Dec 6, 2019
Bob Bert became a drummer by accident. Originally he was an
artist who studied painting and screen printing at the School of
Visual Arts in Manhattan. After a
couple of drinks at a club in Hoboken, his late wife Linda yelled
out his name, when the band that was about to play announced they
were looking for a drummer. His first band was Drunk Driving. Bob
came to prominence as drummer for Sonic Youth during the early to
mid-1980s. Bert played on the Sonic Youth releases Confusion Is
Sex, Sonic Death, and Bad Moon Rising.
After leaving Sonic Youth, Bob replaced John Hammill as the
drummer for Pussy Galore.
In the early 1990s, Bob drummed for the Chrome Cranks. After the dissolution of the Chrome Cranks, Bert joined forces with guitarist Kid Congo Powers, guitarist Jack Martin, Jerry Teel and Barry London in the New York City band Knoxville Girls. Bob continues to work with Kid Congo Powers. They are currently in the band Wolfmanhattan Project along with Mick Collins. Their new album Blue Gene Stew was just released.
During the late 1990s, Bert and his wife, artist Linda Wolfe, began publishing BBGun magazine.
Bob handled the photography and interviews, and Linda handled the layout and advertising. During his chat with Lydia and Tim, Bob mentions how Richard Hell and Vincent Gallo were the only interview subjects that edited their own interviews.
Bob is now playing with Retrovirus with Lydia, Tim and Weasel Walter, and with John Spencer and the Hitmakers. Aside from the new Wolfmanhattan project album, Bob also has a book out.
The title is I’m Just the Drummer. The book is a compendium of all the photos and interviews Bob has done during his long career.