What is it with drummers?

Last night Robin and I attended a church service with a guest worship team. They did a great job, but the drummer looked… well… homeless. If I saw this guy on the street, I’d give him a dollar or offer to buy him a hot meal. I don’t want to judge based on appearances, but “scruffy” failed to do him justice.

Why is it that so many drummers seem to live by the beat of a different drum?

I once thought drummers “dress down” because drumming was so physically demanding. They needed to stick with tank tops and headbands. (Although this failed to explain why they never shaved.)

My new theory is that drummers tend not to care about their appearance or stage presence nearly as much as “the rest of the band” for one reason only. It has to do with their role-model. Drummers look up to the greatest drummer of all times: Animal from the Muppets. Animal didn't care about the audience, band members and especially not the way he looked. It was all about the music. Clothes, shaving or even soap weren't nearly so important -- all that matter was that Animal got to let loose on the skins.

If you’re thinking, “how can a Muppet be a role-model?” then you’re probably not a drummer.