Toby Dammit, born Lawrence Edward Crooke on December 13, 1966, in Knoxville, Tennessee, is a distinguished American producer, composer, and percussionist. He is also known by his adopted name, Larry Mullins. Dammit gained prominence as a drummer for notable acts such as Iggy Pop and Swans, and he has contributed to recordings by The Residents.
In 1990, he made his professional album debut with The Ringling Sisters, produced by Lou Adler, known for his work on projects like Rocky Horror Picture Show and with acts such as Cheech & Chong and the Mamas & Papas. From 1990 to 1999, Dammit became widely recognized for his collaboration with Iggy Pop, serving as his drummer. During this period, he recorded three albums with Pop: American Caesar, Naughty Little Doggie, and Avenue B. He also contributed to various soundtracks, including Freddy's Dead - The Final Nightmare, Fast Track to Nowhere, The Crow: City of Angels, Coffee and Cigarettes, and Monster Men - Space Goofs. Additionally, his percussion work featured prominently in the score for Johnny Depp's film "The Brave," which starred Marlon Brando. Dammit toured extensively with Iggy Pop, performing at over 700 concerts worldwide, including a notable live show at the original Paris Olympia in 1991, which was later released as the DVD "Kiss My Blood."
In 1995, he joined Swans and continued to work with frontman Michael Gira after the band's dissolution, contributing to Gira's subsequent project, The Angels of Light. In total, Dammit collaborated on ten releases with Gira.
There have been longstanding rumors regarding his musical collaborations with The Residents, although Dammit has refrained from disclosing specific details, often directing inquiries to The Cryptic Corporation, the management for The Residents. He is credited as a "sound contributor" on various releases by The Residents, though the exact nature of his contributions remains ambiguous.
Dammit has also worked on numerous feature films, both as a composer and musician, with credits including School of Rock, Premium Rush, End of Watch, Capitalism: A Love Story, Apple Jack, Monsieur N., Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, Eierdiebe, Dead Dogs Lie, Dead Man Down, and most recently, Connasse, Princesse des cœurs. In 2000, he co-founded Hit Thing Records in Hamburg with Guido Randzio, who was associated with The Residents' European label. The label specializes in rare reissues from artists such as Yello, Die Haut, Nick Cave, Liaisons Dangereuses, and Georges Montalba, alongside his own collaborations with Thomas Wydler of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Luther Hawkins. In 2011, he joined Iggy and The Stooges for live performances in England, serving as their drummer for 60 concerts worldwide until 2015.
Throughout his career, Dammit has collaborated with a variety of international artists, particularly in France, including Keren Ann, A.S Dragon, Fred Avril, Bertrand Burgalat, MeLL, Marie Modiano, Chloé Mons, Ndidi Onukwulu, Paul Personne, Raphaël Haroche, Brisa Roché, Rosemary Standley, and Zaz.
Beyond France, his collaborations extend to artists such as Mick Harvey, Stephan Eicher, Ely Guerra, Rufus Wainwright, Jessie Evans, Mark Eitzel, Lydia Lunch, Cano Caoli, Masatoshi Nagase, Miguel Bosé, Peter von Poehl, Dave Sardy, Frank Black, Depedro, Arno, Jesse Malin, Bee and Flower, April March, Chuck E. Weiss, Mount Sims, Anna Clementi, N'Dea Davenport, Alex Maas, Okkervil River, The Living Things, Ben Becker and his sister Meret Becker, Katharina Franck, Gemma Ray, MSTRKRFT, King Khan, Serena-Maneesh, Turbonegro, The Last Hurrah!!, Eirin Kinn, Kjartan Kristiansen, Sivert Høyem, Sharon Corr, Edyta Bartosiewicz, Simeon Oliver Coxe III of Silver Apples, Tav Falco of The Panther Burns, and Glen Matlock of The Sex Pistols, among others.
For a comprehensive chronological discography and tour date history, please visit the official Toby Dammit website. Note that for the Italian noise producer, please refer to Toby Dammit (2).
