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The Beat Goes On
Drummer Brad Wilk was on tour when he found out he had diabetes 10 years ago. But he's never missed a beat, and now he's helping to raise money for the disease.
Brad Wilk first played the drums when he was 13. He was instantly hooked and knew then that the drums would forever be an integral part of his life. He was right. Brad played drums in the band Rage Against the Machine, which produced four albums, until it broke up in 2000. Brad and two of the three members of Rage Against the Machine joined with the former lead singer of Soundgarden in 2001 and Audioslave was born.
Audioslave, loosely described as an alternative hard rock band, just released its third album, Revelations. Brad has been on the cover of several music magazines, most recently Modern Drummer. In 2005 Audioslave made history as the first American rock band to perform in Havana, Cuba.
In 1996 Brad, with Rage Against the Machine, was on tour with U2 when he started experiencing symptoms of diabetes—frequent urination, blurred vision, feeling "off." Three weeks later, a diagnosis was made by his doctor. Since then, his older brother and sister have also both been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
But having diabetes has not stopped Brad from continuing the fast pace of life on the road, touring with Audioslave across the country and overseas. When he's not behind the drums making music, Brad lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Selene, and their son Luka, who was born on September 14, 2006. In 2005, Brad set his drumsticks aside to star in a short film, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie, a murder mystery set in a small town in Texas.
Community and causes rank high with Audioslave and the band has been giving back by donating a portion of their tour proceeds to various organizations. Brad recently chose the Orange County [California] Chapter of JDRF and brought in approximately $12,000! Says Suzie Won Davidson, member of the JDRF Orange County Chaper Board and communications committee chair: "Brad is a very positive person who doesn't let diabetes stop him from achieving his goals. We are extremely fortunate for Brad's involvement in JDRF."
Q. What is a typical tour schedule for you?
A. Anywhere from four to eight weeks out. We average five shows a week and lots of traveling on a bus or plane
Q. What is it about the drums that made you know at such a young age that they would be such a significant part of your life?
A. Music has been such a significant part of my life ever since I can remember. I had my first guitar at the age of 5. My father went on a fishing trip with my brother down in Ensenada. I was too young to go so he asked me what I wanted from their trip and my first answer was "a guitar." That's when my obsession with music all started
Q. Do you or did you play any other instruments?
A. I play guitar, bass, and a little piano as well.
Q. If you weren't a musician, what would you want to do?
A. Discover a cure for diabetes.
Q. How did you react when you were first diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 28?
A. I was very hard on myself, and I spent a lot of time figuring out what the disease meant to my body and how my blood sugars reacted to different foods and supplements.
Q. How much has having diabetes changed your lifestyle?
A. It has actually made me much more health conscious than I was before I had diabetes.
Q. What is your daily diabetes management regimen?
A. I try to eat four or five smaller meals every day, rather than two or three larger meals. I run four or five miles five or six times a week. I live near the ocean so I like to try and do water sports as well (kayaking, paddle surfing). Also, playing drums is an excellent workout for me. I like to test my blood sugars 6 to 10 times a day, depending on how active I am.
Q. Do you manage your diabetes differently when you are performing and on tour?
A. Not really. I am, for the most part, always keeping tight control of my sugars, period. No matter where I am. Sometimes going to tour overseas can be a little more difficult with calculating time changes and letting your body adjust to new time schedules. Finding the right foods can be a major challenge but I usually wind up finding what I need. I like to look at it more as a "treasure hunt" and try not to get stressed out about it. It's an adventure sometimes, for sure.
Q. You recently acted in your first movie, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie. What was it like to go from behind the drums to in front of the camera? Are you intending to do more acting in the future?
A. I really enjoyed making the short film. I had never done any acting before so it was a great challenge for me. I think being in a band helped me because I am used to being in front of the camera and knowing that people are watching me. So that part of it was fairly comfortable and easy to deal with. I hope to do something else in the future but music always comes first with me.
Q. You have just become a father for the first time. When the time comes, how will you explain to your child about your diabetes?
A. I think just being honest and truthful about what the disease is, is the best policy. I will make sure that my child understands the risks of getting diabetes and educate him on everything he can do to prevent or reduce his risk of getting this disease.
Q. The number 3 holds special meaning for you. Can you tell us about that?
A. It's really hard to explain why this number has such special meaning to me. Ever since I can remember, it's been a number I have always gravitated towards. For me, it's beyond words… 3, it's the magic number!
Q. What would you most want to tell a child who is newly diagnosed with diabetes?
A. I would want to empathize with that child about his or her new challenge in life. But also let him or her know that it is the challenges in life that make you stronger and forge character.
