Ginger Baker Had Some Savage Criticisms To These 4 Musicians

Ginger Baker, the legendary drummer for Cream and other iconic acts, was known not only for his incredible talent but also for his blunt opinions. Never one to sugarcoat his thoughts, Baker had a reputation for delivering unfiltered critiques about his peers in the music industry. Whether you call it brutal honesty or plain disdain, his comments always got people talking. Let’s dive into some of Ginger Baker’s most scathing—and surprisingly candid—opinions about other musicians and bands.

Gary Moore
When Ginger Baker joined forces with guitarist Gary Moore in the short-lived supergroup BBM, it was far from a harmonious collaboration. Baker didn’t hold back about his feelings on Moore, particularly regarding his playing style.

“A tour was suggested; I’d get £50,000 a gig,” Baker stated. “What I didn’t realize was that Gary Moore was playing so loud that he blew his ears—just as Jack [had] done to me. More gigs were canceled than played. And they were awful anyway. Unlike Cream, everything with Gary Moore was contrived. Every solo he played was the same.”

Ouch. Being called “contrived” by someone like Baker is no small jab.

Hawkwind
Baker’s brief stint with space rock band Hawkwind in the early ’80s didn’t win him any admiration for their music. He didn’t hesitate to call the band a “joke.”

“Hawkwind were more interested in their stage appearance and their lighting than their actual music,” Baker once said. “And their music was f***ing appalling. Atrocious. I hated it all.”

It wasn’t a match made in heaven.

The Rolling Stones
Even the mighty Rolling Stones weren’t safe from Baker’s razor-sharp tongue. In a 2010 interview, he revealed his disdain for the band and didn’t mince words about their frontman, Mick Jagger.

“I hate the Stones and always have done,” he said. “Mick Jagger is a musical moron. True, he is an economic genius. Most of ’em are f***ing morons.”

It’s not every day someone calls one of the biggest rock stars in history a “musical moron.”

All Heavy Metal Musicians, Literally

Baker didn’t just single out individual bands—he had strong feelings about entire genres. Despite Cream’s influence on heavy metal, Baker detested the genre and its loud, aggressive style.

“I’ve seen where Cream is sort of held responsible for the birth of heavy metal,” he said. “[…] I loathe and detest heavy metal. […] They don’t seem to understand I was thrashing in order to hear what I was playing. It was anger, not enjoyment, and painful. I suffered on stage because of that [high amplifier] volume crap. I didn’t like it then, and like it even less now.”

Whether you agree with his critiques or not, Ginger Baker’s unfiltered opinions are a reminder of his uncompromising personality. For better or worse, he was never afraid to speak his mind—making him as unforgettable offstage as he was behind the drum kit.