MICK BROWN DISCUSSES WHY HE STOPPED PLAYING THE DRUMS

Drummer “Wild Man” Mick Brown (Dokken, Lynch Mob, The End Machine, Ted Nugent) was interviewed, two days ago, by Rimshots With Sean. Highlights of the interview appear below.

Brown, who turned 66 last September, reflected on his decision to stop playing music, he said (as per blabbermouth.net), “It’s been about four and a half years [since I last played with DOKKEN]. I was 63 [at the time]. My body started developing pain from playing drums. And I was really getting tired and it was really hard to walk through airports. I’m still in a lot of pain — shoulder pain, some joint pain in the fingers, which have subsided now, except the walking part. And it didn’t occur to me to stop. Although I just blurted out to Don [Dokken], ‘I’ve gotta stop doing this. I can’t do it anymore.’ And he got immediately, like, ‘Wow. I’m surprised you even made it this far with what you did to yourself.'”

According to Mick, the injuries that he had sustained over the decades of playing drums had taken their toll on his body.

“I wouldn’t have stopped if the pain wasn’t there,” he explained. “But the pain was, and it was getting too much for me. And the traveling — listen, after 40 years of traveling that fast [laughs], the last thing I wanted to do was go to another airport or sit in a van going to the hotel or on a tour bus. I was done. And I just let the higher power go, ‘All right. You’re done.’ And I followed that. Everything I liked about it had kind of disappeared anyway. Like in today’s world, Don wasn’t using me on the records — the last couple of records. And I’m, like, ‘I’m the drummer in the band. You’re not gonna…?’ ‘Cause it cost money to fly me; it turned into that world. And it became a job. And I was, like, ‘It’s still a real good job.’

“I loved the creative part of working,” he continued. “Like when Jeff [Pilson, former Dokken bassist] and George [Lynch, former Dokken guitarist] would write a song and deliver it to Don done and show him what we had, that was a really satisfying thing. That was gone. My roadie was gone. I had to set up a different drum set every day. It went full circle from what you did when you were 14 to 63. I’m, like, ‘I’m back as a 14-year-old, except I’m really old. I have to set these drums up? F–k that.’

“So I just [decided to stop playing],” Brown added. “And I’m telling you what, it’s been the best choice… I really discovered life after all that because I didn’t [do it] to prove anything and I got a chance to look at myself in the mirror and say, ‘Who am I?’ And now I’ve got this group of great friends in one place, so I can enjoy that.”

Addressing what he does to keep himself busy nowadays, Brown said: “I have no ambition anymore, and I’ve never really been ambitious with anything except music. I make enough money where I don’t have to do anything. And guess what? I don’t do anything. I ride that chopper… That’s really what my passion is. I do a lot of sleeping. And I don’t have anything I have to do — except enjoy my friends today. It’s that kind of a thing. That’s where I’m at. And I couldn’t be more pleased.”

He went on to say that he feels extremely fulfilled, even though he is no longer playing music for a living. “I want everyone to know — I’m just having the time of my life,” he said. “But I’ve always done that. But this is just as good.

“I haven’t touched a drum stick in two years,” Brown revealed. “Since I’ve retired, I’ve played two Highway To Hell s, three Rock And Roll‘s. And [my friend] Bobby makes me play with his band… we play River Of Love by Lynch Mob. So I’ve done six songs in four and a half years. But I’m done. I did it all… I did everything I wanted to do — tenfold more than I thought was gonna happen. Literally. And God, being able to get out, and looking back now, I’m so grateful. I literally cry tears of joy sometimes and just [think], ‘Wow. I did that.'”

Listen to Mick Brown’s entire interview below.