Drumming News :
Viv Prince, the British drummer whose off-the-rails antics with The Pretty Things in the 1960s turned him into a cult rock legend — and an apparent inspiration for This Is Spinal Tap’s unhinged drummers — has died at age 84 in Portugal.
Born in Loughborough, England, in 1941, Prince began his career in early ’60s jazz and skiffle groups, later joining Carter-Lewis & the Southerners alongside future Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. He joined The Pretty Things in 1964, bringing a fierce, chaotic energy that captivated audiences—and fellow drummers like Keith Moon of The Who, who later asked Prince to fill in for him during a performance. Though Prince played on only two albums with the Pretty Things, his impact was seismic. Known as “rock’s original madman drummer,” he was the chaos engine behind the band’s raw sound and wilder-than-fiction image. Stories of him drinking meths (or pretending to), laying carpet mid-performance during Sandie Shaw’s set, and allegedly releasing crayfish in an airport lounge became part of rock folklore.
Prince’s behavior often upstaged the music, even in a band known for pushing boundaries. In a 1965 interview, he tried to explain it all away — “The fish were dead when we bought them. They always are. How on earth can dead fish run around?”
He lasted just 18 months with the Pretty Things — fired after refusing to play a gig when a nearby pub wouldn’t serve him (it had been trashed the night before). His post-band exploits included a brief stint with the Hells Angels — who kicked him out for being too wild.
With his theatrical drumming, rule-breaking spirit, and gleeful descent into absurdity, Viv Prince didn’t just influence rock drummers like Keith Moon — he was the prototype for every fictional rocker who self-destructed for laughs and legend. As one fan put it: “Eat your heart out, Spinal Tap.”
