Story

Growing up, I was never the best hockey player, or the tallest kid, or the fastest runner.

But I was great at playing the drums.

My love for drumming started way back in kindergarten, when my teacher brought out a bunch of musical instruments for us to play. I picked the set of toy drums and remember feeling instantly hooked. My teachers encouraged me to keep playing throughout elementary school, and in Grade 7, a music teacher came to our school and wanted to start a concert band. So I played the drums with our school band, and when I was about 16 years-old, I started playing more jazz music. I also started going to a lot more concerts.

The first band I ever saw live was Chilliwack, and I remember Brian MacLeod doing his thing on the guitar and it was great – but I was always fascinated with the guy in the back playing the drums.

Throughout my late teens and early 20s, when I was home for the summer, I would play drums with some local bands around Newfoundland. In 1990, I also had a very brief two-day stint as a technician for A Flock of Seagulls. I helped set up their drums for their shows, and it’s the closest I ever got to becoming a rockstar!
But as the years went on and I was busy establishing my career, time became scarcer, and I eventually stopped drumming. In hindsight, I wish I had made it more of a priority to find the time to play.

Impact

In my late 40s, I began to feel the urge to do something that connected me with my youth that would help me relax. Work had taken over my psyche 24/7, and I needed something different to focus on. I didn’t need anything extravagant like a motorcycle, or a fancy sports car. That’s when I realized that I missed drumming – so I decided to get a drum set and pick up where I left off.

When I was a member of Parliament, there were days where I would have a tough meeting or phone call and needed an outlet to re-focus my thoughts and relax. Drumming allowed me to take a break from my thoughts more than any other activity. When I have a difficult day, it’s hard for me to focus on a movie or read a book – but drumming always puts me in a better state of mind.

Since I’ve started drumming again, it has been my creative outlet that clears my mind and keeps me focused. It pivots my bad day into a good day.

There is something amazing about the drums that is unlike any other instrument. I can do my own thing, and my own interpretation of a song. I’m not confined to musical notes.

As I look towards the next stage of my life, I hope to one day play in a band again because I love being in the drummer’s unique position: situated in the back, behind my bandmates, but the pulse and driving force of the song.