Jefferson Airplane’s Johny Barbata recounts life in rock
It seems like every rock star from the 1960s and ’70s has written a memoir, and some of them are pretty interesting. Drummer Johny Barbata penned his autobiography seven years ago.
“Johny Barbata: The Legendary Life of a Rock Star Drummer” outlines the New Jersey native’s adventures playing with the Turtles; Crosby Stills, Nash and Young; and Jefferson Airplane/Starship, among others. On Thursday, Barbata will sign copies of the self-published book at Palm Springs Vinyl.
Barbata writes about the time record executive David Geffen called him into his office to tell him about an up-and-coming band he should play with, the Eagles. In another chapter, he recalls playing a 45-minute drum solo at a festival to avoid a riot following a power outage.
Barbata recounted these experiences and more in a recent telephone interview with The Desert Sun.
TDS: Why did you decide to write the book?
BARBATA: I’ve done a lot of albums and 28 singles, and my wife said, “You know you’re a part of rock ’n’ roll history. You really gotta write a book.” I started jotting it all down in a notebook: ideas in my head, things that happened in my life. Each story eventually became a chapter and it all eventually became a book.
Tell us one of the stories in your book.
When I was with the Turtles, we flew to London. When we got off the plane there was this white Rolls-Royce. We wondered who it was for and we looked at the sign and it said, “Turtles.” We all looked at each other and we ran and jumped in, and the guy proceeded to tell us the Beatles rented it out to us for the weekend. ... We went to this club and everybody looked at us and knew we weren’t English, so they sat us at this booth in the back. I was looking around and sitting at the bar was Paul McCartney having a drink with Graham Nash ... It was really quite a scene. We look over next to us and there’s John Lennon and Ringo Starr ... I tell John, “If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be here.” He said, “Well, everything we got we stole from Chuck Berry.”
Everybody always talks about the frontman or the guitarist. What is it like being the drummer?
The drummer is always center stage. I’m right in the middle and I’m on a pedestal so everybody can see me. ... It’s great because everybody is on both sides of you. They have to tune in when they can or it’s easy to get lost. It’s actually a great spot. Being a drummer is a great thing. It’s really physical because you’re using all your fours all the time, your feet and your hands; if you’re singing on top of it, it’s like you’re getting an inner high. Also, studio musicians are considered the cream of the crop. But there’s only a handful of bass players and drummers that do the studio work. I’m fortunate to be a part of that.
How do you feel about the new generation of musicians? What about drum machines?
It really has changed. Drum machines aren’t used for rock probably more for rap and stuff, but I don’t like drum machines. I don’t understand them. I’m into natural sound. It has changed though. There’s this thing called Sound Exchange and basically they hear all the records you play and every month they give you a check. That part is good in the whole digital world. It makes musicians more money, which is good.
What was that like in the ’60s and ’70s?
It was really different. There wasn’t so much crime, everybody was into smoking pot and turning on. Society was changing with the Vietnam War. A lot of people were against it. That song “Ohio” by Neil Young was all about that state and how people got killed there. A lot of people were against it and for it. The soldiers would come back and people were pissed off. You couldn’t blame them, they were over there fighting for us. It was a strange time, it really was.
Was it a good time for music?
Absolutely, I’m always talking to people about how it was the best time, era for music. Today, the groups just aren’t the same. Back in my day, we had long hair and tight pants and now people have things hanging over their butts, short hair and tattoos.
If you go
What: Johny Barbata signing his memoir
When: 5 p.m. Thursday
Where: Palm Springs Vinyl Records and Collectibles, 220 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs
Information: (760) 778-2636 or www.palmspringsvinylrecords.com
5 classic albums featuring Johny Barbata
The Turtles, “The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands” (1968)
Stephen Stills, self-titled (1970)
Graham Nash, “Songs for Beginners” (1970)
Neil Young, “Time Fades Away” (1973)
Jefferson Starship, “Red Octopus” (1975)