Name: Jimmy Chamberlin
Years as a gamer: 12
Years as a drummer: 27
Favourite video game: Tomb Raider III
Favourite drums: Yamaha
Favourite drummer: Buddy Rich

     There are some people you should never take for granted: your mom, your girlfriend, and the drummer in your rock band. Unless, of course, you don't mind being guilt-tripped, single, and in a band that sucks. Even so, finding a good drummer can be as hard as finding a forgiving girlfriend or a mom who won't call the emotional travel agent every time you take her for granted. Which is why, when we heard that Jimmy Chamberlin, the master rhythmist of The Smashing Pumpkins, was a gamer as well as a drummer, we knew our search for a good drummer was over. Not for our band (or for that matter, our mom or girlfriend), but to test drive Konami's DrumMania, a drumming game for the PlayStation 2, that actually comes with its own drum kit controller. And though Chamberlin jokingly laughed, "This is going to f--- up my playing tonight," as he tried out the game, he also seriously laughed that he'd like to go another round.

PS: You seemed to be having a good time with this game. Do you think being a real drummer might've made it easier for you?

JC: Oh, absolutely, yeah. I think it's a good tool. I think it can definitely tellsomeone if they have rhythm or not, once they get used to it.

PS: So you think DrumMania might have some value as a teaching aid?

JC: Yeah, though you can pretty much tell within a half-hour if someone is capable of playing the drums or not. I taught drums for six, seven years, and I used to tell people's mothers, "There's two kinds of people: those who can play drums, and other people."

PS: What did you think about the controller? Did it feel like a real drum kit?

JC: It felt good. The pads were a little hard, but with the rubber drum sticks it was fine. Though if you used real sticks on it you'd probably get a slight case of tennis elbow after a while. I also think that the high hat could be raised up a bit. Most people play their hat like this [hits the high hat pad in sync with the snare pad], and with the two of them on the same level, the sticks hit each other. So I'd maybe raise it up, maybe even put it on an angle.

PS: Did it actually sound like a real drum kit, though?

JC: Well, to me it sounded a little synthesizery. Though if you don't play a great-sounding real kit every day, you wouldn't notice. You could also tell the difference of the snare from the cymbals, which was good.

PS: Have you ever owned an electronic drum kit that looked like this thing?

JC: Yeah, I have one at home. It's called the Drum Cat [bri's note: DrumKAT], and it's basically a series of square pads. They've been making them for about six years. I also play V-Drums at home -- they're like electronic pads.

PS: Now in the game, when you perform badly, it boos you. Discuss.

JC: Yeah, I liked that part."You suck." That's every teacher's dream to be able to say that to someone. [laughs]

PS: Have you ever gotten booed like that when you were playing a show with The Pumpkins?

JC: Yeah. [laughs] Once when we were opening for Guns N' Roses in Oklahoma, Billy [Corgan, The Pumpkins' singer and guitarist] asked the audience how it felt to be standing on stolen Indian land. I got hit in the head with a quarter and booed.

PS: Is there anything in the game you would boo?

JC: Well, it would've been easier to play if I put the TV on its side so that the music was going sideways instead of down. Just because that's the way I sight-read.

PS: Did that screw you up while you were playing?

JC: Absolutely, yeah, because I'm used to having the toms up here and the snare on the bottom. It's like taking sheet music and turning it on its side. But if you're not used to sight-reading it's not going to make a difference.

PS: It was recently announced that The Smashing Pumpkins is going to break up soon. Do you already have an idea what you're going to do when it's all over?

JC: I think I'm going to take a little time off, and then I'll probably go back to teaching. I might go back to college, get my teaching certificate, and do some high school teaching. Or I might do some private teaching like I used to. And maybe I'll play some jazz. That's where I got my start; it's a little more natural for me.

PS: So, do you think you'd have time for DrumMania?

JC: Oh, absolutely. And I would drive my assistant nuts.

Celebrity Verdict - DrumMania Graphics: "They're good, though the music should go side-to-side." (4)
Sound: "You can tell the snares from the cymbals." (4) Control: "They were pretty sensitive, pretty responsive." (4)
Pros: "You get to play drums. If I had one at home, I'd f--- around with it. Plus, it tells you when you suck."
Cons: "[The controller is] orange; it's hard to read the music."
Overall: "I think it needs a little more development." (4 out of 5)