The Drum Panel: Taste Is Fake, but My Feelings Are Real

In this episode, The Drum Panel returns with ME (Ben Hilzinger), alongside my co-host Eric Urrea (Marina City), Max Flanders (Lukas Nelson), and Dean Sinclair (Capital Soirée, Worry Club, Ostin) for a roundtable on the ever-fragile topic of taste.

Today we discuss:

How to handle unsolicited feedback without spiraling into existential dread

The delicate balance between self-expression and being hireable

Whether “good taste” is something you're born with—or can develop

That awkward moment when a producer tells you to “play something you’re already playing”

Learning to interpret non-drummer feedback without losing your mind

The anxiety of showing people your work… and how to move past it

Whether your teenage influences are a crutch… or your secret weapon

Developing your own voice in a world full of technically perfect drummers—and incoming AI

Overcoming “red light syndrome” in the studio and learning to groove under pressure

This one is for anyone who's ever questioned their taste, their technique, or their place in the industry. It’s funny, raw, and packed with perspective.

---

Get Your Copy of the Drummers on Drumming Book Today!

🎯 ⁠⁠Click here to order now!⁠⁠

Drummers on Drumming (the book) takes you inside the stories, records, and moments that shaped some of the world’s greatest drummers. Built on the Big Fat Five format of digging into top influences, it’s packed with candid interviews and personal insights. Whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years, this book is here to inspire you to sharpen your skills and find your own voice behind the kit.

For more information on Big Fat Snare Drum, check out ⁠⁠www.bigfatsnaredrum.com⁠⁠ and follow us on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠, Twitter, and TikTok.