259: Matt Brennan – Author of “Kick It: A Social History of the Drum Kit”

Matt Brennan is an author, musician, and researcher. His creative practice as a musician informs his teaching and research process, which also draws from historical, sociological, business, and ethical approaches to understanding music in society.

At the University of Glasgow he is Director of the Interdisciplinary Music Industries Research Group (IMIRGe) and Convenor of the MSc Music Industries degree.

He has served as Chair of the UK and Ireland branch of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM), and held a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship and Chancellor’s Fellowship at the University of Edinburgh prior to taking up his current post as Reader in Popular Music.

Matt has authored, co-authored, and edited several books in the field of popular music studies. His latest book, Kick It: A Social History of the Drum Kit (Oxford University Press 2020), establishes the drum kit’s central role in shaping the history of music over the last 150 years.

BUY THE BOOK HERE – for 30% off, enter promo code AAFLYG6 at checkout

In this episode, Matt talks about:

* Why the drums have been simultaneously maligned and indispensable for so long* How negative views of drummers and drumming are rooted in the slave trade and racism* The history of solidarity among working drummers* The role the drums and drummers played in the birth of many musical genres* How The Beatles and Ringo made the drum industry global