There's Ringo, John Bohnam, Keith Moon, Neil Peart, Dave Weckel, Jim Keltner, Kenny Aronoff, and all those other guys who win drummer of the year in the cool drum magazines.

I've never even heard of Ian Lee.

Where does this guy get off???

So the philosophy behind all this might interest you.

EGO VS NO EGO

When I first thought of doing this, I was looking for a gig. I had been contemplating moving to LA so I could do tons of auditions and land a "big gig" I had just recorded a record with a top producer and the drumming on it is the best I've done on record, so I wanted to take it to the next level as they say.

So I started thinking about how I would set myself apart from the tons of drummers who are out there who have better resumes than I do and How do I stand out in the crowd.

My cousin owns a rehearsal studio out there and whenever I've gone out there I meet tons of people and opportunities open up very quickly.

The problem for me is actually I hate to have to explain to people how good I am, or how great.

There is really no way (I think) to smoothly say, when you meet someone at a party "I'm actually really easy going, but when I get behind a drum kit I am a total maniac.'

I envisioned myself walking around LA always carrying a backpack with a press kit in it and giving a CD to every person I meet. Then I give out my last one and sit next to David Bowie at a restaurant and over hear him talking about how hard it is finding a drummer for an upcoming tour. Me with nothing but "Hi David. I'm a big fan. And I'm just the drummer you're looking for." Lame.

So I really started thinking about how to explain to people how great I am, without coming across like an overbearing ass.

On the other side of all this is this fact.

When I play a gig people always come up to me and say some version of "man, you are the most amazing drummer I have ever seen"

Now, when this happens I am so thankful because I really do love playing drums and I love music and think it's once of the most noble pursuits available on earth. I really believe musicians are special individuals and I know how it makes ME feel when I listen to music. So if I have that good an effect on another person it really makes it worthwhile.

And I am genuinely thankful.

Plus It's the effect I wanted to create. I want people to think that I'm a great at what I do. And I want people to love the band I'm playing in. My contribution to the band is being the best drummer I can be.

So.

That's all fine, but still a little weird to say "Really Mr Bowie, everyone says I'm the best."

So I thought about it and had the idea of a web site. I didn't think www.ianlee.com would really draw in the auditions. And in a flash of brilliance, I came up with www.thebestdrummerintheworld.com

And when I checked, it wasn't taken. So to the degree that I was the first one to think it, it must be a little true.

So I bought the domain name and started putting it together. And the more I worked on it the more cool it seemed. To me anyway.

So the Ego Vs No Ego is really a bullshit question. You either are great at what you do or you're average.

And fame and success don't really have too much to do with it.

When people ask me who my favorite band is I say Guided By Voices (RIP).

This obscure, critically acclaimed band of 40 somethings wrote so many great songs, it is amazing to me that they're not the biggest band in the world. They broke up this year after a million albums and a million hit songs that most people never know. So fame isn't a real yardstick of greatness.

I believe competence is the most senior quality that an individual can possess. As a song writer, Bob Pollard is extremely competent. Same goes for yours truly on the drums.

Someone pointed out a very interesting thing about an old saying that "All Men are created equal" It was pointed out to me that this statement could be used to degrade as well as to empower.

THE BEST THOUGH???

The basic thing on being the best is really related to time. We've all heard the term "In the moment"

When I get on stage with a group of musicians I don't feel there is anything more important than being the best.

Of the hundreds (maybe over a thousand ) gigs I've done in this life, there is always a healthy competitiveness. Of all the bands I've played in, there is always the dynamic of "we're going to blow these other bands on the bill away"

So to the degree that I'm the one playing in front of you will be the degree that you will think "this guy is the best drummer in the world!"

When I saw Bowie this year, I was thinking "This guy is the best performer I've ever seen" I saw Cheap Trick a week later and thought the same thing.

The point is that there is always room for anyone to be "the best" It depends on when you're sitting in front of them.

The Qualities

I could go on and on about what I think the qualities that make up the best drummer in the world, but they can be summarized in the most simple form with the following phrase

THE BEST DRUMMER PLAYS THE BEST PARTS FOR THE SONGS HE'S PLAYING.

There IS the question of technical skill, but this can be discounted as an arbitrary which lessens in importance as it comes to the forefront of the song.

In other words, there is a point where the drummer can play so much technically perfect parts that the song is just a drum solo, which isn't really a song.

There is the other end of the scale where a mediocre technical drumming complements the song so well that you couldn't conceive of a more technical part. Witness the popularity of The White Stripes, way simple drums, and great songs.

I like to consider myself the perfect balance of the two. I have plenty of technical skill, in fact a I have a reserve (more than I need in most musical situations I find myself in). The more important ability I feel I have is the ability to listen without jumping to a conclusion of how a drum part should go. This just means I'm easy to work with, but it's an ability I'm proud to have, because it sets others at ease.

Now if all this sounds like a bunch of long winded bullshit. Go to the samples page and listen to the song samples and you decide where I fall. If you like what you hear you should have me come for an audition.

If you're a drummer and you think you're better than me, you can talk shit about me on the Message Board.

If you want to see for yourself, check the gigs page and come see my song and dance.

I going to continue to at least act like I am the best.

Oh yeah, the rest of the site is tongue in cheek, in case you thought Spinal Tap was a real documentary.