Former Black Sabbath Drummer Talks On Rock Revival And Says They Are ‘Too Nice And Friendly’ With No Competitive Energy

During a conversation on Heavy New York, the current Ozzy Osbourne and former Black Sabbath and Ted Nugent drummer, Tommy Clufetos, shared his views on the retro rock revival movement and the bands that lead it, and said that the one thing that they lack is the element of danger as they’re all very friendly.

Tommy Clufetos is a well-known drummer in the rock and metal scene and he achieved worldwide fame as the drummer of Black Sabbath during their reunion and final tour. He is currently the drummer of Ozzy Osbourne and The Dead Daisies, and he’s worked with Ted Nugent, Rob Zombie, and Alice Cooper.

During his recent interview with Heavy New York, he was asked to share his views on the retro rock revival bands which aim to bring back the music and culture of the ’60s and ’70s rock. Some good examples are Greta Van Fleet, Graveyard, Elder, Rival Sons, and Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats.

Tommy Clufetos said that he’s had the chance to listen to some of the retro rock revival bands and that he definitely hears the ‘retro thing.’ However, it doesn’t ‘feel as that old music’ to him because it’s missing the ‘sweat factor.’ He said that the bands back then used to rock hard and had a lot of energy and passion which were closely connected to their feelings of competition.

Clufetos said that the bands now are very nice and friendly, and the fact that they lack that passion for competition and danger is what he misses the most. He went on to say that when he goes on stage, he is actively angry at any other bands or drummers that share the stage with him because he is filled with the need to prove that he can do better than them, and that’s what helps him improve.

Here’s what Tommy Clufetos said about the retro rock revival bands:

“I’ve heard some of these bands, I hear a retro thing, but it doesn’t have the same feel as that old music to me. I think bands rocked harder back in the day. It’s missing the sweat factor to me. I mean, nothing beats those early guys. When you watch Little Richard, and he’s pounding; there’s just a different passion that those guys had.

And I think in the ’70s, guys carried that energy and there was this competition and this fight between bands and competition that went on. Now everything is a little nice. Maybe that’s what it is — everything is so nice and friendly. I like a little danger. There’s not too much danger in these new bands. I think that’s what I’m missing — it’s not dangerous. Good rock and roll is supposed to be a dangerous thing.”

He went on to say:

“When I go up there, I wanna kick everybody’s ass. I’m not out to be friends with them… When I came up and played in clubs, and there was another band, I was gonna kick their ass. When I got on a stage with other drummers, even if I was in the opening band and there was a headlining act, I wanted to kick that drummer’s ass. Which is not a bad thing. That’s not a lack of respect. It’s, ‘Look out. Here I come.’ And I play that way. And I’ve played with younger guys; they don’t play that way. Old guys play that way.”

Click here for the source and you can watch the whole interview below.