Arjen A. Lucassen's Ayreon

Martijn Balsters
Date: 14-02-2001

Up until now the interviews in the Fan Club Members Home have been with singers. The following interview will change that. After the "Actual Fantasy"-album, Arjen decided to re-introduce real drums to the sound of Ayreon. Former Gorefest-drummer Ed Warby proved to be the perfect drummer for the job and received lots of positive reactions about his playing on "Into The Electric Castle" and "Flight Of The Migrator". I'd say it's about time to have a little chat him..

Profile

Name: Ed Warby
Date of birth: March 7, 1968
Nationality: Dutch
Residence: Rotterdam
Married: No
Children: No
Hobbies: Music, Film (DVD/Home cinema)
Favourite 3 albums:
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Gram Parsons - GP/Return of the Grievous Angel
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Deja Vu
Favourite 3 books:
Sorry, I'm absolutely no reader (I do read film books and stuff like that though). Watership Down was my favorite book when I was a child, so I'll pick that one.
Favourite 3 movies:
The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah)
2001: A Space Oddyssey (Stanley Kubrick)
Apocalypse Now (Frances Ford Coppola)

Beside your contributions to the Ayreon albums, you've had quite an interesting career already. Could you tell us, in short, what you've done so far?

I started to play the drums when I was 12 and after lots of bands I ended up with Elegy. This was the kind of music I wanted to play, but not the right level, so when Gorefest were looking for a drummer. I didn't have to think long about it. I did play on Elegy's debut album 'Labyrinth Of Dreams' but was already a Gorefest member for 200% at the time for its release. What I experienced with Gorefest in 7 years was like a little boy's dream come true: CD's, touring through Europe with Deicide, Death, Judas Priest etc., Dynamo Open Air (three times!), Pinkpop, MTV, TMF etc. etc. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end… Besides the Ayreon albums, I played on albums of Love Like Blood (Germany) and Lana Lane.

A lot of people will know you from your Gorefest period. This band can surely be called one the top bands in Dutch metal history. Do you still see the ex-members?

Sure, we frequently have movie-nights at my place and every now and then I also visit Zeeland where Frank and Jan-Chris live. We absolutely didn't break up with a fight or anything.

You used to play with Elegy, a band who has a more progressive style than Gorefest. Doesn't this musical style fit you a lot better than that of Gorefest or can't these two be compared?

At first, Elegy seemed a good band to express myself more as a drummer, but funny enough all the attention came when I was in Gorefest; endorsements, slagwerkkrant (Dutch drummer's magazine) and so on. When it's about playing, I honestly can tell that the Gorefest material suits me better than Elegy's because it offered me more freedom to develop myself. Elegy may seem technically more interesting for a drummer, but this really isn't the case.

About Ayreon now: Your first appearance was on the "Electric Castle"-album on which you played all the drums. How did you come in contact with Arjen in the first place?

After 'Actual Fantasy' Arjen was ready again for real drums, I think. Oscar Holleman knew me from Gorefest (we used to record at his studio RS29), so contact was made easy. Arjen was a bit scared at first because I don't read notes, but everything turned out right eventually…

What do you think of the music of Ayreon yourself?

I can only say one thing about it: absolutely great! And that's not because I'm part of it myself, but I really think it's great to be involved in such a cool project. Just like Arjen, I get a kick out of good singers, which is one of the main features of Ayreon for me. Besides that, I really like symphonic music (Spock's Beard, Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, but also Yes, Floyd and ELP), so everything's all right with that.

In interviews, Arjen mentioned several times you surprise him every time when you're in the studio. You seem to play everything right at the first take most of the times. Is this a matter of a good preparation or do you simple pick up things very fast?

Both. Arjen comes up with so much material that I don't succeed to study everything in one time. Mostly, I approach everything song-by-song, or even piece-by-piece. And about playing everything at the first take? That's not really true. Indeed, most of the time we don't record any longer than three days but then I'm drumming the hell out of myself all day long! It's true that I often learn to play things very fast, but unfortunately I'm an incredible perfectionist so I always try to find out if can't play just a little better than before, which annoys Arjen most of the time.

I don't know if this is a rumor, but I've been told that nowadays you almost never get behind your drum kit and play. Is this true?

Unfortunately this is true. Before "Flight Of The Migrator" I almost didn't see a drum kit for about a year. Nowadays, I have my stuff in a rehearsal room close to my house, but nothing is more boring than playing by yourself. I now try to play once a week, but I hope that I'll find a good band soon.

Do you have the idea that can express your creativity on the Ayreon-albums? For instance, you got a drum solo on the "Chaos"-track. Do you think along with Arjen during the recording process or do you simply play what you're asked to do?

Definitely. Arjen does give some guidelines, but just compare the version of 'Chaos' on the 'Ayreonauts Only' CD with the "Flight Of The Migrator" version. If there's room I can freak out, and if there's no room I just play straight and firm. I enjoy both, so I really can be satisfied with both.

What do you listen to yourself? Are there some new interesting bands you stumbled across lately?

Brace yourself: I mostly listen to old Country (no, not any Shania Twain line-dance shit!!!) Bluegrass, Blues and Soul! As far as heavy music is concerned: I'm stuck in seventies: Zeppelin, Purple, Rainbow, Kansas, Kiss, Black Sabbath, AC/DC etc. Taste of a man in his thirties, eh? As I said earlier, I'm quite charmed of the 'new' symphonic bands, but they actually sound fairly old-fashioned as well.

As a drummer you have a very characteristic style and are admired by many people. Do you still learn new things or is it just a matter of extending of what you already can?

I have the feeling that I didn't improve technically the past few years. What I did learn more is what works and doesn't work in a song; arranging the drum parts you could say. I really should start learn to read notes, but, to be honest, I'm too lazy for it.

What are your plans for the future? Is there some kind of ultimate wish you have? (For instance, working together with a particular musician)

It sounds like a cliché, but kind of every dream I had when I was a little boy came true! I'd love to play a little with Led Zeppelin or AC/DC; I think they're the best bands in the world when it's about magic and playing together. What I'd love to do most is to play in a band that's a heavy version of AC/DC. This was secretly what we had in mind with the last Gorefest album.

If you'd like to add something we didn't talk about that's worth mentioning.. please say so!

"Eh, thanks?"