Metallica’s Lars Ulrich Settles the John Bonham vs. Neil Peart Debate

When you're discussing who the greatest drummer of all time is, it's best to do so with someone who's actually a drummer themselves. Howard Stern called up Metallica's Lars Ulrich to settle the long-standing debate over who the best drummer of all time was — Led Zeppelin's John Bonham or Rush's Neil Peart.

In a new snippet from Stern's radio show, the host goes on about how Bonzo was the absolute cream of the crop and cited "When the Levee Breaks" as one of the most iconic, highly-sampled drum beats ever recorded. However, drummer Richard Christy told Stern he would place Peart right at the top with Bonham and pointed out the solo in Rush's "Tom Sawyer."

A few other guests went back and forth with their choices as well, but Stern bet $100 that Ulrich would choose Bonham — he called him to settle the score.

"It's fucking hard," Ulrich said, shaking his head. "Listen, I've been asked that question on and off for 40 years."

After Stern also name-dropped Cream's Ginger Baker and the Who's Keith Moon as superior drummers, Ulrich added Deep Purple's Ian Paice and AC/DC's Phil Rudd. But that still didn't answer the question at hand.

Ulrich then reflected on the first time he met Peart in 1984 because he had questions about drumming. "I was 20 years old with not a pot to piss in. I called him and we spoke 30, 45 minutes on the phone and were geeking out on drums. The whole thing was like a fairytale. You can't play drums and not love Neil."

After a dramatic drumroll, the Metallica drummer finally came to a conclusion. "Between Neil and between John — no disrespect — I'll have to go with John Bonham."

Rest in peace to both. See the full video below.