Richard Christy Talks about being a Drummer

Richard Christy was inspired to play drums after hearing Alex Van Halen's drumming in the Van Halen song "Hot for Teacher".[2] His skills were honed while living in a storage garage over a period of years in Florida. Since there were no neighbors to bother, Christy could practice his drumming well into the night without the worry of someone calling the police.

Christy has played in many bands, including Iced Earth, Burning Inside, Death and Control Denied. Christy joined Death after meeting Chuck Schuldiner in a bookstore while the band was looking for a new drummer after the departure of Gene Hoglan. Christy recorded three albums with Death (The Sound of Perseverance released in 1998, Live in L.A. (Death & Raw), 2001, and Live in Eindhoven, also 2001) and one album with Control Denied, The Fragile Art of Existence released in 1999. Some of his former bandmates have been interviewed by Howard 100 News where they understood his move to comedy, saying that his unusual sense of humor and antics kept them entertained while on tour.