Jeremy Spencer started out banging on the drums at the precocious age of 6 and has parlayed that into a lifelong career.
Jeremy Spencer remembers vividly the drum kit his grandmother bought him when he was just six years old: a $79 drum kit from Sears.
“It was terrible, but as soon as I got it, to me, I thought ‘This is good enough. I’m in Kiss now,’” recalls Spencer. “I would play along terribly to the record, put on concerts for my parents and friends — they acted like they cared, but they probably didn’t. It was a lot of fun being 6 years old, getting started. It grew from there, I got bigger and better drum kits. Through the years, I got on the neighbors’ nerves more and more. But I just continued to develop that way.”
And boy did Spencer develop.
Spencer, now the frontman for Psycho Synner, honed his craft as a forming member of Five Finger Death Punch, and has taken advantage of the pandemic to crank out music nonstop. 
ED Magazine spoke with Spencer, courtesy of Bob Chiappardi and StripJointsMusic.com, about some of the drummers he appreciates, the key to a mesmerizing live show and Psycho Synner’s track “Rebels of the Underground.”
ED: Jeremy, who are drummers you emulate?
SPENCER: I love Buddy Rich for jazz. Neil Peart (Rush), Peter Criss (Kiss) is the reason I started drums — getting a Kiss record so young, it was like nothing I had seen or heard. It blew me away and I had to do it. There are a lot of drummers: Dave Lombardo (Slayer), Lars Ulrich (Metallica), Deen Castronovo (Journey, Bad English), so many — those are some to name a few.
ED: How has the reality of being a musician compared to preconceived notions you may have had when you were starting out?
SPENCER: It’s kind of like everything you thought it would be and nothing like you thought it would be. There are curveballs and things in the business you weren’t ready for you have to go through and learn. No matter how tough it may get, you have to plow forward. It’s been a blessing. I’ve gotten to experience some incredible highs and tough lows, but I wouldn’t change anything. It’s developed me into where I’m at now and I’m very happy.
“I would play along terribly to the record, put on concerts for my parents and friends — they acted like they cared, but they probably didn’t. It was a lot of fun being 6 years old, getting started. It grew from there, I got bigger and better drum kits. Through the years, I got on the neighbors’ nerves more and more. But I just continued to develop that way.” — Jeremy Spencer
ED: Did you find striking a balance was tough between your rock persona and Jeremy Spencer?
SPENCER: Yeah, because you’re in such a world that’s not really real. It’s real to you, but it’s not really reality. It’s this bubble and you’re on the move. A lot of people want a piece of you and you only have so much of yourself to give. But it’s a good problem to have when people want to talk to you.
ED: What’s the key to a great live show — what’s your most memorable live show (either performing or attending)?
SPENCER: Always blow stuff up. Pyro is the key. You gotta make it Kiss, if it’s not Kiss then you’re failing. You want people leaving going ‘Holy shit, you have to go check this out. What they did was incredible.’
ED: What’s the most humbled you’ve been meeting a fellow musician — can you talk about how that interaction went?
SPENCER: You feel a little awestruck and insecure. Oh man, I’m meeting Vinnie Paul (Pantera) for the first time and he’s over on the side of the stage watching me and now I’m making mistakes! Everyone I’ve met has always been really nice, I’ve been blessed. I haven’t come across asshole encounters.
ED: Have you found during the pandemic you’ve relied more on music than usual — either as a means of escape, combating boredom, having more time to experiment, etc.?
SPENCER: More time to experiment. We just started recording about two years ago, and the pandemic was happening. You couldn’t really do anything except maybe play a livestream show. We tried one of those and it was OK, but it’s not the same. You need some interaction. You’d finish a song and the janitor would be in your line of view vs an arena full of fans. We just took that time to write and record and we just kept going. We cranked out nine albums and just finished album No. 10.
ED: What do you have planned as far as live shows for 2022?
SPENCER: We’re trying to schedule some stuff now. The problem is the pandemic keeps coming back and people keep canceling so you have this logjam backup pile of bands that have been trying to tour since 2020! I don’t know where we’re going to land, we’re going to try to do some shows but honestly there may not be a proper tour until 2023.
ED: StripJoints services DJs at gentlemen’s clubs nationwide, so, in your words, why would “Rebels of the Underground” be a good choice to play at a gentlemen’s club?
SPENCER: Lyric-wise it makes a lot of sense, it’s kind of grimy and rebelling against everything. It’s got a good, sleazy groove which works great.
