He is also a founding member of 1970s New Zealand heavy rock band Mother Goose.
Rodeka, aged in his late 50s, plans to continue teaching and playing drums and making music for as long as he possibly can. a rock drummer
Q Why do you do what you do?
A I'm a professional musician and drum educator. That is, I'm a working musician and I teach people to play drums.
However, that's a bit simplistic. I help people find their own inherent sense of rhythm and teach them how to express that on a drum kit so that they can then play meaningful, musical drums.
It's a challenge for me because many people come in telling me they have no sense of rhythm at all and not to expect any results.
I see it as my duty to prove them wrong. I'm inherently passionate about drumming and music. I have been all my life so it's easy to share that passion with others when you love something so much.
Q What is your earliest memory?
A My earliest memory is when I was 3 years old, sitting outside in the sun, hearing the wonderful sound of horses' hooves quietly plodding along a gravel road, delivering milk carts on my grandad's quiet rural farmland in Lichtenvoorde, Holland.
It's an image and sound still etched somewhere in my mind.
Q What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A When I was about 8 or 9 I was going to be a bus driver.
I had an old car steering wheel and a ticket clipper and pretended lots with my cousins and friends.
By the time I was 14 I was ready to replace Mick Tucker, drummer for The Sweet.
Once I had discovered music at around 10 years old, I was totally hooked. I would listen to Pete Sinclair's Top Ten Hit Parade on Thursday evenings at 7pm on our old Pye radio and drum along to the songs using rolled-up magazines as drum sticks on old school suitcases.
Then it was on to Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep and Led Zeppelin. I have never looked back.
Q What is your most embarrassing moment?
A Playing with Mother Goose at The Playroom on the Gold Coast to a packed-out gig and with full over-excitement, whacking myself in the eye with my drum stick five seconds into the opening song and being unable to see for the next three minutes.
I was hunched over, trying to come to terms with instant blackness, pain, watering eyes, all the while trying to stay in touch with the mayhem happening onstage.
Q Property aside, what's the most extravagant thing you've bought?
A My most extravagant purchase is my six-piece 1986 Brady drum kit with shells made from West Australian Jarrah timber. At the time it was by far the most expensive thing I had bought.
It cost $3600 and was custom-built for me by Brady Drums in Perth to my specifications.
It is by far the best-sounding drum kit I have ever played. That drum kit and I were married in bliss for 30 years and it became my sound and my soul-mate.
I have since retired it and have had the shells stripped and restored and plan to rebuild it again one day. A slow work in progress.
Q What is your guiltiest pleasure?
A Dark chocolate, red wine and Benromach wood-aged whisky. It's absolutely sensational.
Q Who would play you in the film of your life?
A Definitely Peter Frampton, though I appreciate he's not an actor and he's not a drummer. In the late 1970s and early '80s we looked very similar.
In Los Angeles, in 1978 at the infamous musician hangout the Rainbow Bar and Grill on Sunset Strip, I spent about 20 minutes trying to tell some guy that he really hadn't seen me play on tour in Milwuakee and that my accent was in fact a New Zealand one and not an English one.
He just couldn't get his head around that. Peter would make a great job of my life story.
Q What would be your dream job?
A I have the dream job. I love helping people come to grips with drums and drumming. I love to see them accept the challenge that it is and see them grow, not only with their drumming but also with their own personal development.
Learning the drums is as much mental as it is physical and seeing my students gain confidence from the work they put in and the joy they get when they accomplish something new, is really gratifying.
So that and being a working musician, getting paid for something you love is pretty special. Dream gig?
A world tour with Peter Gabriel and playing drums with English dance/trance act Chicane at one of those massive dance parties. That would really be pumping!
Q Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?
A I would invite Manu Katche, who plays drums with Peter Gabriel and Sting.
Manu is the most tasteful and delicate yet lethal drummer I know. Dave Gilmour because he's a gentleman and the only guitarist I know who doesn't ever waste a note. I love his music.
I would invite Kate Bush because, to this day, I'm still bewildered by the sheer uniqueness and artistic creativity of her work. I'd have to talk to her about that and ask her where in her head she gets these fantastic musical, theatrical concepts.
I would invite Israeli musician Idan Raichel, from the Idan Raichel Project. One day, on a whim a few years ago and having never heard them before, I bought their first self-titled CD.
I cannot get enough of them. His music touches my soul like no-one else. Lastly, I'd take my best friend, my wife Lynn, of course. No dinner party is complete without her.
Q What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
A I guess quality of life comprises the things that make you happy in your life and whether you live life on your terms.
To that end I am healthy and fit and still able to play drums at a level that I feel really good about. I have an awesome family and I'm happy within myself so I don't wish for any one thing.
Of course, I could always upgrade the car, the house, the drums, the studio etc, but these are material things and, of course, could make some aspects of life easier. But no, I'm good with the quality of my life.
Q What keeps you awake at night?
A Overall? Nothing.
However, when special events/shows come up and/or there's family stuff happening, I will lie there sometimes and go over stuff in my head, making sure I do what I need to do. But generally I sleep well.
Q What song would you like played at your funeral?
A There will be lots of music at my funeral, but one will stand out, as my family knows what it means to me and how much I love it. Mimaamkim by the Idan Raichel Project.
This song started my relationship with the band. I must have played this a thousand times. I would die to be their drummer.
The other song is Saltwater: The Thrillseekers Mix by Chicane, but actually, I think this would be far too sad. It features the beautiful voice of Maire Brennan from Clannad. But the original dance version is a brilliant piece of music. It needs to be cranked up loud.
● Interested in giving drumming a go? Visit: www.marcelrodeka.com
