Episode Description
In this powerful episode of Circling the Drain, Johnny B and Jay Harper sit down with legendary drummer Zoro (Lenny Kravitz, Bobby Brown, and more) to explore his extraordinary journey from growing up in Compton and rural Oregon poverty to becoming a world‑class musician, author, speaker, and “Minister of Groove.”
Zoro shares how a humble janitor job unlocked his destiny, why he believes gifts come from God as seeds that must be cultivated, and how a life of service, not self, leads to real joy. He also opens up about his memoir “Maria’s Scarf,” his faith journey, encounters with major celebrities like Denzel Washington and Lenny Kravitz, and the spiritual principles that have guided his life through hardship, rejection, and eventual breakthrough.
If you’ve ever felt behind, overlooked, or discouraged about your calling, this episode will challenge and inspire you to keep going.
Timed highlights
[0:01:34] Zoro joins: life in Tennessee, weather, and growing up doing hard manual labor
[0:02:27] Early jobs: groundskeeper, mowing, John Deere mishap, and not being afraid of work
[0:05:54] First “real job” and discovering taxes as a kid
[0:06:50] What got Zoro into drumming and his view that gifts are God‑given
[0:07:29] Growing up in Compton, soul music, Motown, and the “ghetto drum set” in a Radio Flyer wagon
[0:09:50] Playing on the sidewalk, earning quarters, and sensing a calling
[0:10:05] Destiny, spiritual warfare, and why opposition often accompanies your purpose
[0:11:40] Moving from Compton to rural Oregon and years of rejection from school band programs
[0:13:20] The janitor job that changed everything: sneaking onto the drums after hours
[0:15:00] Discovered while drumming on the job and suddenly needed in every school band
[0:16:19] From 62 absences to showing up: how finding purpose transformed his attendance
[0:17:48] Skipping school vs. loving learning and caring for his sick mother
[0:18:11] Mark Twain’s quote: “I never let schooling interfere with my education”
[0:18:57] Chickens, self‑education, and early entrepreneurship
[0:20:00] The orange paper titled “My Future” and deciding to be a professional drummer
[0:20:20] “You are basically honest” and the humor and honesty in his early diaries
[0:21:19] Street life in Compton, stealing as a kid, and gradual character transformation
[0:23:42] Gifts as seeds: why talent is an acorn, not a full‑grown oak
[0:24:35] Living in a car, chapters titled “Living on a Prayer,” “I Will Survive,” and “Gonna Fly Now”
[0:25:07] 12‑hour practice session, bleeding hands, and winning state band competition
[0:27:00] Stewarding the gift vs. bragging about the gift; humility and the “Bill Gates’ son” analogy
[0:29:00] Accepting small, “beneath you” doors and how that leads to big opportunities
[0:30:00] Minister of Groove: Lenny Kravitz’s nickname and Zoro’s multi‑faceted calling
[0:30:40] Speaking everywhere from San Quentin to the White House to villages in Ghana
[0:32:50] Why Zoro treats a six‑person church and a mega‑platform the same
[0:34:12] “My Father’s business” and seeing everything as people‑focused ministry
[0:35:00] God as “alien,” the Holy Spirit as a willing invader of the human heart
[0:37:21] “When I drum, I feel His pleasure” – Chariots of Fire, calling, and joy
[0:37:40] Life of self vs. life of service: why selfish people self‑implode
[0:40:00] Deathbed regrets, Schindler’s List, and what actually matters at the end
[0:41:20] Salvation, grace, and how quickly a life’s direction can change
[0:42:30] The book “The Practice of the Presence of God” and Brother Lawrence’s example
[0:44:08] Inviting God into everyday moments, from the kitchen to the car
[0:45:00] Zoro’s habit of asking God to be in podcasts, gym sessions, and daily encounters
[0:47:36] Surrender, prophetic encouragement, and unexpected creative breakthroughs
[0:48:20] Brother Lawrence’s impact 400 years later and what real legacy looks like
[0:52:01] Lenny Kravitz, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and “I just want to be a saint in that number”
[0:52:19] Denzel Washington’s prophetic word as a boy and calling to influence for God
[0:55:00] The 12‑year‑old campfire prayer: forgiveness and “please make my dreams come true”
[0:56:24] The life‑changing prophetic encounter that made God “real‑real”
[1:00:47] Collecting prophetic words, seeing them fulfilled, and stacking evidence of God’s work
[1:02:45] Influence with “kings” of business, politics, and entertainment and why paupers matter just as much
[1:05:11] Why pious, judgmental religion misses Jesus’ message of grace
[1:06:18] Extending grace, not playing judge, and meeting people where they are
[1:08:44] Loving people on the tour bus without condemning their choices
[1:10:00] Everyday ministry: encouraging cashiers, waitstaff, and strangers
[1:14:02] Why Zoro plays with “secular” artists and the plumber/toilet analogy
[1:15:00] What “Maria’s Scarf” means: the seven‑year‑old who wanted a scarf for school pictures
[1:16:04] “One day you’ll do something phantasmical” – his mother’s blessing and identity
[1:16:48] The scarf as a symbol that weaves through his life and memoir
[1:18:57] Inside covers: childhood dreams vs. when the dreams came true
[1:20:15] Writing the memoir almost his whole life and how the book came together
[1:20:47] Turned down over 100 times by publishers and why he’s glad now
[1:23:37] The secular publisher who fully believed in the story and gave it space
[1:20:47–1:24:47] (overlap) The editor who called the 120,000‑word manuscript “absolute perfection”
[1:20:47–1:24:47] Soho House Malibu story: “Who does this guy think he is?” to “one of the greatest books I’ve ever read”
[1:24:12] Other books: The Big Gig, Soar, and his award‑winning drumming books
[1:24:47] Still full of ambition at 63 and wanting to be like 100‑year‑old Dick Van Dyke
[1:25:00] Wrap‑up, where to find Zoro online, and closing the episode
Follow Zoro: www.zorothedrummer.com
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https://www.facebook.com/john.e.bozeman
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Circling The Drain is produced by It's Your Show dot Co