Creativity Quote by Bill Bruford

There is a sly humility baked into Bruford’s complaint: “being hounded” makes success sound like a nuisance, but the nuisance is youth, skill, and the future arriving on his doorstep. Coming from a drummer who helped define prog’s high-wire precision, the line reads less like self-pity than a knowing admission that virtuosity has an expiration date once the next generation starts making it look effortless.

The phrase “fabulous new drummers” carries a double edge. “Fabulous” is praise, but it’s also showbiz language - a little glossy, a little distancing - as if Bruford is trying to keep admiration from becoming vulnerability. The real tell is naming Bill Stewart “at the head of the pack.” Stewart, associated with a modern jazz elasticity and deep groove rather than prog bombast, signals a shift in what counts as advanced drumming: not just speed or complexity, but feel, touch, and time that breathes. Bruford is clocking an aesthetic change, not merely a competitive one.

Context matters: Bruford’s later career was marked by self-conscious evolution and eventual retreat from performance. This line captures the moment an elder statesman realizes the talent pipeline isn’t flattering anymore; it’s relentless. The subtext isn’t “I’m washed,” it’s “the bar keeps moving, and they’re moving it in directions I respect.” That respect is what makes the sentence sting - and what makes it generous.