Whiplash Backlash

[NoBuddyRich]

I finally saw Whiplash on TV today. Horrible sadistic, foul mouthed a..hole a teacher? Trying to drive people to become "the greatest" with no regard for collateral damage? The suicide of a successful "ex student" that doesn't' deter his style? A talented young drummer driving himself to be "the best", not the best he can be for the love of music or his instrument. Fletcher sabotaging his big chance, not to "push him to greatness" but as an act of revenge, then a final collaboration in the big solo with happy faces at the end? Or was is Fletcher's big gamble that the kid would come back? Was this movie supposed to be inspirational? I don't get it. Glad I didn't pay for this. I'll take YouTube.

 

[strumdrum]

Agree. Hated it.

 

[1966bmx]

I thought I was the only one who did not love that movie I had to watch some stupid comedy show after to cleanse my mind so I would not be in a funk .

 

[dtk]

i liked it.
i had a teacher (whom i grew to like) who i found very intimidating at the start.

I also loved the dinner conversation with the peer football player.

a great movie...no...a good movie...at least one I could relate to more than most.

 

[green glass drum]

I thought I was the only one who did not love that movie I had to watch some stupid comedy show after to cleanse my mind so I would not be in a funk .

+1, Comedy Cleansing required.

 

[troutstudio]

I could easily relate to both main characters. My wife is a music teacher and we loved it. Not because the characters are nice people. Because it's real the acting and playing is incredible. There is so much that is average about music these days. I've spent my life trying for a perfect take. I may never get there but it keeps me playing.

 

[Bandit]

i liked it so much I bought the movie. This was not meant to be a documentary, but fictional entertainment.

 

[xipa4]

I hated it except for the drum solo that appeared near the end of the film.
It was roarsome!

 

[ARGuy]

I finally saw Whiplash on TV today. Horrible sadistic, foul mouthed a..hole a teacher? Trying to drive people to become "the greatest" with no regard for collateral damage? The suicide of a successful "ex student" that doesn't' deter his style? A talented young drummer driving himself to be "the best", not the best he can be for the love of music or his instrument. Fletcher sabotaging his big chance, not to "push him to greatness" but as an act of revenge, then a final collaboration in the big solo with happy faces at the end? Or was is Fletcher's big gamble that the kid would come back? Was this movie supposed to be inspirational? I don't get it. Glad I didn't pay for this. I'll take YouTube.

It's a relief to know that I'm not the only one that just saw Whiplash!
My reaction as the credits were rolling was "I don't buy it". Way too many holes. Along with those you mention, I thought the practice room sessions were ludicrous - the bloody hands, Andrew's attempts to improve his double time swing by tensing every muscle in his body and sweating profusely. Obviously his studio teacher would tell him that you've got to stay relaxed to play that fast, right? Oh wait - he's at the top jazz school in the country, but studio lessons aren't part of the curriculum. Yeah, right.
Even though the character he played was despicable, I thought JK Simmons' performance was great.

 

[mlayton]

I just saw it this past weekend on some premium movie channel that had a free weekend or something along those lines. It was a strange one to say the least. I thought the band director was way,way over the top. It was somewhat entertaining but I don't care to ever see it again.

Mike

 

[stickinthemud]

The trailer was enough to convince me I had no interest in seeing it. Stupid people doing stupid things for stupid reasons. Music's one purpose is to free the human spirit. These people were trapped in the cess of their own egos and insecurities.

 

[JohnL]

Just saw it as well. Not very realistic a teacher would never get away with that kind of abuse present day. Ending stunk.

 

[Rudy Mints]

To close to real life for me.

Rudy

 

[Drum Play]

i saw it this past weekend....it was somthing to watch. I couldn't and still can't figure out what he was trying to do that lead to bleeding hands, can anyone tell me what lick it was suppose to be? Also i've gotten blisters, but never bled.

 

[blueshadow]

I've watched it twice now mainly because its a movie about a drummer and the soundtrack is great (credits have Stanton Moore, did any other drummers contribute?)

First off if its the best music school in the country there would have been way better drummers attending, instead of three average players that the professor has to push to make one of them greater than sliced bread.

Second I think the producers have listed to Summer of 69 one to many times, like others I've played til I had blisters but no way til I bled. Then playing fast jazz for 10 minutes straight and punching straight through a snare head? No not going to happen.

Third and the biggest blunder in my opinion... so he can play fast time, has already proven that so when Fletcher calls off a tune he doesn't know that's fast he blows it? Nah any decent drummer would have played time and made it through the piece, maybe not perfect but wouldn't have been the disaster shown.

Still compared to other movies we have to pick from I enjoyed it and agree that J.K. Simmons did an excellent job.

 

[Gary]

Do drummers use a technique that could cause them to bleed at the outside base of their thumb? It seemed like an improbable place to bleed to me.

Is that a thing?

But best fake movie drumming I've seen so far. That's a thing.

 

[Zeb]

Yeah... "Not my tempo".

I thought the practice room sessions were ludicrous - the bloody hands, Andrew's attempts to improve his double time swing by tensing every muscle in his body and sweating profusely.

^^ This. If you're playing until your hands bleed, you need to go back to square one and work on technique. Ditto for tensing up like you're about to be executed in an electric chair to play fast swing - the guy really looked sort of spastic, doing that... and it sounded really bad, too.

Not to mention the guy idolized Buddy Rich - not that there's anything wrong with that... But what about Tony Williams? Art Blakey? Elvin Jones? Mel Lewis? Paul Motian? etc., etc... Don't get me wrong - Buddy was a monster, but I think he could've expanded his jazz drumming vocabulary a bit beyond Buddy Rich.

 

[W&A Player]

Do drummers use a technique that could cause them to bleed at the outside base of their thumb? It seemed like an improbable place to bleed to me.

Is that a thing?

But best fake movie drumming I've seen so far. That's a thing.

Have you ever slammed your hand into a piece of drum hardware (even a tension rod, snare throw-off, or tom holder) when playing fast, hard, and loud? It was not uncommon back in the days when the guitar and bass players were playng giant amp stacks at volume 11 or 17, and the drummer had no amplification. There were a lot of walking wounded drummers back then.

 

[blueshadow]

Do drummers use a technique that could cause them to bleed at the outside base of their thumb? It seemed like an improbable place to bleed to me.

Is that a thing?

But best fake movie drumming I've seen so far. That's a thing.

Have you ever slammed your hand into a piece of drum hardware (even a tension rod, snare throw-off, or tom holder) when playing fast, hard, and loud? It was not uncommon back in the days when the guitar and bass players were playng giant amp stacks at volume 11 or 17, and the drummer had no amplification. There were a lot of walking wounded drummers back then.

Sure I've hit plenty of knuckles on a rim or edge of the hats just right but this is the kid just trying to play a double time swing and plays it til his fingers bleed and then gets pissed and punches straight through a tuned up snare batter

 

[Ickybaby]

All I can see any time JK Simmons is on the screen is Vern the nazi from Oz. The Terrance Fletcher character wasn't far off.

I thought it was a good movie, not realistic but good fantasy.

That said, because of this movie, there's a gentleman(?) in the trombone section of my big band that likes to turn around and say "That's not my f---ing tempo"....and then he laughs. He also never misses a chance to go into a "more cowbell" mantra.