mike - ProfilesArchive

About Me

I'm a psychiatric nurse who has played drums since 1980, started skiing at the same time and have a beautiful wife and two perfect children.I have worked in acute psychiatry for 9 years and also have my own business providing private Cognitive Behavioural Therapy at a GP surgery.Prior to this, I attended the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst until both myself and the Army realised our mutual mistake! I've also worked in marketing.I was off drumming for 11 years to get qualified, get married and raise a family and was itching to start playing live again!I now play for a Hawkwind tribute band called the Assassins of Silence who are all brilliant musicians and inspire me to work harder at practising!

My Interests

skiing, drumming, cognitive behavioural therapy

I'd like to meet:

Anyone into drumming and skiing. People who moan about nurses getting badly paid, other drummers unable to practice due to neighbours and those who know about silent practice kits. Anyone who'd want to meet me, especially anyone who'd pay me money to play drums or administer a dose of cognitive behavioural therapy.

Music:

ska because it's easy to play, easy to dance to and I don't get bored while playing it and anything with good drumming in it - although that can be upsetting - like "how does he do that?" I also love 'electro-pop' - Kraftwerk, Alphaville, Propaganda, Men Without Hats, Tears For Fears, Depeche Mode - anything 80s almost!

Movies:

Funny stuff - Mike Myers, Zucker/Abrams?Zucker (eg Airplane. Naked Gun, Police Squad, Kentucky Fried Movie) Steve Martin and, tragically, Star Trek. Anything involving Simon Pegg is unmissable and I love the League of Gentleman for being demonically funny.

Television:

Too much - I'll watch almost anything. I particularly like Armstrong and Miller, Big Train, Green Wing, Spaced, Chris Morris, Armando Ianucci and many other British/Italo-Scottish genius-types. Basically, any British television satire from Monty Python, through Not The Nine O'Clock News to Alan Partridge, The Office and beyond.

Heroes:

My wife and children, David Attenborough, Benny Greb, Marco Minnemann, Craig Blundell, Jason Bittner, Thomas Lang, Steven Fry, Jeremy Clarkson, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, Bill Bailey, all of the Pythons, Edmund Blackadder and Ricky Gervaise - apparently, I look like him.

My Blog

Turning 40

I haven't posted a blog in a few months as I haven't really done much. The odd gig here and there, work, ferrying children to swimming, Beavers, ballet, school. However, all that changed with th...
Posted by mike on Thu, 05 Jul 2007 01:21:00 PST

Change of drum kit

Actually, folks, I'm not collecting a Mapex any more - it just took too long to arrive! I now have a Pacific EX 6-piece kit in platinum and it's fabulous - a bargain, too at £400. If you look at my ph...
Posted by mike on Mon, 26 Mar 2007 05:35:00 PST

Audition (2)

Well, I got through the audition with Assassins of Silence - they really are every bit as good as I'd expected them to be - real pros! Anyway, I've been accepted as another Assassin of Silence! ...
Posted by mike on Fri, 02 Mar 2007 02:29:00 PST

Playing again!

Hello, all of you Myspace friends! On Thursday, 1st March, I am going for an audition to take over the drum throne in a Hawkwind tribute band called Assassins of Silence. I need positive waves of supp...
Posted by mike on Mon, 19 Feb 2007 03:34:00 PST

Drumcrew, Nuneaton, 6th February

Tuesday, 6th February - Drumcrew, Nuneaton. For a tiny £5, we got to see; Paul Wechter - a 16-year old drumming sensation. This lad was so cool, he peed ice cubes! Us old folk at the back ...
Posted by mike on Sat, 10 Feb 2007 04:00:00 PST

Photos at last!!!!

Well, now, then! I've finally managed to work out how to resize my photos - it really was a case of trial and error! There are now some pictures of drums as well as a couple of skiing - ho...
Posted by mike on Fri, 12 Jan 2007 03:53:00 PST

Drum Crew, Nuneaton

Well, what can I say? I've just witnessed a 15 year old drummer make mincemeat out of time signatures that would baffle a computer the size of a planet, the Young Drummer of The Year (who's 70% ...
Posted by mike on Fri, 08 Dec 2006 04:30:00 PST

Thomas Lang's new blog entry

Well, I am shocked! Thomas Lang has posted a blog saying he's egocentric and aggressive and a total creep. It looks like someone's either got hold of his passsword and done a malicious pos...
Posted by mike on Tue, 05 Dec 2006 02:41:00 PST

Noisy e-drums - part 2!

Well, my neighbour hasn't complained any more, but I can't use the monitor when I play, even on a very low volume! When you've heard something that annoys you once, your ears are more attun...
Posted by mike on Tue, 28 Nov 2006 03:45:00 PST

Oh dear! I've upset the neighbours!

OOPS! I didn't realise just how much vibration an electric drum kit causes! I was bashing away happily the other night without thought for the time - hey, I'm on headphones! So, yesterday ...
Posted by mike on Wed, 08 Nov 2006 03:15:00 PST