Interview of Reid Maxwell

Reid Maxwell November 6 2012, November 13 2012 Born: John Reid Thompson Maxwell. Born Jan 29 1961, raised in hospital in Concordie, family home in Bowhill, Cardenden. First grandchild, oldest of 2 sisters (one living in Fife, another in England), recently learned of a half-sister came from his father's time in South Africa. John Reid after his grandfather, who he knew quite well and considered his best friend. Thomas Maxwell was his paternal grandmother's first husband who died. He stayed with his paternal grandparents every weekend, they lived in Bowhill. When his parents split up, he went to live with them, and stayed until he reached high school. His grandparents lived in the old cemetery house, for a long time his address was Cemetery Lodge, 22 Main Street, Cardenden. Reid's son Keith was born in the same hospital as him and raised in the same town until the family move to Canada. Mother: Katherine Patterson Couser. Grew up in Dundonald. Her father was a miner, and had a first wife who had passed with the name Patterson. He had become very sick with "the black lung". Unfortunately lost both her parents at age 11 within a week of each other, and so she was raised by her oldest sister Mary. Had her first child at age 17, was a housewife until later in life, when she became a cashier at a grocery store. Separated from Reid's father when he was around 10. She still lives in the village in Bowhill. Father: Gordon Maxwell. Born in May 29 1941 in Dunfermline, Fife. Was adopted as a child by his mother and her first husband, Thomas Maxwell, who was a coal miner and died from "black lung". His father John Reid married his mother when he was still a schoolboy. Still living to time of interview. Grew up in Jamphleurs, northwest of Bowhill – where Bowhill Collierie was located. Became an electrical engineer, training in a Naval Dockyard. Then worked for a company called Taylor Instruments. In 1983, he began working in a nuclear facility outside of Capetown, South Africa. Paternal grandfather: John Reid. Passed Sept 1991. Avid gardener, "simple man who lived off the land". Did farmwork, worked at a saw mill in the offseason. Worked as a plowman, and was later employed by the Bowhill Collierie as a groundskeeper, starting in the 1960's. By the end of the 1960's, all the mines in the area began to shut down. He was forced into early retirement because of this. He bought Reid his first drum and pair of drumsticks, and took him to his first football match. They would enjoy a dram together in John's later years. Paternal grandmother: maiden name Mckee. Passed Sept 1999 at 99 years old. She was the one who encouraged Reid to begin drumming, and asked his cousin to bring him along to a pipe band practice one day. She raised him with great-grandmother: Jeannie Mckee (maiden name Taylor). Passed December 1977. Lived with Reid's grandparents. Her husband, Robert Taylor, played drums. Was alive in the time of Queen Victoria. Cardenden, Scotland is a small former coal mining town. Named for Carden farm. Unemployment was always on the increase in Bowhill, as the mines shut down and jobs moved away. Reid describes it as "the blue collar of blue collar" towns. Up until quite recently, it was common to buy locally grown vegetables from around the area. Moving to Canada: Reid immigrated with his family in 1981. Reid attended Dunend Primary School in on the border of Dundonald and Bowhill. Enjoyed high school, and played football, rugby and basketball. Left school at age 16, which was common. Graduated May 1977. Laughs that he failed music in high school, but won the World Pipe Band Championship in August 1977 with Dysart & Dundonald Pipe Band. He feels the focus in school was on classical music, where he enjoyed drumming for the pipe bands. Nobody in the family spoke Gaelic. He wishes he was taught it in school, rather than French. Reid has always owned a set of drums, and could do a roll in his first lesson. He has never had the slighted inclination for bagpiping. He started on formal lessons around age 6 or 7. Matthew Hannah was the lead drum for Dysart & Dundonald, which Reid only joined because his cousin was a piper there. Reid had pneumonia as a child and stopped for about a year. His first and most influential teacher was called William Bell, from Bowhill. The key instructor of the Dysart & Dundonald Pipe Band. Would instruct in his parent's house – he was only 6 years older than Reid. Reid would attend band twice a week. He would buy drumming LPs at Highland Games (just called competitions in Scotland) and listen to them over and over. He would buy every album from Muirheads, Shotts, etc. Reid was part of the group who started the Robert Malcolm Memorial Pipe Band. It was envisioned as a band to prepare young players for Simon Fraser University Pipe Band. Bob Shephard instilled his thoughts on this. They were amazed when over 50 kids came out to their first meeting. He also teaches drum by telephone and later Skype. This started from teaching his son drumming over the phone. Reid is lead drummer for the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band. Came to the band as an out-of-town player in 1992, invited by Terry Lee, and within 6 months made the decision to move to British Columbia. He talks about the CDs and trips the band has made, such as their trip to the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow. He recalls the Piobaireachd prepared for the trip. In total, he has been to the Worlds 7 times with Dysart (2 world championships, 4 drumming titles), 8 times with the 78th Fraser Highlanders, and 8 times with Simon Fraser University (6 championships, 4 drumming titles). His first was at age 14, competing in grade 1. Reid met Jim Blackley, a jazz drummer, who gave him advice which has stuck with him. He likes to include unique influences in music when he can, such as incorporating African influences into drumming. A tough choice Reid had to make was when his first wife asked him to leave the pipe band world, as it demanded so much of his time. He chose to carry forward with drumming and they ultimately divorced. He doesn't regret the decision, as he met his current wife. Wife: Rachel Parkinson through drumming, at a class he taught with Terry Lee. She was a piper, and has her doctorate in mononuclear science. He has been able to carry on his passion for drumming. His first wife was a woman from Toronto named Susy Villalta. Parents from Italy. Met in Canada in 1977 at the Canadian National Exhibition. Kept in touch by letters, and were married after she moved to Scotland. Married when they were both 19. They planned for him to finish the year with his pipe band in 1981, then moved to Toronto. He remembers listening to the police sirens as he fell asleep on his first nights in Toronto, which never would have happened in his small town in Scotland. Reid lived there until 1992. His wife's family served them a huge Italian feast upon arrival. He said a big mistake was assuming all of Canada was like Toronto. He prefers the climate on the West coast. He did feel that he was leaving Scotland forever, and describes himself as "a separatist", and says he will only go back if Scotland is independent. When he does back to Scotland for competitions, he is looked upon as a Canadian. He found himself part of the Scottish community in Ontario, and never experienced any discrimination. Played with the 78th Fraser Highlanders while in Toronto. Reid, as well as others, feel that the cohesion between himself, Jack Lee and Terry Lee has been responsible for the success of the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band. He notes George Watsons College as a great example of a school that has made the Pipe Band "cool", juvenile band, a model similar to the Robert Malcolm Memorial Band, but run during school hours. Reid's first job in Canada was in the stockroom in a sport's store. He doesn't have any post-secondary education – it was not considered an option for him. He became in the communications industry, involving pagers. After two recessions in Ontario, he decided to go into business for himself as a professional drummer and instructor, in Vancouver in 1992. He tries to make drumming "cool", and SFU has never had issues attracting drummers to the band. He is amazed by the success and the number of young people that have gone through his programs. He doesn't have any plans on retiring soon, as he still feels capable. Reid talks about how if you are a "Fifer", you always refer to it as "The Kingdom of Fife". He has been a proud Canadian passport holder since 1987. His grandfather had a phrase that "a Scotsman would fight his shadow". Reid's grandparents came to visit him in Ontario several times, while in their seventies, staying for 10 weeks one time. His grandfather John saw the potential in Canada, and admired people who were willing to "roll up their sleeves and work". Reid goes home to the village every year. Reid composed a paper with his wife Rachel on the history of the World Pipe Band Championships. He talks about the demanding schedule of pipe bands. He doesn't see a bias in drumming judges based on equipment, it is style. He has never been judged by a family member, friend, or person related to the music he was performing, which he is proud to say - he feels they have all been "honourable" wins. Reid often finds himself reminding the band members of who they are performing for, and attempting to play for the masses. He feels bagpipes can be enjoyed with other sounds, and hopes that the entertainment value of pipe bands continues to increase. Children: Keith, lives in Toronto, Grant, has been playing drums since childhood. Played in the RMM Band from 1997 on, and was a member at their win at World Championships in 1999 & 2001 (grade 3). Moved into the grade 1 band. He is a very talented drummer, and played in the Solo Drumming Championships. Reid decided early on that he wouldn't force any of his sons into drumming. Both sons have feelings of "Scottishness", Keith was born in Scotland, and enjoys a dram with his father, and Grant connects to the heritage through music. Reid thinks that competition is a good thing for children, and music is a healthy way of learning self-discipline. The SFU Pipe Band was under consideration for a Juno at the time of this interview. Towards the end of the interview, Reid discusses the Scottish Nationalist Party and 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum. He considers himself a separatist, his mother, still living in Scotland, is against separation.