If you didn't walk away with at least a pair of
autographed Zildjian drumsticks on Thursday, time spent waiting to meet your
childhood inspiration might have felt fantasized.
He was 23 minutes late, prompting the mumbles of, "Is
he coming?" to reverberate among rows of variably sized golden cymbals.
If his tardiness promoted anything at Marshall Music, it
was sales for Zildjian, a family-owned cymbal, drumstick and mallet manufacturer
based in Boston, which sponsored a promotional event in Lansing as part of its
Zildian on Tour marketing campaign.
More valuable than sales, however, may have been the wave
of relief that went through the faithful when Jimmy Chamberlin, former drummer
for the Smashing Pumpkins, appeared next to the signing tables.
"He's bringing people in; people are excited. A little girl had to hold back a scream," said Marshall Music Co. sales associate Seth Newton.
Fans waited in clusters, clutching copies of �Mellon
Collie and the Infinite Sadness� and �Zeitgeist,� the Pumpkins� final album before Chamberlin left for
good; new cymbals and sets of drumsticks to be signed.
Unlike the Zildjian merchandise, which was marked down 60
percent from list price for the event, Chamberlin�s advice was 100 percent free
for visitors.
�You've got to wake up every morning with a pen in hand
and take the time to write,� Chamberlin said. �The essence of writing is to be
a core human being; whether it's Emily Dickenson or Kirk Cobain, there's
something that resonates in all of it.�
Drummer Randy Gelispie also made an appearance, but to
find cymbals, not sign autographs. The MSU Professor of Jazz has played with
such jazz icons as Ray Charles, Wes Montgomery and Sonny Sit.
"I came because Zildjian brought some prototype
cymbals in,� Gelispie said. �The ones I bought were low pitch 22s. Cymbals are
a personal touch, that particular cymbal 10 other drummers might hit it and not
like it.�
Ogling in the conglomeration of stardom, Chad Martinsen,
an East Lansing resident and member of local band Sudden Impact, revealed he
was more excited for Gelispie than Chamberlin, along with his new splash
cymbal. "It's small and unique sounding,� he said. �I use it a lot for the
type of music I play."
