Quadriplegic Drummer Seeks Stardom

By Guest Contributor

Published: October 9, 2009

By Aaron Kase

SHEFFIELD, UK – John Moon is looking for a band. Like many aspiring musicians, the drummer uses the newspaper, the internet, and follows the local concert scene, looking for mates to play with. However, there is one major way that Moon differs from your average out of work musician, one fact that sets him apart: He is paralyzed from the neck down, possessing no independent motion of either his arms or his legs. Moon hasn’t let that dampen his enthusiasm for a music career, and in fact even claims it gives him an advantage.

“I’ve been through things most other musicians could never even imagine,” he told The Garlic Press. “The adversity I’ve faced, the challenges I’ve overcome just to master the basics of my instrument, have truly made me a better drummer in the long run. The effort, sweat and tears I’ve put into this profession really shines through in my music.”

Moon, 22, has been paralyzed since being in a car accident when he was six years old. He had never played the drums before the accident, and only decided to take up percussion in recent years. “In a way I’m glad I never drummed back when I could use my arms,” he said. “I could have become frustrated, thinking about the freedom of motion and dexterity I one time possessed. This way, I started with a clean slate.”

Moon cites Def Leppard’s Rick Allen as a role model. Allen was already a world famous drummer when his arm was amputated following a near fatal car crash in 1984. Despite the loss of limb, Allen continued drumming with a partially electronic drum set he helped design, and Leppard came out with Hysteria, their best selling album ever, with the one armed man driving the rhythm section and still rocking the beats. “You see how good Rick Allen was?” Moon asked. “And he was only missing one limb. I’m missing all four! I should be four times as awesome.”

“Well, not missing, of course,” he added, looking down at his limp, useless body. “They’re still attached, I guess, but they aren’t doing me much good.” He then turned his head and bit himself on the shoulder to demonstrate his lack of feeling.

If he can find the band and stardom he’s looking for, John Moon has higher aspirations than just rocking out. “I figure I can raise awareness for the physically handicapped, too. You know, I’m a quad but I can still kick ass, that kind of thing. Know what I’m sayin’?”

His search for fellow band members has been fruitless so far, but Moon isn’t giving up. “You know, a lot of people hear I don’t have any arms or legs, and that ends the conversation right there. I’m just waiting to find the right group of people. And once they actually hear me drumming, brother, that’ll seal the deal then and there.”

When asked how he manages to manipulate the drums without the use of either arms or legs, Moon claims to keep a pretty good beat going with his forehead on the cymbals. “Also, I’m really good at using silence. Some drummers make too much noise, fancy fills, rolls, that kind of thing. Sometimes, it’s just as important what you don’t play,” he told us.

Moon then paused, contemplating. “It’s not my abilities that worry me. I have no doubt that I can do it. I guess my biggest concern about all this is if I ever do become a rock star, how can I bang groupies without the use of my wiener?”