FRIENDS OF KARL WATT

Of Drums, Iron Maiden and Much Wattage

Jun 12, 2010 Just Sharing
Posted by Achim

So here’s the scene: it’s the Fall of 1982 in the south wing of Queen Elizabeth Senior Secondary School. I’m hanging with Kevin Axelson, Stan Sullivan and Rob Gunn after Mr Heatherington’s Commercial Art class when up walks this lean tough-looking dude. Kevin, the quintessential master of introductions, says, “Hey Ack, I’d like you to meet Karl Watt. He’s a drummer too.” Cool.

We hit it off instantly. We talked about drums and drummers. Pearl. Tama. Neil Peart. John Bonham. Clive Burr.

“Clive Burr? Who the fuck is Clive Burr?” Karl asks.

“Iron Maiden’s drummer,” I say.

“Who the fuck is Iron Maiden?” Karl asks again.

That very next weekend, I hauled my 13 piece silver Tama drums over to the The Blue Garage on 92nd Avenue in my dad’s 1974 yellow Ford pickup, with Karl’s mom, Misty, rolling her eyes as I unloaded my stuff.

I set up my kit across from Karl’s red Pearl kit so we could jam to his cranked stereo like the Doobie Brothers or something, and have drum duels. But I also brought with me, two records that would forever change Karl’s musical destiny… Killers and The Number of the Beast.

I can’t take all the credit for introducing Iron Maiden to Karl because Stan and Kevin got me hooked on the band the year before. I remember us heading to Kelly’s Stereo on Main Street in Stan’s Datsun B210 to meet Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris, Dave Murray and Clive Burr before they opened for the Scorpions at the Pacific Coliseum for their Beast on the Road Tour. That show is forever etched in my mind with Bruce “The Air Raid Siren” screaming “Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo!” while wearing Stan’s jean jacket with Eddie inked on the back. The ticket stub above is the one I had Clive Burr sign. I still have it.

Of course, Karl got hooked on Maiden too, especially after we went to the World Piece Tour together the next summer, me with my broken right leg. Karl and my brother, Andy, carried me to the front row. Ironically, 25 years later Andy and I returned the favour and carried Karl to the Coliseum to see Maiden’s Somewhere Back In Time tour in 2008. Somewhere back in time indeed.

Karl became so immersed in Maiden that his progressive metal band, OSIRIS, was inspired by Maiden’s 1984 Powerslave album. We jammed and drum-dueled in The Blue Garage often and always, especially along with those early Maiden classics. I learned a lot about drumming and rudiments from Karl. I could tell he was unbelievably talented the first time I heard him play. His attention to detail and timing was impeccable. I learned how to play paradiddles by watching Karl play along to Triumph’s Little Texas Shaker. He was a damn fine teacher.

I ended up selling my silver Tama drums to Karl before I graduated and before the World Piece Tour. I broke my leg. Karl got my drums. The rest is history.

Wow… I just realized how much I miss hearing Karl play.

\m/ KARL ROCKS \m/

Tags: blue garage, Bruce Dickinson, Clive Burr, Dave Murray, drums, Iron Maiden, jamming, John Bonham, Killers, Neil Peart, Number of the Beast, Osiris, Pearl, Queen Elizabeth High School, Steve Harris, Tama