Hallucinations have not yet kicked in for Paul Bondsfield, who on Monday morning was more than 40 hours into a six-day continuous drumming marathon – raising funds for cancer charities.
But with about 100 hours to go and still plenty of songs left in his set list of 2200 tracks, he is expecting to start seeing “weird” things in about 20 hours.
The Warkworth-based drummer is attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the longest drumming marathon by an individual. It’s a record that first caught his eye about 10 years ago when it sat at around an “achievable” 30 hours.
But now, for this musician in his 50s, achieving the goal will be a far greater mental (and physical) battle.
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The current record has been held by Canadian drummer Steve Gaul since 2015, who hit a kit continuously for 134 hours and five minutes (a little more than five days straight).
Bondsfield was wearing sunglasses despite the cloudy weather in Auckland on Monday, likely to protect his eyes that had been open for more than 40 hours.
Despite that, he’s feeling, “surprisingly not bad”.
“Sometimes I’m feeling absolutely out of it,” he half-yells over the music that is not allowed to stop.
“I had a weird sensation last night where I basically left my body ... My short term memory is playing up.” He is also starting to suffer from a sore butt, having spent most of the last two days seated.
Amberleigh Jack/Stuff
Paul Bondsfield is feeling suprisingly good after almost two full days of continuous drumming.
A photograph of his Dad sits behind him, as does a large clock, needed in frame for the video proof of the record attempt to count.
If successful, Bondsfield, who began at 6pm on Saturday evening, will set a new record at 8.35am on Friday morning. He plans to keep going until 6pm that night, setting his own record at six days.
Shortly before lunchtime on Friday morning, Bondsfield was playing to a crowd of three people at the performance hub at Auckland’s Sylvia Park – two of who were witnesses required per the record rules. But he’s had quite a few visitors, as well as thousands joining the live stream for a look.
He’s drumming to raise money for the NZ Cancer Society, Breast Cancer Foundation NZ and Prostate Cancer Foundation, which people can donate to online or in person.
It’s a cause close to his heart, having lost his father and an uncle to prostate cancer, and a former girlfriend to cancer when he was in his 20s.
But it was last year, when Bondsfield’s wife Tris was diagnosed with breast cancer he thought, “I needed to do something”.
Amberleigh Jack/Stuff
Behind Bondsfield is a photo of his Dad, who he lost to prostate cancer, and a painting a friend drew for him.
And that something, he decided, was to raise money by setting a drumming record.
And while he is feeling confident he has done “everything I can do to prepare” for the week of continuous drumming and sleep deprivation, he is realistic about the fact “anything could happen”.
“I can be confident, but I can’t guarantee I can make it,” he says, but he has a great support team and has also touched base with three previous record-holders for advice on what to expect.
One took two attempts to break the record, and all three said hallucinations should start to kick in between 60 and 80 hours into the attempt.
But he’s done everything he can to make it work. He is allowed a five-minute break for every full hour played, so plans to accumulate time to allow for short “10-15 minute power naps”.
He is playing electronic drums which means he can play softer than a traditional set and not have to go “hell for leather” for the whole 144 hours. As long as his sticks are hitting the kit, the drumming counts.
He also recently completed a 24-hour practice drumming marathon practice with “no problem”.
“I’m kind of worried because this is six times that,” he laughed.
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