Dave Lombardo is one of the most legendary drummers in all of metal, having carved out a storied career with Slayer, and now sitting behind the kit with Suicidal Tendencies, Dead Cross and a recent reunion stint with Mr. Bungle.
Despite the physical demands such an intense career would have after 40-odd years, Lombardo has told Ultimate-Guitar in a new interview that he is never going to retire from drumming,
"I'm not going to give up the drumsticks, man. Those motherfuckers are going to die with me. Shit, I don't retire. Even with all the money in the world, you couldn't get me to retire. I love what I do. I love music. Musicians don't retire, they only move on to another band or something.
Dave also mentioned some of his drumming idols who played into their old age, saying that the instrument is a great way to stay fit:
"...Buddy Rich… all those guys played until they were 80, you know? I think he played until he was 80. That's just something I had in my mind ever since I was a kid, looking up to these older guys - Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich. Ed Shaughnessy wrote me a beautiful letter - we got to hang out - he played for years on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. He played well into his later years. We love it. It's good for our health. It's good for our lungs and our upper body strength."
The full interview goes into detail about Jeff Hanneman, whether he'll ever do a guitar record and more.
We included Dave Lombardo in our list of the 13 best metal drummers ever, and we're so glad to hear that he never plans on hanging 'em up!
