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Never mind the back pain: how rock’s drummers cope with furious sets in their 70s
From Rat Scabies of the Damned to Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols, we ask rock and punk’s greatest drummers how they deal with long nights of fast songs – and uncover a story of arthritis, cardio and turmeric oil
Photograph: Fin Costello/RedfernsSmall wonder, then, that Nicko McBrain, 72, of Iron Maiden, announced his retirement from the road at the end of the band’s recent South American tour. As well as rheumatoid arthritis in his hands, he had suffered a mini-stroke last year, and though he recovered from initial paralysis on his right side, he found there were songs he could no longer play and others he had to adapt. There aren’t many guys of my generation left playing what I call ‘powerful drums’ Ian Paice, 76, has just finished a tour with Deep Purple, the band he co-founded in 1968.
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