I Dare Not Drink Before

I Don't Consider That I'm Particularly Influenced By Anyone Or Anything. But When I Started Playing, I Was Influenced By Early Soul. It Was Just That Feel, That Sound.

I've Wanted To Be A Drummer Since I Was About Five Years Old. I Used To Play On A Bath Salt Container With Wires On The Bottom, And On A Round Coffee Tin With A Loose Wire Fixed To It To Give A Snare Drum Effect. Plus There Were Always My Mum's Pots And Pans. When I Was Ten, My Mum Bought Me A Snare Drum. My Dad Bought Me My First Full Drum Kit When I Was 15. It Was Almost Prehistoric. Most Of It Was Rust.

There Were Times When I Blundered And Got The Dreaded Look From The Lads. But That Was A Good Sign. It Showed I'd Attempted Something I'd Not Tried Before.

My Names John Bonham, I'm A Drummer And I'm Potty About Cars.

Most Of It Was Nuts, But I Was Determined To Be A Drummer As Soon As I Left School.