Voice. Attitude. Focus.
These are a few of the things that the larger than life drummer, Bernard Purdie or Pretty Purdie, has to teach us as writers. You can hear his work on more than 4,000 sound recordings, including those of Steely Dan, Led Zeppelin, and Death Cab for Cutie.
See the quote below from Death Cab Cutie drummer Jason McGerr.
Think about the elements that make your writer's voice distinctive.
How does that voice merge with the voice that any individual story demands?
To what degree does your voice indicate that you are "completely in charge?"
Study this New York Times story by David Segal and learn all that you can, including Segal's own approach to the story.
The New York Times
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
C5
"It doesn't matter how much I practice, I will never play that shuffle like Purdie," Mr. McGerr said. "It's because he has an attitude that seems to come through every time. He always sounds like he's completely in charge."
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4 comments:
I think the closing line is my favorite, actually.
“You’ll know it when you hear it,” he said, “because when you do, you’ll have to move your feet.”
He's RIGHT! You certainly can't help but move your feet along with the beat.
I like how Segal portrays Bernie Purdie's character. He's certainly not short on confidence, yet he backs up his talk. Absolutely loved the Ray Charles story.
I also loved the fact that Segal tied the story into the current music scene. While many people from my generation may not know who Bernie Purdie is, many of us know Death Cab for Cutie.
I thought about the trains that came through my Grandpa's old backyard when I read the part about where the Purdie shuffle actually came from.
Really great read.
I love Purdie's confidence. Even when he recalls playing with guys like James Brown and Ray Charles, there's a sense of sheer ego in his recollection of the memory. Purdie always believed in his talent and his ability, even in the presence of artists that could have made other drummers feel insecure.
I think writers can learn from that confidence. I've doubted my own voice in my writing too many times instead of believing in what I have to say. If a writer prepares himself and refines his writing the way Purdie treated his drumming sessions, there's no reason why we, as writers, can't have a similar confidence towards are own writing.
I've read a lot of musician profiles before, and it always fascinates me when an artist moves into the realm where their ego doesn't matter.
I'm the kind of person who can be turned off an artist if their ego is large/undeserved, but this story is written in such a way that charm could outweigh ego. The challenge clearly isn't for Purdie--it's for Segal here.
He had to be honest about Purdie's attitude but get across some kind of likability... why else would anyone stick with a story like this?
I've also noticed patterns in musician profiles that a lot of writers fall into, but what I admire about Segal is his slight flouting of the rules and subtle changes to the standard protocol.
example: "Mr. Purdie, who says he is 68..."
At the same time, I honestly see some overdone motifs.
example: "...and it would have come across as pure braggadocio except that Mr. Purdie always delivered."
Segal got the whole story though, and it made me think of when I visited places like Nashville and Memphis. I visited a music store on Beale Street and a musician was in that day signing his new CD. I knew he was important to music, and I knew I should have known him, but I didn't.
I feel the same way about this article. I think Purdie could have been one of those people I walked past on that street, and I should have known him, but I didn't.
This article also makes me want to explore. I want to ask my Nashville-drummer brother-in-law about Purdie and if he can play the shuffle. I want to hear those firsthand nuances of how hard or easy it is.
I thought this was great. I think Segal did a great job of portraying Purdie. He’s a larger than life character and many writers could have easily gotten lost writing about him. I think as a writer it took a lot of courage to write this piece.
I loved the balance between depicting his ego and the moments from his childhood. The details from both are great. I loved the story about him coming in with his two signs “You done hired the hit maker,” and “If you need me, call me, the little old hit maker.” I also liked the part about him putting on his coat and leaving as soon as his part was recorded. It’s details like that, that really showed the reader his ego rather than just telling the reader about his ego. Those details also ad depth and weight to the story. I also like the parts about him banging on pots and pans as a kid and working out the origins to the Purdie shuffle based on the train near his house. As a reader I love reading about those “aha” moments and epiphanies like that.
As an avid music fan it was also nice to see that Segal did his research. After seeing the Purdie clip in class I immediately connected it to “Fool In The Rain” by Led Zeppelin.
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