It's not JUST that Gerald still sounds the same...
...but, compared to the other guys that were named, Gerald's vocab is a tad bit limited. However, many drummers, consciously or subconsciously, have a need to prove their worth to other drummers. That's why so many drummers styles are 'drummer-pleasing', as opposed to "audience-pleasing".
The crowd, generally, wants to feel the music of a collective effort. Drummers generally tune everyone out, and derive their enjoyment from the drummer doing things that they can't do.....yet. Which is the whole point of checking you out. As soon as they get to a set, they're going to try what they heard you play.
Every instrument is a world of it's own, and many people that live in it. That's the root of the problem, in my opinion. Too cliquish. Key players , in a crowd of other musicians, will mingle amongst themselves. The same for everyone else. This leads to talk about technical blah-blah that only someone from your instrument will care too much about. However, once we liberate ourselves from that clique mentality, you can't have a stimulating conversation about music, unless it's about the music. A guitar player doesn't really care to hear about your ability to spin the stick on your tongue, for too long. The one thing you have in common, is that you both play music.
Not sure what in the heck any of this has to do with Gerald - but when you figure it out, let me know.
PS: The rant above, of course, does not apply to all. However, I've been in very few conversations where drummers talked about playing for the music. However, I've listened in on far too many where people talked about sheds, or how restricted they feel in a musical setting.
