{"id":3863,"date":"2026-06-18T01:08:37","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T01:08:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/?p=3863"},"modified":"2026-06-18T01:10:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T01:10:04","slug":"ftv-chad-smith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/?p=3863","title":{"rendered":"FTV: Chad Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0After enough people asked if Will Farrell was related to Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, a comedic moment was born.\u00a0 For his part, Smith even began sporting a shirt with Farrell\u2019s likeness and the caption \u201cI AM NOT WILL FARRELL\u201d.\u00a0 Jimmy Fallon\u2019s musical sensibilities have seen him engineer some interesting musical moments and a few uncanny impressions on <\/span>The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0 From Neil Young to Dave Matthews to Bob Dylan, Fallon has had great success mimicking musicians even though his main gig these days is being a talk show host.\u00a0 Guitar is Fallon’s main instrument of choice so even if he had the idea to have some fun with the Smith\/Farrell pairing, he let the two of them square off in a \u2018drum battle\u2019 in May of 2014. \u00a0 Following is an account of the whole bit as published in <\/span>The Hollywood Reporter <\/span><\/i>soon after it aired (and yes, if you missed it, it is still readily available):<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201c<\/span>Will Ferrell<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>Red Hot Chili Peppers<\/span><\/a> drummer <\/span>Chad Smith<\/b> \u2014 who bear a striking resemblance to each other \u2014 appeared on <\/span>The Tonight Show<\/span><\/i> Thursday wearing identical outfits, complete with matching earrings and KISS T-shirts. Throughout their sit-down with <\/span>Jimmy Fallon<\/b><\/a>, they each pretended to be the other person as they explained their supposed beef. \u201cI was jammin\u2018 with the Chili Peppers in our jam house,\u201d Ferrell-as-Smith said, explaining what he was doing when he supposedly heard about his look-alike talking smack about him.\u00a0 Then the two resumed their real identities and sat down to a drum-off. \u201cThat was cute \u2014 do you play for the Lukewarm Chili Peppers?\u201d Ferrell quipped after Smith delivered an epic solo. The bit concluded with Ferrell busting out a cowbell to reprise his character Gene from the iconic \u201cneeds more cowbell\u201d sketch (from <\/span>Saturday Night Live<\/span><\/i>) with the other members of the Chili Peppers joining in for a cover version of Blue Oyster Cult\u2019s \u201c<\/span>(Don\u2019t Fear) the Reaper<\/span><\/i>\u201d.\u201d\u00a0 For the record, Smith \u2018won\u2019 this battle hands down but even he had to smile when his faux twin broke out the \u2018Gene the<\/span> cowbell player\u2019 bit.\u00a0 It was a fun bit of TV with a purpose as they also used the moment to raise funds for charity.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Though he rose to fame with the California based Chili Peppers, Chad Smith is a Michigan native.\u00a0 He was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on October 25, 1961 but spent most of his childhood in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.\u00a0 Smith graduated from Lahser High School in 1980 where he was involved in band.\u00a0 He got the drummer bug at age seven and was influenced by the music of The Rolling Stones, Humble Pie, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, The Who, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Kiss.\u00a0 His early bands included Paradise, Pharroh, and Toby Redd.\u00a0 Larry Fratangelo, a percussionist in Pharroh had also played with Parliament-Funkadelic and Chad credits him with introducing him to R&B and funk.\u00a0 He said, \u201cUp until then [meeting Fratangelo], I was a drummer.\u00a0 Once I studied with Larry, I became a musician.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Upon relocating to California, Smith was the last drummer The Red Hot Chili Peppers auditioned when they were looking to replace their recently fired drummer.\u00a0 He arrived in time to join the band for their fourth album and the first with their new guitarist, John Frusciante.\u00a0 Initially, the Chili Peppers thought Chad looked more like a metal drummer than a punk, but singer Anthony Kiedis liked his persistence.\u00a0 He came on board in December of 1988 to record what most consider to be the Peppers\u2019 break out album, <\/span>Mother\u2019s Milk.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0 Smith remembered those days in an interview back in 2012:\u00a0 \u201cI remember thinking, \u2018Oh cool!\u00a0 They have a record deal.\u00a0 Great!\u00a0 I\u2019d love to be in a band with a record deal.\u00a0 We started playing, and right away we just hit it off musically.\u201d\u00a0 The roots of the ten albums they have recorded since Smith joined the band go back to that beginning:\u00a0 \u201cWe just jammed, which is what we still do today.\u00a0 It is very similar.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Smith\u2019s main gig is still with the Chili Peppers, but he has worked with a roster of other musicians including Glenn Hughes, Johnny Cash, John Fogerty, Jennifer Nettles, Jake Bugg, the Avett Brothers, Joe Satriani, Post Malone, Eddie Vedder, Brandi Carlile, Lana Del Rey, Halsey, The Chicks, Dua Lipa, Charli XCX, Lady Gaga, and even Dick Van Dyke.\u00a0 The last entry is a bit surprising, but in 2010, Chad, Van Dyke, and Leslie Bixler released a children\u2019s album called <\/span>Rhythm Train<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0 A man of many talents, Smith played several instruments and sang on some of the tracks.\u00a0 Other collaborations found him playing as the primary drummer (Vedder\u2019s <\/span>Earthling<\/span><\/i> and Iggy Pop\u2019s <\/span>Every Loser<\/span><\/i> albums, for example) as well as being credited as a co-songwriter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Red Hot Chili Peppers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.\u00a0 His profile as a \u2018go to\u2019 recording and live drummer put him at Number 91 on <\/span>Spin Magazine\u2019s<\/span><\/i> list of <\/span>The<\/span><\/i> 100 Greatest Drummers of Alternative Music<\/span><\/i> released in May of 2013.\u00a0 The June 2013 issue of <\/span>Rhythm<\/span><\/i> magazine ranked Smith and his RHCP bassist Flea as the fourth greatest rhythm section of all time.\u00a0 Beginning in 2017, Smith began hosting the PBS concert series <\/span>Landmarks Live in Concert.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0 Never one to leave pages of his datebook empty, Chad also works lobbying in support of music education in United States public schools (more on this in a bit).\u00a0 Add this to work as a podcaster (<\/span>Conversations with Chad Smith<\/span><\/i>), his development of a free mobile app featuring his <\/span>Drummer GPS <\/span><\/i>site (spotlighting influential drummers), and charity work (particularly supporting young musicians), it is little wonder that he appears as a blur in most photos (yes, I am kidding).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Two of his more high profile gigs outside the Peppers include his work with the super group Chickenfoot.\u00a0 At the time he joined up with Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, and Michael Anthony, they insisted it was \u2018just for fun\u2019 and they would \u2018never name a band Chickenfoot\u2019.\u00a0 The whole \u2018not Chickenfoot\u2019 schtick may just have been a clever marketing ploy, but in the end, they recorded two well received records, a live album, and a box set.\u00a0 Chickenfoot topped it off by hitting the road for a successful round of touring despite Chad\u2019s schedule with the RHCP that kept him off the last tour (he was replaced by another go to drummer, Kenny Aronoff).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It was no big surprise when Hagar put Chickenfoot aside (who has more side projects going than Sammy?).\u00a0 Smith noted, \u201cEveryone has different things going on.\u00a0 We really enjoy playing together, but with my schedule I don\u2019t see us playing too much.\u00a0 I would love to make some new music with those guys, but we would have to be in the same room at the same time.\u00a0 I just don\u2019t know.\u00a0 I love playing with those guys, though.\u00a0 It\u2019s a real treat.\u201d\u00a0 It is interesting to note that Hagar, Satriani, and Anthony also teamed up with Jason Bonham, first as \u2018The Circle\u2019 and later for \u2018The Best of Both Worlds\u2019 tour.\u00a0 The \u2018Best\u2019 band is still on the road playing a mix of Van Halen and Hagar songs (although Aronoff again stepped in as Sammy\u2019s drummer when Jason had to return to England to deal with a family health emergency).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The second big project Smith found himself immersed in involved Ozzy Osbourne.\u00a0 Chad worked with Post Malone on the song <\/span>Take What You Want, <\/span><\/i>which included Ozzy and rapper Travis Scott.\u00a0 This brought him into the fold to help write and record Ozzy\u2019s second to the last album, <\/span>Ordinary Man <\/span><\/i>(2020).\u00a0 Smith co-wrote the album with Guns N\u2019 Roses bassist Duff McKagan and guitarist \/ producer Andrew Watt.\u00a0 Chad then joined Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo and Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins (again with Watt at the helm) to put together Ozzy\u2019s last album, <\/span>Patient Number 9 <\/span><\/i>(2022).\u00a0 Smith co-wrote two of the tracks here as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Various projects kept Smith busy up to and including Ozzy\u2019s big farewell party held in Birmingham, England on July 5, 2025 (a mere 17 days before the Prince of Darkness left this mortal coil for good).\u00a0 One was an appearance as himself in the mockumentary <\/span>Spinal Tap II.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>He also played on the majority of songs on an Elton John \/ Brandi Carlile album (<\/span>Who Believes in Angels?<\/span><\/i>).\u00a0 Smith was seen backing them up live on <\/span>Saturday Night Live<\/span><\/i> on April 5, 2025 and again on <\/span>An Evening with Elton John <\/span><\/i>which aired the next night.\u00a0 Then came Ozzy and Black Sabbath\u2019s swan song performances at <\/span>Back to the Beginning.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Smith performed in Birmingham as part of Tom Morello\u2019s Supergroup which included Steven Tyler, Nuno Bettencourt, and Sammy Hagar (among others).\u00a0 He also ended up doing a drum off with Travis Barker.\u00a0 In the end, Ozzy got the big send off both he and Black Sabbath deserved while raising $190 million for charity.\u00a0 Smith\u2019s work with Ozzy landed him in the October 2025\u00a0 documentary <\/span>Ozzy Osbourne:\u00a0 No Escape From Now.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>December of 2025 found him in the company of Andrew Watt and Duff McKagan again performing as The Dirty Bats (who were joined on stage by Bruno Mars, Carlile, Anthony Kiedis, Yungblud, and Eddie Vedder).\u00a0 This might seem like a full dance card but I will let you in on a little secret:\u00a0 this list is only a fraction of the musical projects that Chad has been involved with over the last twenty years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0As we find with Smith\u2019s musical projects, the list of his charitable works is also much too long for us to do justice in this brief space.\u00a0 Beginning in 2013, the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) asked Chad to go to Washington, D.C. to lobby in support of music education in the public schools.\u00a0 His message to congress was clear:\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t care about Science, Math, or English when I was in school and Music was the only reason I wanted to go.\u00a0 It got me interested in other subjects and I would never have graduated without it.\u00a0 If kids can connect with some sort of art in some way, it will enrich their lives in ways they probably can\u2019t fully comprehend at the time.\u201d\u00a0 Smith\u2019s only musical training came from his public schooling and he remains very passionate about it into the 2020s.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0On May 16, 2015, Chad was awarded the <\/span>Livin\u2019 The Dream Award<\/span><\/i> by the national nonprofit group <\/span>Little Kids Rock.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0 He responded to the presentation saying, \u201cIt is such an honor for me to be recognized by an amazing charity like <\/span>Little Kids Rock<\/span><\/i> for supporting their work to keep music education thriving in our schools.\u00a0 Music has made such a tremendous impact in my life and I am blessed to be able to give that gift back to the next generation of music makers.\u201d\u00a0 Ten years later, Smith announced the creation of the \u2018Chad Smith Foundation\u2019 to provide scholarships, music equipment, and music education for kids.\u00a0 The <\/span>Milwaukee Journal – Sentinel <\/span><\/i>ran a feature (Sunday April 5, 2026 in the Life section) about Smith\u2019s After-School Music Program (AMP).\u00a0 Smith had picked Milwaukee as its launch city where the Chad Smith Foundation is partnering with four local nonprofits:\u00a0 The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee, the Salvation Army, Notes for Notes, and Running Rebels.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Smith told the <\/span>MJ-S<\/span><\/i>, \u201cIt\u2019s really about just getting kids music education, music in their hands, places to play, and teachers.\u00a0 It sounds lofty, but it has the power to change kids\u2019 lives.\u201d\u00a0 The initiative in Milwaukee launched on March 25 and will, \u201cprovide funding to hire experienced and passionate music instructors, to purchase quality equipment and resources, and to establish a perks program, which will reward music students\u2019 consistent participation with benefits like concert tickets, access to professional music environments, and performance opportunities,\u201d according to <\/span>MJ-S<\/span><\/i>\u2019s Kellie Aresneau.\u00a0 The CSF will provide about $10,000 to each of the four Milwaukee sites to help fill the budget shortfalls that have caused many public school music programs to go under.\u00a0 CSF director Lewis Smith pointed out that the Guitar Center has committed to covering the first $25,000 of equipment costs which will be a big help to sites where musical equipment is completely lacking.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Notes for Notes was founded in California in 2006 and offers free instruments, gear, and producers to students through public schools and Boys & Girls Clubs across the United States.\u00a0 They have had a presence in Milwaukee since 2022.\u00a0 Their CEO and co-founder, Philip Gilley said, \u201cThe foundation has identified where resources and support can make the biggest immediate difference and we are excited and honored to collaborate with the Chad Smith Foundation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A good indication of how Chad Smith feels about sharing music can be found with a simple YouTube search.\u00a0 Videos abound of him working with drum students at Long and McQuade during sessions posted by the drumming education platform Drumeo.\u00a0 Acting as a substitute teacher, he surprises students who are not told in advance they have a special guest teacher.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some clearly do not know who this goofy guy with the backwards baseball cap is.\u00a0 Others look a little puzzled until the dawn of realization washes over them that they are about to have a lesson from THAT Chad Smith.\u00a0 There are no \u2018rock star\u2019 moments here and one can tell that Chad Smith is truly enjoying interacting with the kids whether they know who he is or not.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There have been many studies over the past decades that prove students in public schools benefit greatly from music programs.\u00a0 One doesn\u2019t need to be a top student to play an instrument, but those involved in music in the schools become better students.\u00a0 When I started drum lessons in fifth grade, my goal was to play in the school band.\u00a0 As I strived to attain this modest goal, it became apparent that another path presented itself – playing music in a rock band.\u00a0 Looking back at the last sixty years of my musical education, I feel lucky for my association with four working bands, and experience playing with pit orchestras and community bands. \u00a0 They have all given me a creative outlet and allowed me to rub elbows with some terrific musicians.\u00a0 I never did plan on having a professional career in music like Chad Smith, but I enjoyed every minute of being a musician as a hobby.\u00a0 Smith, for his part, has not forgotten where he came from.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0One of my favorite YouTube videos gives one a deeper understanding of what kind of rock star Chad Smith is.\u00a0 In the clip, Armond Davis is drumming to a recorded Chili\u2019s track (<\/span>Otherside<\/span><\/i>) on a street in Santa Monica, CA very close to Santa Monica Pier.\u00a0 Smith is seated on a railing twenty feet away and is clearly enjoying the performance.\u00a0 Davis was not aware of his presence and after being told about who was watching him play, he tracked Chad down.\u00a0 Smith simply shook his hand and said, \u201cDude, you crushed it!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Smith still isn\u2019t quite done with Ferrell.\u00a0 On the season 51 finale of <\/span>Saturday Night Live <\/span><\/i>on May 6, 2026, Chad came out and started the show\u2019s monologue pretending to be Will.\u00a0 The real Will stumbled from backstage, accused Chad of knocking him down, and then (more or less) pushed Smith off the stage.\u00a0 A cameo from that night\u2019s musical guest, Sir Paul McCartney, had him carry the joke forward when he insisted that Ferrell was Smith.\u00a0 Paul told him to, \u2018to get behind the drums\u2019.\u00a0 While Will did not play the drums on this occasion, Smith did.\u00a0 He performed in place of McCartney\u2019s usual drummer, Abe Laboriel, who \u2018was not able to fly to New York for the show due to a family emergency\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Top Piece Video:\u00a0 Can yo tell which is which?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0After enough people asked if Will Farrell was related to Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, a comedic moment was born.\u00a0 For his part, Smith even began sporting a shirt with Farrell\u2019s likeness and the caption \u201cI AM NOT WILL FARRELL\u201d.\u00a0 Jimmy Fallon\u2019s musical sensibilities have seen him engineer some interesting musical moments and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,11,8,12,6,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bands-musicians","category-education","category-from-the-vaults","category-humor","category-new-music","category-woas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3863"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3863\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3866,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3863\/revisions\/3866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}