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Thread: Nicholas Bowen "Topper" Headon

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    Default Nicholas Bowen "Topper" Headon

    Nicholas Bowen "Topper" Headon



    Drummer - Nicholas Bowen Headon

    Nickname Topper - He got that name because bassist Paul Simonon reckoned he resembled the Topper comic book character Mickey the Monkey.

    Drumming Style - Nothing fazed him..Punk,Jazz he could do the lot.!

    Main Band The Clash

    Nicholas Bowen Headon...He was a keen footballer but couldn't play for a while because he broke his leg.While waiting for it to mend he bought a snare drum and that was that.He is completely self taught and his main influences where Terry Williams, Keith Moon and Brian Downey.

    According to Joe Strummer when the Clash`s drummer (Terry Chimes) left the band they auditioned 205 before hiring Topper.He joined in 1977 and played and co wrote many of their classics.The end came in 1982 as he was asked to leave because of his heroin addiction.


    My bit....calling him just a punk drummer doesn't do him justice as The Clash played a lot of different styles of music which he could easily turn his hand to.I could have written about ten times as much as i have but we are supposed to be brief and i don`t want to bore anybody.

    One of my favourite clash songs with Topper.

    Just a word about this song..when the boss of the record company heard it he hated it..thought it sounded like David Bowie played backwards.!


  2. #2

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    Default Re: Nicholas Bowen "Topper" Headon

    Blimey, I was just thinking about doing a biog on Topper today while I was at work.
    To my mind he's one of the greats. As you say he could turn his hand to many styles because that's what The Clash did, they played many styles. You only have to listen to Sandinista to hear a vast array of influences on their music.
    The band I'm in have decided to cover a lot of Clash songs, and I really notice the heavy influences of (particularly) Reggae. It makes for fun playing.
    Mapex Armory - Photon Blue
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  3. #3

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    Default Re: Nicholas Bowen "Topper" Headon

    He is an essential drummer to listen and study from. I've actually notated and am teaching a few Clash tunes to some of my students, the younger ones in particular have no idea that some of the bands they like to listen to have some sort of influence from The Clash and others like them.

    "...it's the Paradigm Of The Cosmos!" Stewart Copeland on Youtube

    668: The Number Of The Guy Next Door To The Beast.

    "A random act of kindness; it keeps my heart in shape!" - Late8

  4. #4

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    Default Re: Nicholas Bowen "Topper" Headon

    Big Clash fan here as well. Topper was a big influence on me.
    One of my favs...
    Proud Yamaha Player

    The line between the real world and the machine world is becoming more and more blurred every day.But its not that humans are turning into automations or becoming slaves to the machines.No, we're simply growing toward each other!

  5. #5

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    Default Re: Nicholas Bowen "Topper" Headon

    Bumping this......it was Topper's birthday yesterday.


    Here's the less-seen side of Topper's drumming that I like too.

    Last edited by Drumbledore; 05-31-2014 at 08:45 AM.
    "...it's the Paradigm Of The Cosmos!" Stewart Copeland on Youtube

    668: The Number Of The Guy Next Door To The Beast.

    "A random act of kindness; it keeps my heart in shape!" - Late8

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