Documentary Review: 'Count Me In' is My Favorite Documentary in Years

Count Me In

Directed by Mark Lo

Written by Claire Ferguson, Sarah Jobling, Mark Lo

Starring Stephen Perkins, Stewart Copeland, Cindy Blackman

Release Date April 15th, 2025

Published April 15th, 2025

Deep down in my soul, though I have the rhythm of a drunken toddler, I have dreamed of being a drummer. I don’t have the coordination or stamina for the gig but that doesn’t stop me from finger drumming or picking up a pair of any similar items, like pens, and becoming Keith Moon or Neil Peart for a moment. The new documentary Count Me In feeds my fantasies in the most exhilarating fashion. The film features legendary drummers talking about playing drums, exalting their drum heroes, and providing insights into playing drums that I have never heard before.

The documentary is directed by Mark Lo, with large contributions by Claire Ferguson and Sarah Jobling, and could not have a more straightforward premise, talking to drummers about playing the drums. It’s about drummers getting into drumming, drummers admiring the work of the players who inspired them, and the various techniques of drumming like how particular sounds are achieved and what makes certain drummers distinct from others. Drumming is more than just bashing away with abandon or merely keeping time. Inherently, we all know that but never before, in my experience, has a documentary so entertainingly taken us inside the world of playing the drums.

The who’s who of drummers featured in Count Me In is a heady list. Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stewart Copeland of The Police, Cindy Blackman, drummer for Santana and Lenny Kravitz, Jess Bowen of The Summer Set, Stephen Perkins of Porno for Pyros, and the recently deceased Clem Burke of Blondie, The Romantics, and any number of legendary rock bands in need, all share their insights into playing the drums, the greatest drummers, and what makes each drummer unique from others. And it’s more than just talking heads and clips, director Mark Lo goes a step further with one of the best sequences I’ve seen in a movie thus far this year.

In a bravura sequence, drummer Steven Perkins of Porno for Pyros is asked about the legendary drummer Keith Moon. Perkins goes into remarkable detail about Moon’s style, his powerful licks but also the subtle elements that are often missed amid Moon’s outsized persona and tragic early death. In particular, Perkins shows us how incredibly valuable Moon was beyond his moments of crashing, thudding power. The film shows Perkins playing Moon’s part on Who Are You and gives us remarkable insight into the numerous things Moon is doing that you might not notice without a brilliantly talented fellow drummer weren’t demonstrating it for you with the charismatic excitement of your favorite teacher.

Perkins’ insight and enthusiasm is infectious and while I have always been a fan of Keith Moon, I feel like I know why I am a fan of Keith Moon now. Similarly, Stewart Copeland is feted by several of the drummers who took him as an influence. Copeland is thankfully still with us and able to talk about his style while his acolytes praise and assess his work in ways he’s perhaps too polite to go into. Copeland may not be a name that immediately jumps to mind when you think of the greatest drummers of all time but if you ask other drummers about Stewart Copeland they will trip over themselves to tell you how great he is.

The documentary is building throughout to a drum gathering. Chad Smith, Stephen Perkins, Cindy Blackstone, and Jess Bowen are getting together to jam and the movie ends with one of the coolest scenes imaginable as each drummer hands off to the next playing brilliant solos that rise and fall and melt seamlessly together while highlighting each player's distinctive style. Bowen, being the youngster of the group, gets a wonderful showcase here as Chad Smith jumps over to her kit to play alongside her for a bit and her eyes light up. It’s one of many great scenes in what may be my favorite documentary of the year. If you love music, you will love Count Me In.

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