SF: What does it take to become a circus drummer? WC: You have to be familiar with every style of music and drumming. Latin, rock, shows, marches, contemporary, disco. You have to have all those in mind and be comfortable playing them. What seems to be most unusual are the tempos involved. Some of these tunes weren’t originally written to be done that way. The music is so personal to each act. As much pride as they take in their act, they feel their music is just an extension of themselves. SF: Does each act choose its own music? WC: Sometimes. There are times when they’ll bring us music that isn’t written too well and we’ll have to beef it up. Or we might just suggest an alteration. Certain acts might tend to fall into a pattern through the years. Usually a juggling act tends to fall into Latin tunes. […]

April 1983 Issue