Matt Brennan
Matt Brennan is Reader (Associate Professor) in Popular Music at the University of Glasgow. His latest book, “Kick It: A Social History of the Drum Kit” (Oxford University Press, 2020) is a groundbreaking new history of the drum kit, drummers, and drumming. Making the case for the drum kit as one of the most transformative musical inventions of the modern era, the book has received widespread praise: “compulsory reading for the inquisitive drummer” (Bill Bruford); “it brings an entirely new and fresh perspective to the story of the drum kit” (Glenn Kotche, Wilco); “essential reading for every drummer … well-researched, entertainingly written, and greatly enjoyable” (JazzTimes); “Brennan pulls off something remarkable: he makes a deeply investigated and well-sourced history of musicians and drum manufacturers a page-turner. … Kick It consolidates the myriad threads that contributed to the creation of the modern drumkit and makes it swing” (Modern Drummer).
About the Session
Kick It: A Social History of the Drum Kit
This talk presents an overview of a landmark new book, “Kick It: A Social History of the Drum Kit” (Oxford University Press, 2020). Drummer and academic Matt Brennan makes the case for the drum kit’s role as one of the most transformative musical inventions of the modern era, showing how the drum kit and drummers helped change modern music – and popular culture as a whole – from the bottom up. With the book hailed as “compulsory reading for the inquisitive drummer” (Bill Bruford) and “an inspiring reminder of how the drums (and drummers) have helped shape creative culture over the last hundred or so years” (Mark Guiliana), the talk will tease highlights including new findings on the development of the bass drum pedal, the surprising 500-year-old origins of drummer jokes and stereotypes, and the instrument’s impact on broader social and cultural history.