Pete Parada is an American musician of some note. Generally speaking, he is known for being the drummer of The Offspring. However, Parada has played for a number of other bands as well. Regardless, interested individuals might have seen his name come up in the news in recent times because he has been fired from The Offspring for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine per his doctor’s recommendation he not get the vaccine due to his personal and medical health history. The band member suffers from Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and his doctor has advised him to forgo the vaccine as a result of his health history.

1. Grew Up in Upstate New York

Parada seems to have come from Upstate New York. The exact boundaries for the region can see a fair amount of variation. However, Upstate New York always excludes both New York City and Long Island. However, it may or may not exclude Westchester and Rockland counties. In any case, while Upstate New York is home to a number of major cities, it tends to be overshadowed by New York City to the south.

2. Came from a Musical Background

Like a lot of musicians, Parada came from a musical background. In his case, his father was the band director for a high school in a small town in Upstate New York. Said individual was a multi-instrumentalist, meaning that he played more than one instrument with a considerable degree of proficiency. However, Parada’s father was apparently a player of the saxophone first and foremost.

3. Drawn to Percussion Instruments

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Parada has stated that he was drawn to percussion instruments from an early age, so much so that he would create makeshift drum sets out of household objects. Percussion is a category that encompasses everything that gives off sound when it is either struck or scraped by a beater. As such, it is speculated that it includes the oldest instruments ever created with the exception of the human voice as well as its non-human counterparts.

4. Apparently He Didn’t Have Much of a Social Life as a Child

Amusingly, Parada has stated that he didn’t have much of a social life as a child. Apparently, he spent most of his time in his basement studying music, listening to music, and otherwise focusing on music. However, Parada’s childhood aspiration seems to have worked out quite well for him, seeing as how he has drummed for multiple bands of note.

5. Never Doubted What He Wanted to Do

Based on this, interested individuals might find it no surprise to learn that Parada had no doubts about what he wanted to do with his life. As a result, when he graduated from high school, he left the state of New York for the state of California. There, Parada studied at Musicians Institute, which is a for-profit college based in Los Angeles, CA that teaches interested individuals about contemporary music. Although the school was founded in 1977, it has had a fair amount of success, as shown by the number of well-known individuals who have come out of its halls.

6. Felt Transformed by His Time as a Student

Some people take very well to their time as a college student. Other people, not so much. In Parada’s case, he has stated that he felt transformed by his experience. Apparently, he had gone in as someone who could play other people’s music but didn’t actually have much of a sense for playing his own music. Afterwards, Parada came out with a new confidence in his own skill as well as his own creativity, not least because he spent the entire time soaking up as much expertise and experience as possible.

7. Felt Closest to Ray Luzier

Speaking of which, Parada has mentioned that the teacher who he felt closest to was Ray Luzier. For those who are unfamiliar, Luzier is also a drummer as well as a player of other percussion instruments who has played for David Lee Roth, Army of Anyone, and Korn. The last is particularly notable because he has been a full member of the band since 2009. In any case, Parada and Luzier went on to become friends. Moreover, they even spent some time as roommates.

8. Did Have a Time When He Felt Burned Out

There was a time in Parada’s career when he felt burned out. This happened when he was playing for not one but two bands, with one being Face to Face and the other being Saves the Day. During that time, Parada was so busy that he apparently played seven shows over the course of a single weekend in England, which is a punishing schedule by any reasonable standard. By the end, Parada was so tired that he actually took some time off from playing music. Something that was accompanied by him wondering whether he actually wanted to continue doing this or not.

9. Says that He Decided Not to Get Vaccinated on His Doctor’s Advice

Parada says that he decided not to get vaccinated on his doctor’s advice. He says that this is connected to his Guillain-Barre syndrome, which is muscle weakness caused by a person’s immune system attacking their peripheral nervous system. The earliest symptoms are things such as numbness and tingling. However, those can lead to much worse symptoms such as weakness of the limbs, weakness of facial muscles, and swallowing difficulties. In particularly bad cases, people can experience respiratory failure as well as issues with their involuntary nervous system.

10. Says that He Has No Negative Feelings Towards The Offspring

Moving on, Parada has also mentioned that he has no negative feelings towards The Offspring for being fired. He believes that the rest of the band is doing what is best for them, just as how he is doing what is best for him. In any case, more and more concert organizers are apparently requiring people to get vaccinated, which is a part of a broader trend in the music industry and beyond. Something that is being spurred on by the spread of the Delta variant among the vaccinated in the United States given the fact that the vaccinated are more likely to carry and pass on the variant than the unvaccinated.

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