I was glad when writer Ginette "Nettie" Baker agreed to an email interview with me for Punk Globe. I was even gladder when she facilitated an email interview with her father Ginger Baker, the legendary drummer for Cream and Blind Faith and other great rock, blues and jazz acts over the past half a century. Nettie and Ginger collaborated on the writing of his fantastic autobiography Hellraiser which was published in 2010. Nettie is a mother and presently resides in England. In our interview she recounted her wild days as a rock star's daughter turned author. Ginger Baker, now in his 70s, lives in South Africa where he still plays drums!

PG - Were you thrilled when you father approached you about co-authoring his autobiography Hellraiser?

NB - Not 'thrilled'! I just thought 'about time', as he'd recently told me he had another guy ready to do it & I thought 'well that's nice seeing as I've got a degree & do journalism, I wonder if he's ever thought of helping one of his own children for a change!' But I kept quiet & one day he called up & asked me to do it! Then of course I thought 'Oh good, this could make my name and some money! Wrong on both counts! ha ha

PG - While reading the memoir I was amazed by your father's recollection for details. Did he keep a journal over the years or did he recite those recollections to you at the time of your writing the book?

NB - We are a family of constant drama so that gets recounted & becomes family 'myth'... he had written his memoir in the 80's, 25,000 words of which were still extant (The Graham Bond section). It was well written. But in the main, these 'anecdotes' are a lot of them 'aural' history that keep fresh in the re-telling over dinner tables of the world...(this is how we get laughs & sympathy!) Other recollections were recited to me whilst I took notes & tapes prior to writing.. but I already knew the great majority of them & so was able to prompt further recollection.. i.e. 'What about such & such a place?' him 'I've never been there.' me 'Yes you have because I was with you' etc. etc.

PG - I really liked the care you took into writing down people's names and crediting who played in what band and which artists did the artwork for his different projects. Was it important to your father to give credit to where credit was due?

NB - Not really, it was the publisher who wanted that.... we scaled it right down in fact! He only wanted to give credit to those he truly admired!

PG - Some of the passages about the seedy junkie underworld of 1950s London were disturbing but fascinating and on par with William Burroughs' book Junkie in terms their stark honesty. How did you decide to portray your father's observations and drug experiences in such a bold way? Did Burroughs or the 'in your face' punk rock ethos influence your writing style?

NB - Ginger read William Burroughs extensively in the 60's & 70's.. junkies tend to enjoy his work. Personally having lived with two junkies (my now deceased husband was one also) I have no need to read about it.. I've lived it & it was awful! Burroughs in my opinion is vastly over-rated, so no, he has not influenced me... Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, Douglas Adams, Jilly Cooper.... my sort of writers!

PG - I enjoyed your father's poems and reading about his sculptural art work and graphic work. Any plans to put out a book of Ginger Baker's poetry with images of his art? I am sure people would love to see pictures of his art.

NB - This is an idea we've been toying with for some time and I think it would be great. I'd also like to put on an exhibition on of 60's art produced by those on the music scene. I have some stuff of Eric Clapton's & my mother (who designed the inside of the Airforce first album, the dragon, & is the granddaughter of one of the Belgian Impressionist painters) has some wonderful stuff. However, nobody is remotely interested in putting up the money & I have the ambition of a gnat!

PG - Was it painful for you, as a woman and daughter of his first wife Liz, to write about your father's numerous side affairs with other women? Did this help you to understand him better or upset you?

NB - Not in the slightest bit painful.. his other women were a normal part of life to me & so I was used to it. They were always kind to me too (until I got grown up!) and in contrast to the the terrible violence in my home this was a relief! I myself have affairs with marrieds now.. I never judge people in affairs of the heart.. yes it taught me a lot.. especially that marriage is in your heart only & not on paper & that no one man is worth wasting your life/attempting suicide over like my mother did! Well past being upset on that one! Otherwise my siblings & I would be in an asylum if we weren't as tough as old boots!

PG - After writing this book what new insights did you come away with about your father? I was struck by the scene when he mentions being in a bar in Manhattan in the late 60s and hearing people scoff at Vietnam war protesters after which he yells at them they didn't know anything about war. The first thing that came to mind is that your father lost his father at such a young age in WWII and that he carried this pain with him his whole life.

NB - Yes, he would have perhaps been a better person had his father lived! Who knows? Most kids who went through the Blitz have some sort of residual trauma..& of course this showed up in the 60's peace demonstrations. It was always talked about that my real Grand dad had died in WWII & meeting the grandfather who had survived the Western Front in WW1 has perhaps kindled my First World War obsession. Ginger says his father is always with him, but don't forget this was a fate shared by many.

PG - How has hearing about your father's harrowing experiences with heroin influenced you and your family?

NB - We were in it, we were there, we didn't just hear about it!! It was truly and terribly much worse than he could ever describe! It has made us wildly intolerant of junkies.. yet tolerant of all other drugs bar heroin.. it has made us very tough and we use dark black British 'gallows humour' most of the time (when we aren't fighting amongst ourselves!).

PG - There must have been long stretches of time when you didn't see your father when you were growing up while he was traveling in Africa and other places. How did this affect you and your siblings?

NB - It was fantastic when he was away, for these reasons, firstly, there was a rest from the constant violent conflict which was the sole dynamic of my parent's relationship and secondly we were free to establish some of our own identity away from an often violent, always egotistical & highly dominating parent to whom giving praise was an anathema! So yes 'hooray he's gone away, the longer the better!' Apart from meeting the stars etc, he was useful for some good social life!!!!

PG - So you have a university degree and a master's degree in literature? What was your area of concentration and which authors from that era do you love?

NB - I have a 'first' BA, and a post grad MA in which I studied 'writing & society 1710-1820' .. this is basically 18th century popular culture. I love modern popular culture & read very widely fact & fiction on all manner of subjects from astro-physics to Tolstoy to anthropological studies to war biographies etc etc.....

PG - What contemporary fiction do you read?

NB - Contemporary fiction I find to be generally of a very poor standard.. I read some I'm given as gifts etc.. I would say I admire the early work of Jilly Cooper tho' academics would die at me putting her in the canon! Sixties writers such as Nell Dunn and Alan Sillitoe ( Saturday Night & Sunday Morning) were cooking.. I don't really like reading fiction set in the 'now'.. its not escapism!

PG - Your father seemed very articulate. Does your dad read a lot?

NB - He used to read a lot but now its just the Quoran!!!!!!!!!! Most of his reading etc. was given to him by my mother. She noted that when she first visited his family home she was struck by the fact that there were no books on display anywhere. So he owes his cultural development to her. She was from the 'class' above.. if you are familiar with the British class system (which incidentally is still alive & well!).

PG - What are your dad's current music plans?

NB - He is very desperate to get some money. Before that he said he had 'retired' but now he's spent all the re-union cash (Eric wonders 'how'??) he's asking for work. However nobody has so far been willing and/or able to put up the cash or make the arrangements required because he is so difficult to deal with and wife 4 had made this a million times worse! It's more rock n roll than ever at his house! (editor's note - by Eric, Nettie means Clapton)

PG - So, when did you get into punk rock? Were you into it from the early Sex Pistols days?

NB - No my own memoir (I can send you some) tells how I was mixing with members of the Royal Family in 1977 & not 'against' them.. I became a punk in 1985.. when it was long over!

PG - Did you know Poly Styrene? What do you have to say of her passing? I loved her singing.

NB - I did not know Poly, but Zillah Minx was a close friend of hers & so I was aware she was about to pass away etc etc... many people speak very highly of her contribution especially lyrically.

PG - What did your father think of your interest in punk rock? Did he ever care for any punk rock music?

NB - He hated punk, he hates anyone who 'can't play their instruments' & that included The Beatles & The Stones!!! We were highly amused when he worked on John Lydon's PIL album. Lydon also had said 'Never trust a hippy'.... hypocrites abound when cash speaks!

PG - Which of the kids play music? Do you or your sister play music? Tell us about your brother Kofi's drumming career.

NB - Do keep up with Leda baker who designed our web-site. A hugely talented guitar and bassist who played with Ginger (at my instigation) at his 2009 Jazz Cafe gig in London (this can be googled) She is also a a writer of computer software living in Amsterdam. Kofi is better technically than his Dad & is on tour in Europe. I do not play any musical instrument at all. Ginger has no interest at all in his children's achievements. When writing the book the letter about Kofi went in at my insistence. He did not want to mention us much at all. Hence all the family photos, again put in by me.

PG - Do you and your siblings ever get down to South Africa to see your father?

NB - Leda has been a few times (all pre wife 4). I went twice in late 2008 to do the book. We had massive problems with wife 4 beating him up & smashing the place up! It is a very beautiful place now up for sale. Kofi has never been to visit Dad in Africa. Ginger is very unkind & scathing about his son!

PG - How is your father's health nowadays?

NB - His health is fairly bad. Mainly due to to smoking, he has COPD.. but he's very very tough! I always say he should leave his body to medical science because with that DNA we could build the master race for sure!

PG - So you and your father have a new book in the works? Tell us about it.

NB - No I have written a better and deeper 'expose' which some people had professed an interest in.. it's very good .. but no takers & I can't be bothered! I've also written my punk book too.. but now I'm working 6 days a week in a pub.. nice n normal & no stress! Meanwhile Ginger emails me daily asking me for cash!!!! You couldn't make it up! So PLEASE if possible alert North America to the existence of our book Hellraiser.. I know it would sell if anyone knew it was there!

(Editor's note - This is an email interview. I have reprinted Ginger's answers in all caps, grammar unpunctuated exactly as they were sent to me.)

PG - So your roots were more in jazz rather than skiffle bands?

GB - YES IN JAZZ AS LISTENED TO TRAD JAZZ & BIG BANDS WHEN GROWING UP

PG - Did you ever go see acts in those music halls that were popular in England up until the 1950s and, if so, did these influence you musically?

GB - I USED TO GO TO DANCES WITH MY SISTER & I ALWAYS WATCHED THE DRUMMER!

PG - I love the tales about characters you played with like Gospel singer & guitarist Sister Rosetta Thorpe. It sounds as though Sister Rosetta acted as though she were more like a blueswoman like Ma Rainey when she asked you if you were a red head down below also . . .

GB - SISTER WAS COOL

PG - Did you ever meet Junior Wells or Slim Harpo or Sonny Boy Williamson? What was he like? I heard some wild stories about him plucking a chicken in front of frightened Englishmen . . Give us some anecdotes about blues guys in England!

GB - ALL ANECDOTES I CAN REMEMBER ARE IN MY BOOK!

PG - What connection do you hear between African music and American blues music? Can you spot any traditional drumming patterns that maybe traveled from Africa to the U.S. when slaves were brought over? Do you ever read any of those blues theorists and folklorists like Luc Sante or Alan Lomax?

GB - THE RHYTHM OF AFRICA IS THE ONE TAUGHT TO ME BY THE GREAT JAZZ DRUMMER PHIL SEAMEN AND ITS CLEAR THAT VERY FEW WHITE DRUMMERS CAN MASTER IT

PG - What do you see as the relationship between drumming and the spirit? Do you have any interest in native African spiritual beliefs or religious practices?

GB - I BELIEVE IN STRONG MAGIC AND THE FEEL OF AFRICA.. YOU MUST HAVE A FEEL FOR THE SPIRIT TO PLAY GOOD!!

PG - Are you proud of your son Kofi's renowned prowess as a drummer?

GB - KOFI IS A VERY TALENTED MUSICIAN AND OF COURSE I AM IMMENSELY PROUD OF HIM

PG - How is the situation for wildlife in Africa? How do you feel about trophy hunters and poachers? I loved books like about Jane Goodall's work and also Born Free and Gorillas in the Mists.

GB - WE HAVE SOME PROBLEMS WITH THE BABOONS! BUT OF COURSE THE WILDLIFE SHOULD BE PROTECTED. SADLY POVERTY & EXPLOITATION FORCES PEOPLE INTO BAD WAYS

PG - Did you ever read Chinua Achebe's book Things Fall Apart or Isak Dinesen's Out of Africa?

GB - NO

PG - How is the situation in Zimbabwe? How do you feel about the situation there in terms of how the colonists' descendants were kicked off of their farms?

GB - ITS A VERY COMPLICATED SITUATION CAUSED BY THE WHITE MAN IN THE FIRST PLACE IN MY OPINION

PG - Do you have any fave jazz musicians from the 50s/60s? Which ones?

GB - ART BLAKEY.. MAX ROACH.. THELONIOUS MONK

PG - You discovered you were a drummer by accident but taught yourself music theory on your own, correct?

GB - ITS IN THE BOOK!

PG - Do you care for any classical composers?

GB - YES QUITE A FEW

PG - Any interest in contemporary or av ant garde music composers such as Lou Harrison, Harry Partch, Terry Riley, Meredith Monk, John Cage, Phillip Glass, Laurie Anderson, those sorts . . .

GB - NOT REALLY

PG - Do you have any plans to play more Cream reunion shows with Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce?

GB - NOT AT THIS TIME

PG - My pal William Winant, a world renowned percussionist and percussion teacher, is a huge fan of yours, he had two questions for you as well -

WW - What inspired you to write Toad (the first great rock drum solo recording)?

GB - IT EVOLVED OVER TIME FROM THE GBO DAYS (Editor's note - GBO stands for Graham Bond Organisation)

WW - Ask him why he started to use double kick drums? He was one of the first to so. Ask him if he was aware of jazz drummer Louie Bellson's use of double kick drums, and if that had any influence on him.

GB - THIS IS ALL IN THE BOOK!

PG - Lastly, do you listen to any contemporary music? Which acts and why?

GB - KELLY ROWLAND & MODERN R&B.... COOL DANCING & BEAT!

PG - Do you have any plans to record more music? Who are you playing music with nowadays?

GB - PLANNING TO WORK WITH JONAS HALBORG ONCE AGAIN

PG - Since there are so many fascinating details about your life in your autobiography Hellraiser, co-written with your daughter Nettie, can you tell us how people can get it?

GB - WE ARE WORKING ON GETTING THE ELECTRONIC RIGHTS... YES YOU CAN ORDER IT STRAIGHT FROM AMAZON... SADLY OUR PUBLISHERS ONLY SENT 1000 COPIES TO THE US WHEREAS WE KNOW WE HAVE AT LEAST 1 MILLION FANS THERE WHO DON'T EVEN KNOW IT EXISTS. MORE PROMO NEEDED!

PG - Thank you so much for your time!
http://www.gingerbaker.com/
Check out Ginger's son's website! http://www.kofibaker.com/
Buy Hellraiser on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Ginger-Baker-Hellraiser-Autobiography-Greatest/dp/1844548171
Follow Rebecca G. Wilson on Twitter @writerebecca
http://writerebecca.blogspot.com