried it on the ride, but I just thought it was a bit tighter and nicer on the hi-hats. The bass line was quite minimal, so there’s not much bass drum in the verse. With that song, we went into rehearsals for about a week for pre-production and then recorded it in New Orleans, with producer Hugh Padgham.
MD: Was that song written around the drums, or did you hear the song first?
Harry: I heard the song first—it was written by Tom and Danny with Graham Gouldman of 10cc.
MD: Any favorite tracks to play live?
Harry: I enjoy “Too Close For Comfort.” That’s a very hard one to play
MD: Any advice for someone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
Harry: Geez, that’s a hard one, because I was just lucky. I think the main thing is hard work and practice, and you’ve got to really want it and be committed to it. I see a lot of bands now that have potential, and they’ll come to me and say, “Can you listen to my demo?” Most of the time I think it’s good, but often they need to write more and get better songs and just get better as musicians. But people are really impatient. They want to do it now. But you’ve got to want it for the right reasons. Young kids have to be aware that it may seem all glamorous and really cool to be famous, but there can be a lot of pressure. People are constantly looking at you, and it’s hard. You don’t have to be famous to be successful. You don’t have to have fame to feel like you’ve achieved something. The main enjoyment I get out of all the success is the shows that we play or recording an album. It’s all about the music.
For more on McFly, visit their Web site, www.mcflyofficial.com.
Caught in the Web Exclusive Archive: (alphabetically, by last name)
Rick Allen (July 2005) Rick Allen has been playing drums all his life, and nothing w...Rick Allen (July 2005) This is Part 2 of our interview with Rick, where he talks to ...Trey Anastasio (July 2005) MD Online caught up with Trey to get his thoughts on his ...Billy Ashbaugh (May 2005) 'N Sync, a pop band backed by live musicians, have gained ...Chris Bailey (April 2009) Patience, persistence, and people skills, along with an in...Rich Beddoe (April 2007) Four years after their gold-selling, self-titled third albu...Pete Best (July 2005) Over the years many have claimed the title "The Fifth Beatle."...Curt Bisquera (March 2007) MD online speaks with LA session drummer Curt Bisquera ab...Jason Bittner (January 2009) Hi, everyone out there in drum land, Jason Bittner here...Hal Blaine (July 2005) Paving the way for some of the great studio musicians of our ...Michael Bland (September 2006) Funk/rock/R&B Master Michael Bland talks about his da...Cyrus Bolooki (May 2005) We featured this hot young drummer in our December '02 issu...Ned Brower (May 2005) I saw the California-based pop band Rooney perform live before...Jack Bruno (June 2009) Relationships these days are tough—for whatever the reason ...Chris Cester (May 2005) The band Jet has released what many consider to be one of th...Marcie Chapa (September 2009) Anyone who saw her perform as a young girl knew that i...Les Claypool (July 2005) Les Claypool sat down with MD Online to discuss an impressi...Aaron Comess (March 2006) In the early ’90s, The Spin Doctors burst onto the music...Randy Cooke (May 2008) In this month’s Web Exclusive interview, session musician R...Caroline Corr (May 2005) The Corrs formed in 1991, and broke big in the States in 19...Chad Cromwell (May 2005) We first featured Chad Cromwell in the March '04 issue of M...Mickey Curry (October 2005) Not many people get to do exactly what they love and get...Victor DeLorenzo (July 2005) Singer, songwriter, actor, studio owner, jingle writer,... Double Drumming (November 2007) In the February 2007 issue of Modern Drummer, we r...Charley Drayton (March 2006) By the time he was five, Charley Drayton knew exactly w... Drew Steen and Jerry Roe (October 2009) Drew Steen has been the drummer for teen p...Ira Elliot (March 2008) Nada Surf is one of the smartest, freshest-sounding rock ban...Damien Fahey (July 2005) Damien Fahey has a dilemma: These days he's having a diffic...Mick Fleetwood (July 2005) Mick Fleetwood has lots of reasons to celebrate these day...Mick Fleetwood (July 2005) The history of Fleetwood Mac's discography and personnel ...Kevin Franks (July 2005) Drummer Kevin Frank, singer Walt Lafty, bassist Brian Weave...Stan Frazier (July 2005) The members of Southern California-based quintet Sugar Ray ...Stan Frazier (July 2005) The SoCal band Sugar Ray, with poster-pinup lead singer Mar...Glen Graham (September 2008) Blind Melon’s Glen Graham talks to MD Online about th...Zac Hanson (July 2005) Storming out of Tulsa, Oklahoma with their major-label debut,...Yogi Horton (June 2007) MD along with some of Yogi Horton’s closest musical friend...Ryan Hoyle (September 2008) Ryan Hoyle chats with MD Online about Collective Soul, h...Mark Hudson (September 2005) Mark Hudson has the coolest job in the world right now,...Steve Jordan (July 2005) Steve Jordan has accomplished more in his drumming career t...Harry Judd (November 2006) The Click Five’s Joey Zehr and McFly’s Harry Judd tal...Jim Keltner (July 2005) Jim Keltner needs no introduction to Modern Drummer readers....Athena Kottak (January 2007) MD Online chats with Athena Kottak about her husband&md...Joey Kramer (July 2005) Joey Kramer could be the first superstar to become a "modern...Mercedes Lander (July 2005) The intense heavy metal sound of Kittie is back with the...Tommy Lee (July 2005) Tommy Lee is in a great mood, and he has every reason to be. H...Lisa Loeb (July 2006) Over the years Lisa Loeb has recorded and toured with a number...Ryan MacMillan (February 2008) In ten years, Matchbox Twenty has sold 28 million rec...Rick Marotta (April 2006) Rick Marotta is no stranger to MD readers. And he’s cert...Dave McAfee (September 2009) Things haven't changed much for Dave McAfee. He played ...Jonathan "Sugarfoot" Moffett (July 2005) Jonathan Moffett got the nickname "Sugarfoo...Xavier Muriel (December 2006) MD Online spoke with Buckcherry’s Xavier Muriel abou...David Northrup (July 2005) Growing up on a mix of R&B, pop, rock, and country, David...Rich Pagano (March 2006) New York City drummer Rich Pagano is way more than just a m...Tony Palermo (October 2008) Tony Palermo talks to MD online about landing the Papa R...Prairie Prince (June 2006) MD Online talks with Prairie about life on the road with ...Danny Reyes (May 2005) Daniel de los Reyes, a.k.a. Danny Reyes could just sit back a...Lil' John Roberts (July 2005) Lil' John Roberts's name has been popping up more and ...Rock N Roll Fantasy Camp 2006 (September 2006) The Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp was held...Joey Shuffield (July 2005) Power-pop trio Fastball - bassist/singer Tony Scalzo, gui...Chad Smith (June 2008) Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith takes a much-needed ...Ringo Starr (July 2005) At an age where most would be settling back and reaping the ...Erin Tate (August 2007) Since their debut album in 2002, Minus The Bear have staked ...Roger Taylor (January 2008) It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Justin Timberl...Tony Thompson (July 2005) Not many drummers dictated the sound of the 80's like Tony...Brian Tichy (September 2005) The first time I watched Brian Tichy play was a few yea...Tico Torres (May 2005) The last time we spoke to Tico Torres (November 2000), Bon Jo...Maureen Tucker (July 2005) In Part 2 of our interview with the drummers of The Velve...Alan White (July 2005) As Yes continues their world tour - featuring the return of k...Brad Wilk (May 2005) Audioslave's Brad Wilk had plenty to say for MD's April '03 cov...Robert Wyatt (December 2007) Since leaving the groundbreaking British psychedelic ba...Jon Wysocki (December 2008) Founding Staind drummer Jon Wysocki talks to MD online a...Adrian Young (May 2005) Quick: Who is the most visible drummer in the world right no...Billy Yule (May 2005) You can use whatever term you wish: "college rock," "modern ro...Joey Zehr (November 2006) Caught In The Web With Joey Zehr Of The Click Five And McF...
Copyright Modern Drummer Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction without the permission of the publisher is prohibited.
|
|
|
|
