The legacy of one of Australia’s finest drummers
Bill Wall was a gifted drummer and teacher and a genuinely kind man. He played and taught around Melbourne for 20 years and left a positive impact on those close to him, his bandmates and many students including myself as a drummer in my early 20’s. When I waited anxiously outside the practice room for our weekly lesson I was in awe of the beats that emanated from behind the door before he welcomed me with his beaming smile, shaved head and pointy leather shoes. Bill had a natural groove like no other but he also had his demons and tragically took his own life in 1999. They say good teachers are hard to find and impossible to forget, so much so that 15 years after his passing I decided to make a short doco in honour of Bill.
At the time I was going through my own personal struggle having transitioned back to Australia temporarily after a break-up and the process of interviewing those close to Bill helped me shift the focus. As a first time filmmaker with no interviewing experience or knowledge behind the camera there were many technical obstacles but the goal was to pay homage to Bill and get into one festival. Unfortunately the festival didn’t happen, the submission process was very different to what it is now but I received letters and emails from people who Bill had a positive impact on including many of his students. These only affirmed my decision to make…
