Brain Has Made the Worst Drum Instructional DVD Ever breaks all traditional educational boundaries by proving to be simultaneously satirically innovative and still instructionally sound. Brain has made the worst, or possibly the best drum instructional DVD ever. His follow-up to the cult favorite, Brain Lessons: Shredding Repis on the Gnar Gnar Rad focuses on the 2 & 4. Brain’s simplified breakdown of his drumming philosophy is demonstrated as he performs with friends, Buckethead and DJ Disc. The feature-packed DVD also includes various skits, educational segments, and a host of special features. Brain’s newest offering is laugh-out-loud funny and inspiring for drummers of all ages and skill levels.
REVIEW
Bryan "Brain" Mantia (whose name is more often mistakenly spelled Brian) is a contemporary rock drummer who has played with the likes of Primus, Guns N' Roses and Godflesh, as well as other popular performers such as Tom Waits and Buckethead.
For those who have seen the 1991 release, Brain's Lessons: Shredding Repis On the Gnar Gnar Rad, Brain plays through some of his favorite funk and ostinato patterns ... this 2007 DVD release is nothing like it. Well I take it back, both videos have the home movie feel, but "the worst instructional dvd ever" also has documentary/interview type footage as well ... all done 'tongue-in-cheek'. There are humorous moments in he DVD ... although that is subjective and will vary from viewer to viewer. Some will think the entire DVD is hilarious while others, like myself, will find it mildly amusing. If you don't like films such as Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre or Spinal Tap, don't waste your time on this DVD ... you won't get the humor. Now I don't mean to imply that Brain Has Made the Worst Drum Instructional DVD Ever is anythng like those other films, but it is full of satire. I found a few parts of this DVD rather humorous and laughed outloud at one point during the segment entitled "Brain Buys Used Drums" (see video clip below). In several scenes there's some crass language which I think could/should have been left out. The bulk of the cursing comes from a character dressed as a catholic priest, and is feebly censored, on purpose, so you can still make out what is being said quite plainly. For that reason I'm giving this my own Parental Advisory.
Per the DVD's title, this isn't an instructional DVD by any means ... and if it were, it is in fact the worst! The only thing that is "discussed" is 2 and 4; more commonly known as the backbeat. Brain does play quite a bit on this DVD, so fans will enjoy getting to see him play within a number of 'duo' type scenarios (eg. DJ or guitarist).
I think the majority of the people who purchase this DVD would do so without reading one word of what I've written here. You can always chalk this up as my worst DVD review ever ... hopefully.
