Robert Gotobed

Robert Gotobed is cautious about describing himself as a musician, as opposed to someone who simply plays the drums. Yet he contributed an enormous amount to Wire's sound, especially on the triad of classic albums: Pink Flag, Chairs Missing, and 154.



As a teenager, Gotobed was captivated by the drumming of Cream's Ginger Baker, but he didn't start playing until his mid-twenties. In 1975, Gotobed joined his first band, an R&B group called the Snakes, not as a drummer but as vocalist. Featuring Richard Wernham and Nick Garvey -- who later formed The Motors -- the Snakes released the single "Teenage Head." After the group folded, Gotobed began teaching himself to drum.



Gotobed met Colin Newman in the summer of 1976 and was lured to Watford Art College for a rehearsal with the nascent Wire. By his own admission, Gotobed had little ability, but he proved to be the man for the job and his pared-down, metronomic presence remained a distinctive landmark across the changing sonic landscape of Wire's first three albums.

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