SKF NOTE: My 5/2 post, “The Top Secret Drum Method,” in which a drummer fears someone stealing his ideas, prompted a wonderful reply from my friend, Rick Mattingly, former Modern Drummer Features Editor.

Rick is correct. I not at MD when this incident happened.

Rick Mattingly

Rick Mattingly: Scott, I think you might have left MD before this happened. Neil Peart decided to give away an old drumset. Readers were invited to send in a cassette of themselves playing a drum solo, and the best one would win the drums. There were also 2nd and 3rd place prizes of cymbals. The winners were chosen by Neil and we were going to publish the solos on a “sound supplement,” one of those flexible plastic records.

Two of the winners were thrilled; one of them didn’t want his solo published because then other people could steal his ideas.

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