Tommy Igoe is an intensely passionate guy. He is a world-class performer, educator, and speaker as a result of a lifetime of hard work. His educational materials, “Great Hands For A Lifetime” and “Groove Essentials” Vol. 1 and 2 are iconic and used by an incredibly vast amount of drummers all over the world.
If you have been following Tommy’s career for any length of time, it is fair to say that excellence and the pursuit of it is a leading priority in Tommy’s life. And again, if you have been following Tommy for a little while, you already know that he is very direct and vocal, especially when it concerns conduct on social media.
I think the friction that occurred back in 2019 had so much positive effect to cut through the noise online. I mean, at one point or another, someone in the world was probably talking about the trolling stuff this time last year (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, you definitely don’t want to miss this episode). People love drama and this was the best soap going in the drumming community.
It was a moment where his audience would be able to 100% trust who they were aligning with because I have never seen Tommy break his word online. If he says he is doing something, he does it and doesn’t stop doing it. I have serious reverence for that level of commitment. His #igoechallenge – where he posts daily educational videos – is going on over two months! He has been serving while out of work to improve other drummers and by doing so he is also improving as well as setting a positive example.
This #igoechallenge became the reason why, out of the interviews from the Drumeo Festival, I saved this one for last. His words have become more substantiated by his actions during these difficult times. He is doing a great job of including people, creating a safe place for drummers to develop, providing quality education, encouraging drummers in an honest way, and showing respect based on what is deserved. He rewards strong work ethic and good behavior. He is a very good leader and that cannot be argued.
You will hear about…
For starters, this episode has some hilarious moments, and often. And haven’t we all been wondering what was going on in Tommy’s backstage with the trolling stuff? I mean, let’s be real. The whole thing with Tommy getting trolled was like a rabid pack of hyenas on the biggest hunk of roadkill imaginable. If I went through that, it would most definitely become a constant thought throughout my day and negatively affect my life.
I would imagine that there will be people who will listen to this and still mutter to themselves that Tommy is an asshole or something or avoid listening out of spite. At the same time, at the heat of the Tommy vs. Trolls war last year, my episode with him shot up in downloads immediately. There is something attractive about the whole thing, but what is great is that now he has risen to the occasion that befalls every working musician on the planet and is practicing what he preaches. I think Tommy is hard to fault these days. If you do because of what you thought last year, then you have a life with very little worry or concern and you should be stoked AF.
I wanted to host an interview getting Tommy speaking on what matters to him and further strengthen his name in the community. I think we did that here and we had a lot of fun too.
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Photo: Ronn Dunnett
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