By Press Play & FM2.0
Kenny Aronoff is a machine. Not in the emotionless, robotic sense—but in the relentless, precision-driven, doesn't-quit-until-it's-perfect sense. Sitting down with FM2.0’s Don and Dean, along with Tina from Press Play, the legendary drummer peeled back the curtain on what makes his sticks fly, why he still drills late into the night, and how he’s preparing for his upcoming gigs with Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, and Steve Vai on the Best of All Worlds tour.
“I’m basically being Alex [Van Halen],” Aronoff says, laughing about learning complex arrangements like "Amsterdam" and "Human Beings." “This isn’t playing the blues. It’s a lot of angular parts with weird accents. I mean, Eddie and Alex would just sit there working stuff out for a week straight.”
With decades of experience behind him, Aronoff is still the first to admit he never phones it in. His story about being asked to fill in for Jason Bonham with just 23 hours' notice reads like a Navy SEAL op: 45 pages of charts, hours of flight and prep, and a 14-camera shoot that had to be nailed in a single take. “I practice by myself in the dressing room. No excuses. Just own it,” he says. “You do the best you can, and stay focused on your trajectory.”
From classical percussion studies to being the driving force on John Mellencamp’s “Jack and Diane,” Aronoff spoke with emotional intensity about the heartbreak of being fired early in his career—and how that moment became the pivot to greatness. “It’s not about me. It’s about getting that song on the radio. I had to learn to serve the song, serve the artist.”
As a longtime collaborator with rock royalty, his list of drum gods reads like a hall-of-fame scroll—Bonham, Ringo, Charlie Watts, Portnoy, Grohl, Rich. “They’re all brilliant,” he says. “And I’ll never be as great as I want to be. But I’ll spend the rest of my life trying.”
Midway through the conversation, the FM2.0 team broke out their fan-favorite “SongStory” game, asking Aronoff what track reminds him of his first love. His answer? A wistful nod to The Beatles’ “Michelle.” Then, he paused. “Actually, also ‘See You in September’ by The Happenings,” he adds, recalling a memory of dancing with a girl on the beach at Cape Cod. “Her name was Buffy.”
It’s this blend of fire and reflection that defines Aronoff. Whether he’s pounding out stadium-rock thunder or reminiscing about teenage crushes, he’s fully present, fully engaged. As he gears up for another tour with some of the most iconic names in guitar history, Aronoff isn’t slowing down—he’s digging in.
Tonight, he’ll practice two and a half hours on a drum pad. Tomorrow, he'll do it again. “The only thing that’ll stop me is if I think it’s going to hurt my health,” he shrugs. “Other than that, there are no excuses.”
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