I don't think I was perpetuating a myth.
Oh I didn't mean to imply you were perpetuating it, I just thought you were another unwitting "victim" of it.
Thanks for staying calm.
And yes Mickey did have to learn the drums and the early shots of Davy playing other instruments
were artifacts of the miming that went on.
Originally Davy was slated to play the drums but it was decided he was too short to be visible on 'em without a riser.
Such are the vicissitudes of creating a band to fit a TV concept.
Who played what instrument was secondary to how good they looked faking it.
Image was
everything, which is logical enough for the visual medium of television.
Thinking back on it, I don't think anywhere near as much importance was placed on individual musicianship at the time, either.
I can't recall any "superstars" who were widely recognized for being "rock (or even pop) virtuosos" until the formation of Cream in late '66, where Clapton had international creds already, even though Baker and Bruce were still primarily recognized in London's jazz scene.
The
real virtuosos, the session players, were virtually anonymous and ok with it.
2 years later the Jimi Hendrix Experience had effected a critical mass that changed all that.
The bar for actual performers was raised forever after.
But how many of us really paid attention to what Peter played in '66, or even recognized that it was all lip-synching?
Even on most of the shows that featured the top pop bands of the day?
So all of that kind of contributes to the myth that they "couldn't" play, too.
ride:
