Taylor Hawkins And Ringo Starr To Feature In 'Let There Be Drums!' Documentary

An upcoming documentary about drummers will feature interviews with Beatles legend Ringo Starr and the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.

Let There Be Drums! will include contributions from the legendary drummers as it 'examines the essential role drumming plays in great bands and how music passes from generation to generation'.

The documentary has been directed by Justin Kreutzmann, son of Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann.

He explained to Deadline that his idea was to speak to legendary drummers 'in hopes of better understanding his father and the instrument that defined his life'.

The interview with Taylor Hawkins, the Foo Fighters drummer who died earlier this year aged 50, could be the last one ever conducted with him before his death.

Also part of the cast of Let There Be Drums! are Steward Copeland of The Police, Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Matt Sorum of Guns N' Roses and many others, including Justin's father Bill.

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The director explained his inspiration behind Let There Be Drums!, talking about how his own childhood experiences fuelled his desire to make the documentary.

He said: "The idea of doing the movie Let There Be Drums! really came to me as a gift. Literally.

"It started Christmas Day, 1977 when I was given a Super-8 film camera. The first home movies I filmed were of my Dad on stage at Winterland in San Francisco."

"They were shot from my perspective, sitting right behind him on the drum riser so he could keep an eye on me during the Grateful Dead’s performances. Drums, and the drummers that play them, have been a major component of my entire life."

It seems growing up so close to the world of music has given Kreutzmann a burning desire to dig down into exactly what a drummer brings to a band.

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After his death, tributes to Hawkins poured in from all across the world of music, with Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker saying he would 'never forget' how the Foo Fighters drummer would tell him 'kid, you're a star' early on in his career.

Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine praised Hawkins for his 'spirit and unstoppable rock power'.

The Prince of Darkness himself Ozzy Osbourne said the drummer was 'truly a great person and an amazing musician'.

Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses dedicated the band's most recent tour to Hawkins, who according to NME had tried to recruit the Foo Fighters drummer.

However, Rose was thwarted when Hawkins declined his offer after getting some advice from Queen drummer Roger Taylor.

Just imagine being a fly on the wall for that conversation.

Let There Be Drums! is due to be released in cinemas on 28 October.