website associated_acts years_active birth_place name background instrument genre article_title birth_name occupation
-lsb- http://www.youami.com.au youami.com.au -rsb- you am i 198 ? - present fremantle , western australia rusty hopkinson non_vocal_instrumentalist drums rock rusty hopkinson
 russell keith hopkinson musician
rusty hopkinson

rusty hopkinson -lrb- born russell keith hopkinson , in fremantle -rrb- is the drummer for australian rock act you am i. allegedly , rusty was an occasional drinking buddy of you am i while with his then band , indie act nursery crimes , around the turn of the 1990s .
shortly after the recording of you am i 's first album , `` sound as ever '' -lrb- 1993 -rrb- , the relationship with drummer mark tunaley soured and rusty was seen as an ideal replacement .
ever since , hopkinson has been a core member of the band .
bandmate and songwriter tim rogers often cites hopkinson 's drumming style as the key part of the group 's sound .
so much so that when he writes new material , it 's the drumming ferocity that will decide whether the song will be performed by you am i or rogers ' other band , the temperance union .
rogers was quoted regarding rusty `` an enigma , a renaissance man and the best drummer in the world , '' -lsb- http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/18/1063625154909.html?from=storyrhs to date , rusty 's only lead singing role in a you am i song has been on the `` good mornin ' '' b-side - a cover of the mummies ' classic '' -lrb- you must fight to live on the -rrb- planet of the apes '' .
hopkinson has a show on sydney radio station 2ser called `` stronger than dirt '' -lrb- a reference to his beloved mummies -rrb- that features all manner of music from the last two centuries including pre ww2 folk and jazz , obscure psychedelia , gutter punk , `` blue '' comedy records and asian go go music .
