Had the pleasure of sitting down with John Lingan on Some Things Considered to talk about his new book, Backbeats: A History of Rock and Roll in 15 Drummers — and I can't recommend it highly enough.

A few highlights from our conversation:

• Drummers are the perfect lens for understanding rock history: feel, time, culture, and collaboration all live at the kit.

• John Bonham vs. Charlie Watts isn't about better or worse — it's about how radically different approaches shape a band's identity.

• Ringo Starr remains one of the most misunderstood musicians in rock history: subtle, musical, indispensable.

• James Brown's drummers, especially Clyde Stubblefield, changed music forever — while also exposing some of the industry's deepest moral failures.

• Unsung innovators like Moe Tucker expanded what rock music could sound like by breaking rules that didn't need to exist.

• Great drumming isn't about flash; it's about feel — sometimes the most restrained performances carry the most emotional weight.

• Writing about music well means honoring mystery while still making craft accessible and joyful.

Backbeats isn't just about drummers. It's about rhythm as storytelling — and how music history is built, one beat at a time.

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Award-winning author Sean Murphy in conversation with creative thinkers, spanning the literary, music, art, politics, and tech industries. As a cultural critic, professor, founder of a literary non-profit, Sean is always looking to explore and celebrate the ways Story is integral to how we define ourselves, as artists and human beings. This Substack newsletter and weekly podcast peels back the layers of how creativity works, why it matters, how our most brilliant minds achieve mastery. Join us to explore how our most successful and inspired storytellers engage by discussing craft, routines, brand, and mostly through authentic and honest expression.

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